The Bones Beneath

On an island off the Welsh coast, Inspector Thorne faces a sadistic adversary who'll "certainly make your skin crawl" (The New York Times Book Review).

 


Who'd trust a depraved killer like Stuart Nicklin? Tom Thorne, the DI who put him away, has to. Nicklin has promised to bring closure to the grieving mother of one of his first victims by finally revealing where the body can be found. But there's just one condition: Thorne must accompany him to the burial ground—the remote Bardsey Island, which is cut off from the mainland of Wales in more ways than one. Nicklin is in cuffs, surrounded by authorities, and under watchful eye. What could go wrong?


 


As the macabre outing begins, so do Nicklin's mind games—and it becomes clear that his motives are far from altruistic. There are more than bones buried on the storm-shrouded island. There are secrets, too. And as Thorne becomes entangled in the twisted schemes of a manipulative psychopath, he'll be left with the most terrible choice he's ever had to make.


 


Gillian Flynn calls Mark Billingham "one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today"—and in The Bones Beneath he makes sure "readers' nerves will be shredded . . . [in] a tour de force of suspense" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).


 


"Chilling . . . Billingham certainly knows how to make those pages turn even while your stomach churns." —Publishers Weekly

 


"Billingham is a world-class writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books." —Karin Slaughter, New York Times–bestselling author