The first message sent to Tom Thorne's mobile phone was just a picture - the blurred image of a man's face, but Thorne had seen enough dead bodies in his time to know that the man was no longer alive. But who was he? Who sent the photograph? And why? While the technical experts attempt to trace the sender, Thorne searches the daily police bulletins for a reported death that matches the photograph. Then another picture arrives. Another dead man...

It is the identities of the murdered men which give Thorne his first clue, a link to a dangerous killer he'd put away years before and who is still in prison. With a chilling talent for manipulation, this man has led another inmate to plot revenge on everyone he blames for his current incarceration, and for the murder of his family while he was inside. Newly released, this convict has no fear of the police, no feelings for those he is compelled to murder. Now Tom Thorne must face one of the toughest challenges of his career, knowing that there is no killer more dangerous than one who has nothing left to lose.

'As pacy as ever, this confirms Billingham's status as the only crime writer capable of snapping at Rankin's heels' Elle

'Thorne is unquestionably a challenger for the crown currently held by Rankin's Rebus, and before that by Dexter's Morse' Sunday Express

'This is the seventh book in the series, and it is good to find that it lives up to the promise of its predecessors... Well-plotted, high quality stuff' Guardian

'Gripping... Taut, tense and disturbing' The Times