Love Like Blood ★★★ Mark Billingham Little Brown, R300

DI Nicola Tanner asks Inspector Tom Thorne to help investigate honour killings. Both are certain that many deaths dismissed as accident, suicide or random murder are contracted killings committed in the name of family pride. While Thorne investigates the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities, his girlfriend Helen, from the child protection unit, is puzzled by a case of child abuse — until Thorne pulls all the pieces together. Based on a true story which makes it even more of a frightening read.