Death message. Mark Billingham. 2007.

‘Delivering the death message.’ That’s what coppers call it when they have to tell someone that a loved one has been killed. Now DI Tom Thorne is receiving messages of his own. Photos of murder victims sent to his mobile phone.

The killer is quickly identified as a man just released from prison; someone who believes he has nothing left to live for. But why is he sending these pictures to Thorne? The answer lies in Thorne’s past, with a man he himself sent away for life. Even behind bars, the most vicious psychopath Thorne has ever faced is still a master at manipulating others to do his dirty work for him. Particularly his killings…………