Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Billingham's electrifying sequel to The Last Dance, Det. Sgt. Declan Miller is still grieving the unsolved murder of his wife, Alex, and adjusting to his unconventional new investigative partner, Sara Xiu, who has a taste for heavy metal music and one-night stands. Alex's drug addict daughter, Finn, calls Declan one morning to tell him she's sent a friend, Andy Bagnall, to his doorstep. Hapless Andy has been given a stolen briefcase that contains a pair of severed hands adorned with expensive signet rings, and he's terrified that holding onto it for too long could put a target on his back. Declan recognizes the grisly contents as the work of gangster Wayne Cutler, whom he suspects of murdering Alex. After he takes possession of the suitcase, somebody murders Andy while searching his apartment for it, lighting a fire under Declan and Sara to track down Cutler. Declan remains a dashing, sharp-witted protagonist, and fans of the previous book will be pleased that Billingham saves room for his dancing exploits at the Majestic Ballroom. Throw in a delightfully madcap plot and breakneck pacing, and readers are left with a caper they won't soon forget. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Billingham's droll detective returns with a bang and a briefcase. He's still working with DS Sara Xiu, still dancing with his ex-police friends, and still hunting for the murderer of his beloved wife, Alex, a fellow police officer. His relentlessly warped humor covers a battered and grieving heart. Two petty criminals decide to try a new line in crime: stealing briefcases from men in public restrooms. Distraction, theft, and a speedy departure is the overall plan, but the first theft does not go well. The briefcase, when opened, reveals a pair of severed hands that are proof of a contract killing ordered by a local gangster. The killer, an incessant maker of lists and a devoted fan of Midsomer Murders, needs the hands back to prove that the killing took place so that he can get paid. When one of the thieves delivers the briefcase to DS Miller, a twisty tango of characters and mayhem ensues. Will one of the local crime kingpins--or their wives--win the battle for control? VERDICT Billingham continues his Detective Miller series in style. Wryly comic, fast-paced, and sharply observed, this excellent sequel to The Last Dance will be welcomed by the author's fans.--Penelope J.M. Klein
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A second oddball outing for DS Declan Miller, still literally haunted by the murder of his wife that hung over his debut in The Last Dance (2023). When you've hired a hit man to eliminate a troublesome target, it's only natural that you'd want proof of death, right? So gang leader Wayne Cutler, who's already battling former drag queen Ralph Massey for control of Blackpool's underworld, has asked Dennis Draper (not his real name) to bring him a briefcase with the ringed, severed hands of the late George Panaides. These best-laid plans are torpedoed by Andy Bagnall, a thief-in-training who nicks the briefcase while Draper's in a public washroom and then, horrified by his discovery of its contents, abjectly presents it to Miller. Miller, already suspecting Cutler of complicity in the death of his wife, Alex--who continues to pop up in disconcerting contexts and launch conversations with him--would love to use this unexpected gift to bring Cutler down, perhaps with the help of Finn, Alex's homeless daughter. While he's trying to do that, though, Cutler, unaware that the evidence he wanted is already in the hands of Serious and Organised Crime, calls in Martin "Torchy" Molineux, an even more fearsome killer, to retrieve it by leaning hard on Draper, on Andy, and on Andy's sister, Natalie, a nurse at Victoria Hospital. Although the tone of these nonstop shenanigans is never exactly lighthearted, their frantic pace, the ineptness of both cops and robbers, and the constant habit of many characters of sizing up their self-performative personas make it never less than madcap. The whole shebang is so propulsive you'll hardly care about the identity of the detective's final, and forgettable, quarry. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
