Mark Billingham Popular Books
Mark Billingham Biography & Facts
Mark Philip David Billingham (born 2 July 1961) is an English novelist, actor, television screenwriter and comedian known for the "Tom Thorne" crime novel series. Early years Billingham was born in Solihull, Warwickshire and grew up in Moseley, Birmingham. He attended the King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in nearby King's Heath, and lived in that general area "right the way through university" while attending the nearby University of Birmingham. After graduating with a degree in drama from the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, he helped form a socialist theatre company, Bread & Circuses, in Birmingham. Bread & Circuses toured with shows in schools, colleges, arts centres and the street. In the mid-1980s he moved to London as a "jobbing actor", taking minor roles in episodes of TV shows Dempsey and Makepeace, Juliet Bravo, Boon, and The Bill. After playing a variety of "bad guy roles such as a soccer hooligan, drug addict, a nasty copper, a racist copper or a bent copper", he claimed that he had become disenchanted with acting and that the emphasis was not on talent, but on looks. Around 1987 he decided to pursue a career in comedy, stating:"[The] one great advantage of stand-up comedy [is that] nobody gives a stuff about what you look like – as long as you're funny, and if you can do it, and people laugh, then you'll get bookings." Billingham cites his breaking into stand-up as a simple progression from 5-minute, unpaid "try-out" spots to 10-, 20- and 30-minute paid slots. Billingham has headlined at the Comedy Store, where he also appears regularly as a Master of Ceremonies. Billingham was the human face on the puppet-representation-of-celebrities series Spitting Image, and "the taller half" of the top double act the "Tracy Brothers" with Mike Mole from Bread & Circuses days (now guitarist with British comedy punk band Punks Not Dad), appearing regularly on the radio version of The Mary Whitehouse Experience. In 1988, he appeared in the children's comedy series News at Twelve. Maid Marian and her Merry Men In Maid Marian and her Merry Men, Billingham played Gary, a dim-but-lovable guard in the employ of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Tony Robinson), as part of a double-act with Graeme (David Lloyd). After three award-winning series, Billingham and Lloyd helped creator-writer Robinson with plot and script ideas and gained co-writer credits on the first episode of series 4, "Tunnel Vision". Robinson, Lloyd and Billingham remain friends, and Robinson is partially credited for Billingham's literary career on the DVD release of Maid Marian (Series 3), in which the three discuss writing for the series and in general. The trio announced in 2018 that they were working on a stage production of Maid Marian and her Merry Men. Writing From an early age, Billingham wrote often "funny" stories for popularity and enjoyment. As his interests moved towards crime fiction, he set an early novel (the unpublished The Mechanic) in his native Birmingham. Inspired by the comic-crime work of Carl Hiaasen and other authors, he attempted to use his experience as a stand-up comedian and crime fan to write a similarly comic novel. Ultimately he abandoned the unfinished novel and the comic-crime genre to focus on another book that would become Sleepyhead. Billingham has stated in interviews that he treats comedy, and stand-up in particular, and writing as parts of a whole, as they use "the same 'Tricks'... [in particular] a strong opening." He also cites the big ending, and "pullback and reveal", whereby the audience or reader is led along a specific path and lulled into thinking that they can guess the twist, before "boom! it hits them from over there". In comedy, he says, it is a punchline; in crime "something a whole lot darker... [but] essentially it's a similar kind of [misdirection] technique." Billingham also writes comedy scripts for television. He and David Lloyd wrote and acted in the children's TV series Harry's Mad, based on the book by Dick King-Smith), and wrote and presented two series of BBC's What's That Noise?. Between 1997 and 1998, he and friend Peter Cocks wrote and co-starred in Granada TV's Knight School, for which they also produced a novelisation. He claims to be less interested in scriptwriting than novel writing. In 2002, he was "in the middle of writing a screenplay for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and about to write a screenplay for a cult children's show," a sci-fi drama for the BBC, but turned to writing novels. Novels In 2001, Billingham's first crime novel, Sleepyhead, was published in the UK by Little, Brown and Company. He is a self-confessed fan of crime fiction, "as well as a really serious collector" and has stated that the expense of collecting books inspired him to get into interviewing and reviewing books, partly for the complimentary copies. Starting with a local newspaper, he progressed to providing reviews and interviews for SHOTS, and then to magazines, including Time Out, where he interviewed Michael Connelly and others. Billingham became the first crime writer to win the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award twice when his novel Death Message won in 2009, against Reginald Hill, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Lee Child. Tom Thorne Billingham's detective character Inspector Tom Thorne first appeared in his 2001 debut novel Sleepyhead. The character has since appeared in the majority of his works, except In the Dark, Rush of Blood, and Die of Shame (May 2016), in which Thorne has minor roles. Billingham claims to have imbued Thorne with many of his own characteristics, such as a birthday, a locale (London), and a "love of country music both alt and cheesy". In talking about the creation and development of Thorne, Billingham details his difficulty in trying to create a character different from those in other, popular works: [You] worry that you will be entering that world of the strange cliche-ed cop, but you soon realise that you have to get comfortable in that world. You think "Hang on, some of the clichés are part of that territory". It would like writing a Western and going "Oh no I've given him a horse! What a terrible cliché!" It's not a cliché – It's part and parcel of the genre – cowboys have six-guns, horses and stetsons and detectives have [a] past... problems [and] flaws, because if they don't, then there is nothing to read about. Sleepyhead was released in August 2001 and made it onto the Sunday Times "Top Ten Bestseller" list. In December 2009 it was listed as one of the 100 novels that shaped the decade and was chosen as one of the titles for World Book Night in 2011. Billingham offers the first chapter of each Tom Thorne book on his website. Scaredy Cat inspiration In 1997, Billingham and his writing partner Peter Cocks were kidnapped and held hostage in a Manchester hotel room. The two were bound and gagged in their hotel room by a trio of masked men who robbed them. Billingham recalls .... Discover the Mark Billingham popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Mark Billingham books.
