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

The tense, double-edged ending shows he has become one of Britain's best crime writers - The Times

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

That rare beast: a series that only gets better as it goes on. Mark Billingham is one of the best - John Connolly

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 - Observer

Written with Billingham's characteristic flair and drive, with a protagonist who stalks every page - Daily Mail

Established fans and newcomers alike will be thrilled - Publishers Weekly

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 - Globe and Mail

Billingham is an absolute crackerjack of a writer [...] Cry Baby is an exceptionally thrilling mystery - Winnipeg Free Press

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 - Daily Express