From the Dead by Mark Billingham

Second Hand

Recalling Michael Connelly's taut storytelling and James Patterson's searing narrative twists, The Hundredth Man introduces a daring new talent. From its explosive first pages to its startling conclusion, this novel creates a world where heroes can't succeed without madmen, and the dead are the most dangerous of all. When bizarre and cryptic messages are found on a pair of corpses in Mobile, Alabama, junior police detective Carson Ryder and veteran cop Harry Nautilus find themselves in a mysterious public-relations quagmire pitting public safety against office politics. With the body count growing, Ryder must confront his family's terrifying past by seeking advice from his brother, a violent psychopath convicted of similarly heinous crimes. Ryder finds himself falling for Ava, the striking pathologist processing the gruesome corpses, But Ava's past holds its own nightmarish secrets. Chasing false leads while their boss relentlessly undermines all progress, Ryder and Nautilus come to realize someone close to them is the killer's ultimate target. Thundering to a stark and chilling revelation, The Hundredth Man marks the arrival of an author who raises the stakes on every page.