Whatever the reason, for obvious reasons Tanner can’t investigate the murder herself and instead turns to Tom Thorne, a man who she has met only briefly and knows more by reputation, to help her find the answers she so desperately seeks. It is something in Western culture that we take for granted - the basic right to love and be loved by those whom we choose not those who are chosen for us.

The detectives find a link to two men seen near the pair on the underground and CCTV shows the pair being hustled out of a station into a car.

That's not to say it's not well-written, just not indulgent in the sense of using description for description's sake. Mark Billingham has shone a light into an area of crime few of us know much about, and this is a must-read book for the summer. But Mark Billingham has done a brilliant job of moving the story past this subject matter alone without sensationalising, trivialising or glamourising it in any way, providing the reader with an entertaining, if not occasionally heart breaking story that I would highly recommend you read. Although Tanner usually follows the manual by the letter, to work the case she needs someone who really is known for winging it.

While there is a bit of a car chase, there is nothing heroic about it, and while there is also a bit of gun fire it seems that everyone misses. Billingham, in this book tries to separate the religion, of which he shows the utmost respect, from the honour crimes of which he hates, but he is walking a tightrope creating a fictional thriller around such an emotive subject. In Love Like Blood I have tried to display the utmost respect for Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and for those who practice their religions peacefully. Prior to this book, I had no idea that honour killings existed outside countries like India or Pakistan.I haven't read any of the other books in the author's DI Tom Thorne series but I did read the prior DI Nicola Tanner book, "Die of Shame", which I liked more than I liked this book. So I was horrified upon reading Marks notes at the end of the story, to find that this is a growing problem in The UK. Much less a whodunnit and much more a twisted tale to the full truth of the matter, Tom is pulled into a contrary situation by Nicola Tanner (see Die Of Shame ) who having suffered a horrific personal lost is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Billingham's passionate depiction of the injustice and brutality that flow from these killings spills from every page, making this one of his most powerful crime novels, written with a fury that does both him and Thorne justice. I only hope that when we next encounter DI Thorne that he has resolved his differences with the lovely Helen, but sadly I fear this relationship is doomed!