Cry Baby cover art

Cry Baby

The Sunday Times bestselling thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat

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About this listen

 A full-cast, unabridged production of Cry Baby, the gripping prequel to Mark Billingham's acclaimed debut, Sleepyhead. Starring David Morrissey, Robert Glenister and a full cast of actors, with the narrator played by Mark Billingham.

Cry Baby is the shocking first case for one of British crime fiction's most iconic detectives.

It's 1996. Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne is a haunted man. Haunted by the moment he ignored his instinct about a suspect, by the horrific crime that followed and by the memories that come day and night, in sunshine and shadow.

So when seven-year-old Kieron Coyne goes missing while playing in the woods with his best friend, Thorne vows he will not make the same mistake again. Cannot.

The solitary witness. The strange neighbour. The friendly teacher. All are in Thorne's sights.

This case will be the making of him . . . or the breaking.

'One of the great series of British crime fiction' --- THE TIMES

'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

'Tom Thorne is one of the most credible and engaging heroes in contemporary crime fiction. Mark Billingham is a master of psychology, plotting and the contemporary scene - making the Thorne novels the complete package. Twenty years in and better than ever' - IAN RANKIN

'Mark Billingham is one the biggest names in crime fiction and one the genre's most formidable talents' - PETER JAMES

'Billingham is always a must read' - HARLAN COBEN

Full cast list:
Mark Billingham
David Morrissey
Robert Glenister
Candida Gubbins
Nathalie Buscombe
Mandy Weston
Rachel Atkins
Rupert Farley
Homer Todiwala
Nigel Pilkington
David John
Will Kelly
Glen McCready
Bhavnisha Parmar
Henley Ingall
Luke Stoneham©2020 Mark Billingham Ltd Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Psychological Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Thriller Exciting Suspense

Critic reviews

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.
Tom Thorne is one of the most credible and engaging heroes in contemporary crime fiction. Mark Billingham is a master of psychology, plotting and the contemporary scene - making the Thorne novels the complete package. Twenty years in and better than ever.
The tense, double-edged ending shows he has become one of Britain's best crime writers
Mark Billingham is one the biggest names in crime fiction and one the genre's most formidable talents.
Billingham is always a must read
That rare beast: a series that only gets better as it goes on. Mark Billingham is one of the best
What a treat. Cry Baby works as a way into the series, but it's even more entertaining for us aficionados to see the origin story of Billingham's hero, watching him become the man who would make his debut in Sleepyhead
Written with Billingham's characteristic flair and drive, with a protagonist who stalks every page
Established fans and newcomers alike will be thrilled
Mark Billingham has created a backstory for Thorne that is every bit as engrossing as you can expect. For me, the best prequel in the business is Endeavour, which looks at the backstory and development of Inspector Morse. Cry Baby is that good
Billingham is an absolute crackerjack of a writer [...] Cry Baby is an exceptionally thrilling mystery
For anyone that hasn't read a Thorne novel yet Cry Baby will show them what they have been missing for the past two decades
All stars
Most relevant
A well written well paced, I didnt like the narrator aspect at first but settled down. The characters are really well crafted and developed. David Morrisey was a joy to listen to. overall well worth the credit

fits in well with other books

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I thought the new format (with a live cast) worked well and added to the enjoyment of the story, which was as engrossing as usual. It was interesting to learn more about Tom's past.

I look forward to the next instalment - and finding out more about his new girlfriend!

Interesting new format

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It's a completely personal preference but I just can't enjoy a full cast production as much as a single narrator. Especially when I've got this far through a series, excellently narrated by the author; I found it jarring and distracting.
The story was great, and although I hadn't realised it was a prequel, I enjoyed meeting Hendricks for the first time and I can only hope, he wrote the whole book, just to throw in references to phone cards!
On to the next one, fingers crossed we're back to Mark Billingham.

Great story but I find full cast distracting.

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I really enjoyed this book. Not too heavy good story a bit predictable but that’s what I was looking for.
Loved the clear talking voice

Read well

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Really enjoyed this book and the way it was presented with a full cast. Brilliant!

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