Noted British crime author Mark Billingham has established a central character called Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, but this new story focuses on a female detective, DI Nicola Tanner. Twenty years on the force, with a girlfriend at home, this seasoned officer is handed the case of a woman stabbed in her own London home and not found for two weeks. DIE OF SHAME refers to the fact that her connections were in a circle of recovering addicts.

Alcohol, prescription drugs, illicit drugs, unhealthy eating, lotteries, computer games... you name it, someone has been destructively addicted to it. DI Tanner understands the stresses people face and the coping mechanisms some of them adopt. Her first guess is that the dead woman Heather Finlay was involved in a drug deal.

Through flashbacks the circle of acquaintances is introduced to the reader, with their conversation, mixed backgrounds, personal troubles and successes. Some have overcome an addiction by latching on to a more harmless one. We see how they relate to one another and the group facilitator Tony, and make our own guesses at what must have occurred to cause the tragedy. At first the story is fractured and characters disparate but as the therapy sessions continue we see alliances emerging and possible motives for a killing developing. Will DI Tanner get to the bottom of it? These people are a strange mix of wanting confidentiality and needing to confess. Their secrets are no longer safe.

Nicola Tanner discovers that she doesn't have to look far from home to find more problems in the stressful city. This is an interesting look at a couple who don't have a clearly defined dynamic... they still split restaurant bills down the middle. After some time it becomes clear that one of the ladies is going to have to be the more grown up of the two.

Much of the tale is told through conversation and in theory it could occur in any city. London still subtly flavours the setting, with historic locations and parks dropped in as background. From modern crime stories we generally expect strong language and some adult activity, and Mark Billingham's carefully constructed DIE OF SHAME is no exception. This is a good old-fashioned mystery at heart, framed by a variety of modern Canterbury Tales.