Sunday Times number one bestseller and maverick Mark Billingham will be talking to us about his latest novel, The Murder Book as well as his colourful crime writing career.

Spanning the last 21 years he has brought a fresh, edgy and terrifying twist to the genre and his lead character, Tom Thorne, is every bit as quirky and different a character as his creator.

Mark will also discuss his latest novel, The Murder Book. Finally, Thorne’s past has caught up with him and a ruinous secret is about to be revealed. If he wants to save himself and his friends, he must do the unthinkable.

**Please note the date of this event has changed – it will now take place on Tuesday 28th June at 7.30pm. If you had booked tickets for the original date (Wednesday 29th June) the Box Office will be in touch with you**

Venue: Billericay Library, 143 High Street, Billericay, CM12 9AB

Tickets: £8 / £7 concessions (Students, Under 27s and Jobseekers)

Date and time: Tuesday 28th June, 7.30pm

Box Office: Book online or via Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

The Murder Book by Mark Billingham

Tom Thorne is back… and so is his worst nightmare.

About the Author

Mark Billingham started his career, 21 years ago, as the new young voice in crime fiction. He brought a fresh, edgy and terrifying twist to the genre and his lead character, Tom Thorne, was every bit as quirky and different as his creator.

The intervening two decades have seen Billingham grow from a young maverick, pushing the boundaries and challenging the assumptions of crime writing by both the trade and the readers themselves, into the role of statesman of the genre, supporting new writers and confronting his own social conscience through his work.

We all acknowledge that the crime novel can (in the words of Billingham himself) ‘shine a light into some of the darker corners of society’ and the commentary writers like him give to contemporary political and social issues has an important role to play in today’s tumultuous world.

Billingham’s novels have now sold over 6 million copies. He has had 21 Sunday Times bestsellers (every one of his titles) and has spent over 120 weeks in the top ten. Two TV series have been made of Mark’s books – Thorne by Sky starring David Morrissey, and In the Dark by the BBC. A third is currently in development. Rabbit Hole, his 2020 novel, was named as Crime Book of the Year by The Times.

Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. He began his career as an actor, his credits including small-screen greats such as Dempsey & Makepeace, Birds of a Feather, Juliet Bravo and four series of cult children’s classic Maid Marian And Her Merry Men.

Whilst continuing his relationship with TV through writing for a variety of shows, he branched out into stand-up comedy and worked all over the world for more than twenty years, appearing regularly at The Comedy Store, as well as on screen with Spitting Image, The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Live At Jongleurs.

He has gone on to present widely on TV and radio, hosting shows including Going Live, TV’s Favourite Detective, Passport to Murder, Mark Billingham’s Rule Book of Crime and documentaries on everything from Patricia Highsmith to Columbo.

He has also showcased his peculiar and largely useless ability to retain trivia on radio and TV shows such as Quote Unquote, The Write Stuff, Pointless Celebrities, Eggheads and Celebrity Mastermind, which he won, thanks to knowing far more than is healthy about Elvis Costello.

Mr Costello has now rescinded the restraining order…

Photo of Mark Billingham © Steve Best