The Wrong Hands revolves around Detective Sergeant Declan Millar and his partner Detective Sergeant Sara Xiu.

He is a very down-to-earth person, who has the propensity to be very cynical, forthright, unpretentious, rebellious, has the ability of using the wrong words at the wrong time, but has a heart of gold and a dedication to do what is right. He is also a mine of trivia. He proves to be a very good detective. Xiu is a heavy metal (death metal) fan and leather-clad motorcyclist.

The story begins with a crime committed against a character who has just committed a separate crime. The tale unfolds in an hour by hour, day by day sequence that shows the inadequacies of some of the senior officers ranked above Millar and how he copes with this situation. 

Apart from the crime(s) mentioned, there is an underlying crime, dating back several months, that involves his late Detective Inspector wife’s murder. His late wife, Alex, appears to him most evenings and they discuss the day’s events and investigations which makes this seem rather interesting. 

The story moves along at a fast pace - with a sting in the tale. It is racey and the language is localised - as previously mentioned - with a number of possibly unfamiliar words. However, that will not distract you from enjoying the narrative. 

Declan and Alex were heavily involved in ballroom dancing and he is still very active since her death. Their team is led by a couple who are retired detectives. He gives the team an overview of his current investigations and they all discuss their ideas about the case.

Mark Billingham is an outstanding award-winning writer, conversational, humorous, with a great descriptive talent that allows you to picture each scene in detail. His story-telling is superb making this a great page turner,

In case you wonder about the title of the book “The Wrong Hands”, if I revealed the reason for the title, that would be the ultimate spoiler, so you will need to read the book to discover the meaning.

Reviewed by Ken.

The author

Mark Billingham is a stand-up comedian, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store. He has been awarded the 2003 Sherlock Award as the creator of the Best Detective created by a British writer and LAZYBONES won the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for best crime novel of the year. He has also been an award-winning children's writer.