Best Seller Mark Billingham Books of 2024
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The Other Couple
Sarah J. NaughtonTHE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'I am sleep deprived having stayed awake desperate to find out what happened!' reader reviewFor fans of Clare Mackintosh's LET ME LIE, Cara Hunter's CLOSE...
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Hot Blood
Stephen LeatherThe fourth book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series.Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is used to putting his life on the line. It goes with the turf when you're an undercover cop. ...
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What Could Possibly Go Wrong. . .
Jeremy ClarksonWhat Could Possibly Go Wrong... is the sixth book in Jeremy Clarkson's bestselling The World According to Clarkson series.No one writes about cars like Jeremy Clarkson. While most ...
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A Cold Case in Amsterdam Central
Anja de JagerHaving been shot in the shoulder in the line of duty, Dutch police detective Lotte Meerman returns to work after four months of painful recovery yet not all her colleagues are hap...
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Cambridge Black
Alison Bruce'Bruce is doing for Cambridge what Colin Dexter did for Oxford with Inspector Morse' Daily MailA cold case waits to be solved . . . and a killer waits in the wings.Amy was seven ye...
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No Way Back
M. J. ArlidgeA treat for fans of DI Helen Grace: an ebook short story from Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author M. J. Arlidge.Jodie's arriving at her third children's home. She's only fiftee...
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A Cold Death in Amsterdam
Anja de JagerThe first Lotte Meerman mystery Amsterdambased Lotte Meerman is a cold case detective recovering from the emotional devastation of her previous investigation. She is angry and ment...
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Hard Landing
Stephen LeatherThe first book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series. Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is used to putting his life on the line. Working for an elite undercover squad he has lied, ch...
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In the Dark
Mark BillinghamA Deadly CrashA rainy night in south London. A gun is fired into a car, which swerves onto the pavement and plows into a bus stop. It seems that a chilling gang initiation has cost...
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Behind the Mask
Tyson FuryAS SEEN ON NETFLIX'S AT HOME WITH THE FURYSTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AND AWARDWINNING AUTHOR TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR DOUBLE WINNER: BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY & BEST OVERA...
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Dark Forces
Stephen LeatherWhen you're caught between two evils, only the most decisive will survive . . .A violent South London gang will be destroyed if Dan 'Spider' Shepherd can gather enough evidence ag...
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Dead Still
T.F. MuirSt. Andrews, Scotland: When a man's preserved body is discovered in a whisky ageing cask in the local Gleneden Distillery, DCI Andy Gilchrist and his partner, DS Jessie Janes, are ...
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Slow Burn
Stephen Leather'Leather's latest fullthrottle thriller could hardly be more topical . . . it hurtles off the page, grabbing the reader by the throat' Daily Mail'This cracking Spider Shepherd thri...
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Deadline
Simon KernickA captivating and taut thriller that will leave you holding your breath, from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick, the UK's answer to Harlan Coben.'The next time I see Si...
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The Runner
Stephen Leather'Thoughtprovoking, highoctane chase thriller with style' Financial Times'Leather once again delivers highoctane thrillaminute action that reads like a pitch for a Netflix series'...
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The Embalmer
Alison BelshamHas the ancient Egyptian cult of immortality resurfaced in Brighton?When a freshlymummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan...
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The Murder List
T.F. Muir'Gripping and grisly, with plenty of twists and turns that race along with black humour.' Craig RobertsonSt. Andrews, Scotland: When an elderly woman's naked body is found in her h...
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Black Summer
M W Craven'A brutal and thrilling pageturner' The Sun'Compelling' Heat 'The best pure mystery plot of the year' Morning Star'Gleefully gory and witty, with a terrific sense of place' Sunday ...
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The Other Wife
Michael RobothamThe ninth thriller in the Joe O'Loughlin series, the inspiration for the major ITV series The Suspect starring Aidan Turner.'Superbly constructed . . . a breathtaking twist' Daily ...
