Tangled Web UK Review August 2002
Scaredy Cat by
Mark Billingham
pbk out July 02
(Little Brown)
at £10.99
There are perhaps two main types of serial killer novel. There's the
high-style fantasy personified by the work of such as Jeffrey Deaver and
Thomas Harris. And there's the more down-to-earth variety that seeks to
show the failings of society and explain the actions of some of its most
depraved citizens.
Mark Billingham is, I suspect, torn between the two approaches. He
would like to be Thomas Harris, but he recognises the absurdity of the
concept in the UK where, thank God, the serial killer phenomenon is
still rare.
Hence the new novel, an ingenious follow-up to the audacious
Sleepyhead. Dubiously extrapolated from surface elements of the Jamie
Bolger case, his killers are suitably mundane, their crimes shocking but
credible. This time there are two serial killers working in tandem. We
know who they once were but not who they are now.
Once again the case features the ultra- empathetic DI Tom Thorne, his
first nervous breakdown coming like Christmas. This time he is haunted
by young Charlie Garner, the three year-old child left for two days with
the strangled body of his mother by one of the killers. Again he is
supported by DS Sarah McEvoy and DC Dave Holland, their personalities
along with the team dynamics realistically portrayed.
What follows is a fast-paced thriller, like Sleepyhead sophisticated in
its structure, its large cast of characters well fleshed out and with
little of the genre's normal emphasis on gore. Its plot is beautifully
worked out (though I could have done without the entirely superfluous
sub-plot concerning a series of violent hotel robberies). And although
Billingham is capable of the occasional cheap effect, it is also
exceedingly well-written There are also a few scenes that could be
judiciously trimmed.
It is also a depressing read. Fair enough, the subject matter is
hardly ideal bed-time reading. But most character have a particularly
rancid view of the world. I lost count of the "wankers", "cunts",
"muppets" and "morons" that figure in this book. Perhaps Billingham was
unwise to largely suppress his comedian's instinct for a little light
relief. An occasional glimpse of human kindness might have provided some
much-needed contrast.
A down-beat but worthy successor to Sleepyhead, Billingham is a name to
watch. But please, leave off the serial killers. There ARE other
subjects.
Why a Comedian Should Want to Become a Crimewriter
(
Bob Cornwell
)
New Books by Mark Billingham at Amazon.co.uk
Secondhand and Out of Print Books by Mark Billingham at Alibris.com
