Rabbit Hole: A Novel

by Mark Billingham

Overview

Alice Armitage is a police officer.

Or she was.

Following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward. Though convinced that she doesn’t really belong there, she finds companionship with the other patients in the ward despite their challenging and often intimidating issues.

So when one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice feels personally compelled to launch an investigation from within the ward. Soon, she becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she must gather proof on her own, relying on the few contacts she has on the outside that still take her calls. But Alice’s life begins to unravel as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone in the ward, least of all herself. Having lost her conviction and with her investigative confidence shattered, she comes dangerously close to a psychological point of no return.

Mark Billingham has crafted a mind-bending, heart-stopping and wholly original thriller.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802158703
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	1,105,234
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Mark Billingham has twice won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and has also won the Sherlock Award for Best Detective Novel Created by a British Author. His books, which include the critically acclaimed Tom Thorne series, have been translated into twenty-five languages and have sold over six million copies. He lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

06/28/2021

Det. Constable Alice “Al” Armitage, the narrator of this gripping if flawed standalone from British author Billingham (the Tom Thorne series), has a psychotic breakdown after witnessing her police partner’s murder and is admitted to the psych ward of London’s Hendon Community Hospital. Her drug and alcohol addictions contribute to her being “medically retired” as a cop. At Hendon, she’s popular with the staff members and the other patients because of her caustic wit and the allure of being an ex-cop. After a patient is murdered in his room, detectives swarm the hospital, and Al is furious when she’s not permitted to help with the investigation. She takes it out on the staff and sets out to interview all the patients in an effort to solve the murder. But when Al finds a senior nurse’s stabbed body in the women’s restroom, she becomes a murder suspect. Humor, uniquely eccentric characters, and a convincing portrayal of the mind of a complex lead elevate this thriller above the ordinary. Only the hurried, implausible ending disappoints. Hopefully, Billingham will return to form next time. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Mark Billingham:

“Superb . . . Billingham adds tantalizing red herrings throughout. The book’s masterly ending features a heart-stopping chase to apprehend Kieron’s surprising kidnapper. Established fans and newcomers alike will be thrilled.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review), on Cry Baby

“How much tighter can Billingham turn the screws before his climactic twist? . . . Expertly grueling.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Cry Baby

“Cry Baby is the perfect prequel to send us back to revel in Tom Thorne's twenty years. As if we needed reminding how good Mark Billingham is.”—Val McDermid, on Cry Baby

“Mark Billingham is a master of psychology, plotting and the contemporary scene.”—Ian Rankin

“A fantastic thriller, combining a gripping plot and lead characters of remarkable depth…Readers who grab this one but aren’t familiar with its predecessors will be seeking them out. A series to savor.”—Booklist (starred review), on Their Little Secret

“The twisted plot unfolds gradually, with a maximum of suspense. Billingham never strains credulity in this thoughtful page-turner.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review), on Their Little Secret

“With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don’t want to leave.”—Michael Connelly

“Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre.”—George Pelecanos

From the Publisher

2021-06-16
The creator of DI Tom Thorne presents a stand-alone whodunit with a most unusual setting: the psychiatric ward of a northwest London hospital.

DC Alice Armitage, who suffered an acute case of PTSD when her partner was stabbed to death during a routine search for a culprit, became so disturbed that she conked her boyfriend, Andy Flanagan, with a wine bottle and was committed to the Shackleton Unit of Hendon Community Hospital. At least that’s the story she tells everyone who’ll listen. Though it’s clear that Al is a patient in the Fleet Ward, however, it’s far from clear to anyone else that she was ever with Met homicide; it may be that she’s just as delusional as posh drug abuser Lucy, bipolar chess player Ilias, compulsive singer Lauren, kilt-wearing Tony, needy young Shaun, or Graham, who bangs his head so frequently against a wall that the staff keeps having to repaint the spot. Ordinarily the question of Al’s professional employment would be moot, but when Shaun’s lover, Kevin Connolly, is smothered with a pillow and drugs are discovered in his room, Al swings into gear even though no one else accepts her bona fides—not the other patients, not Debbie McClure or any of the other nurses and staffers, and certainly not DC Steve Seddon or any of the other officers tasked with investigating. Al must launch an investigation on her own even as she’s confined to the ward, doped with medications, and treated to the opposite of cooperation from the officials.

A great premise generates some powerful episodes. Only the identification of the culprit is a letdown.

Kirkus Reviews