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A Demon in My View
Ruth RendellArthur Johnson doesn't look like a murderous psychopath; he is a mildmannered man who has never known how to talk to women. Years of loneliness has warped his mind, turning his des...
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The Bone Field
Simon KernickFrom Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick the UK's answer to Harlan Coben The Bone Field is a blood pressure raising thriller: fastpaced, full of thrills, spills and unr...
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Last Man Standing
Stephen LeatherFriendships forged in the heat of combat can be stronger than anything.So when SAS trooper Matt Standing is told that the former Navy SEAL who saved his life is in trouble, he does...
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Running Blind
M. J. ArlidgeNew to the police force, WPC Helen Grace is assigned to her first clearcut case. Sure there's something sinister beneath the surface, Helen has a bad feeling . . . but who's going ...
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Severed
Simon KernickAn unputdownable, edgeofyourseat thriller full of twists and turns from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick the UK's answer to Harlan Coben. Guaranteed to keep you gripp...
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Sacrifice
Will JordanLet bestselling author Will Jordan take you on a breakneck speed ride with CIA agent Ryan Drake in this compelling and unmissable thriller. Fans of Lee Child, Vince Flynn and David...
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True Colours
Stephen LeatherThe Russian oligarchs are the world's new elite. They treat the world as their plaything, travelling without borders and living lives of unimaginable luxury without fear or restrai...
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Live Fire
Stephen LeatherThe sixth book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series. Mickey and Mark Moore are Ordinary Decent Criminals hard men who live by their own code and leaders of a gang that ...
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Dead Find
T.F. Muir'Tightly plotted with a real sense of place and characters with heart that will stay with me for some time. Recommended for all lovers of police procedurals' Lisa Ballantyne St. An...
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Buried
Mark BillinghamLuke Mullen, the missing teenage son of a former police officer, was last seen getting into a car with an older woman. No one knows whether he went willingly or was abducted, wheth...
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Dead Catch
T.F. MuirWhen Joe Christie's fishing boat is swept onto Tentsmuir beach during a fierce storm, a man's mutilated body is found in the hold. DCI Andy Gilchrist of St Andrews CID is called in...
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The Witness
Simon KernickThis engrossing and unputdownable fastpaced thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick, the UK's answer to Harlan Coben, is perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Stu...
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Love Me Not
M. J. ArlidgeTHE GRIPPING DI HELEN GRACE THRILLER BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR M. J. ARLIDGE'Nailbiting . . . full of twists and turns' 5 READER REVIEW'The writing grabs you and pulls...
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Rough Justice
Stephen LeatherThe seventh book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series. Villains across London are being beaten, crippled and killed by vigilante cops. Crime rates are falling, but the p...
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Short Range
Stephen LeatherAn explosive thriller in the Spider Shepherd seriesDan 'Spider' Shepherd's career path soldier, cop, MI5 officer has always put a strain on his family. So he is far from happy ...
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Down to the Woods
M. J. ArlidgeIf you go down to the woods today, you better not go alone . . .FROM THE MILLIONCOPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR M.J. ARLIDGEThe last thing Tom Campbell remembers is camping in the New Fore...
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The Promise
Alison Bruce'Bruce is doing for Cambridge what Colin Dexter did for Oxford with Inspector Morse' Daily MailThe promise seemed simple. The scars would last a lifetime.In a single night, Kyle Ph...
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Tall Order
Stephen LeatherHe is one of the world's most ruthless terrorists, codenamed Saladin. He plans and executes devastating attacks and then, ghostlike, he disappears.Ten years ago he blew a plane out...
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Her Last Breath
Alison BelshamA gripping new detective series set in Brighton for readers who enjoy Peter James' Roy Grace series.When a young woman is attacked and left fighting to survive in hospital, the pol...
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The Burning Girl
Mark BillinghamSome fires never go out ...X marks the spot and when that spot is a corpse's naked back and the X is carved in blood, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is in no doubt that the dead m...
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Target
Simon KernickSunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick, the UK's answer to Harlan Coben, brings us this spinetingling, compelling and captivating thriller that you won't be able to put down...
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The Hanged Man
Simon KernickFans of David Baldacci, Stuart MacBride and Peter James will devour this intensely addictive and adrenalinfuelled thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick the U...
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Echo of the Dead
Alex GrayTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES Don't miss the latest from Alex Gray. Book 20 in the Lorimer series, QUESTIONS FOR A DEAD MAN, is out now and Book 21, OUT OF DARKNESS, is avai...
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The Final Minute
Simon KernickSimon Kernick, the UK's answer to Harlan Coben, has written a thriller jampacked withaction, tension and twists and turns. A heartstopping read from page one, this is perfect for f...
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Light Touch
Stephen LeatherWorking undercover is all about trust getting the target to trust you and then betraying them in order to bring them to justice.But what do you do when you believe an undercover c...