The Burning Girl

In the gripping fourth installment of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne series, DI Tom Thorne finds himself plunged into a brutal and escalating conflict threatening to consume North London. A particularly vicious killer is leaving a chilling calling card: an 'X' carved in blood on the naked backs of his victims. Thorne quickly deduces that these ritualistic murders are not random acts but stark markers in a ferocious turf war, as ambitious crime boss Billy Ryan attempts to seize control of new territory. As the body count rises and the violence intensifies, Thorne races against time to untangle the complex web of allegiances and vendettas. The stakes are raised dramatically when the killer's macabre symbol appears on Thorne's own front door, signalling that this is no longer just a case, but a deeply personal and perilous confrontation that could erupt into open warfare.