The Little, Brown team remain an unbridled joy to work with and thanks, as always, are due to David Shelley, Tamsin Kitson, Robert Manser, Sean Garrehy, Emma Williams, Sarah Shrubb and Thalia Proctor. My editor Ed Wood improved the book immeasurably, as did Allison Malecha at Grove Atlantic and I can only apologise to her and to those US readers unfamiliar with cockney rhyming slang for leaving in the one joke I couldn’t bear to part with.
The two people to whom I always owe a debt of thanks are Wendy ‘span/spun’ Lee and my wonderful agent, Sarah Lutyens. Both are eagle-eyed and peerless when it comes to furniture.
And, of course, the biggest thank you of all to Claire, Katie and Jack.
My only addiction and my best support group.
Table of Contents
About the Author
Also by Mark Billingham
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
The Visitor
PART ONE: The Broken Circle
There and Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
Here and Now
… Now
… Now
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
PART TWO: KING OF THE WORLD, PIECE OF SHIT
The Visitor
… Now
… Now
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Now
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
PART THREE: Play the Innocent
The Visitor
… Now
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Then
… Now
… Then
PART FOUR: A Safe Place
… Now
… Now
… Now
… Now
… Now
Acknowledgements