This is yet further proof that Billingham is a fine crime writer who is compelled, for reasons as artificial as Jeopardy's format, to put that crime fiction in the form of a serial killer plot. The lack of artificially flavored suspense may disappoint those who like serial killer fantasies, and the presence of a serial killer (yawn) may irritate those who appreciate Billingham's style. I have no idea what that cover is about. This one is more like In the Dark and less like Sleepyhead, and while I thought Sleepyhead was brilliant in the way it imagined the female lead's point of of view, I can do without the cleverly insane and let's-top-this villains. I reviewed it for Reviewing the Evidence.