Lifeless

In Mark Billingham's chilling novel "Lifeless," Detective Inspector Tom Thorne plunges into London's most brutal underworld, going undercover as a homeless man. His mission: to unmask the perpetrator behind a series of gruesome murders targeting rough sleepers, each victim found with a twenty-pound note pinned to their chest. As Thorne navigates the harsh realities of the streets, he uncovers a horrifying connection between these recent killings and a dark atrocity committed fifteen years prior. The investigation quickly reveals a complex web of silence and fear among the city's vulnerable, and the unsettling whisper that the killer might be one of their own—a cop. Thorne must peel back layers of deception and desperation, risking his life and sanity to bring justice to the forgotten, all while facing a ruthless enemy who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried. This fifth installment of the Tom Thorne series is a gripping exploration of society's margins and the enduring quest for truth.