The start of a new series by Mark Billingham, The Last Dance is an enjoyable, yet mellow police procedural. Detective Declan Miller returns to work after his wife’s murder and has an acerbic sense of humour that he never fails to share. His new partner, DS Sara Xiu has no sense of humour and yet they make a formidable team. They are assigned to a case when an execution-style murder occurs in the Sands Hotel. The discovery of another dead body in the room next door makes for an entrancing investigation that may involve a couple of rival crime leaders. A promising new series with a quirky detective, at times humorous narrative and a three and a half stars read rating. Given that Declan’s wife’s murder is still an unsolved case, there will be more adventures to come. With thanks to Grove Atlantic and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

DS Declan Miller of the Lancashire Police is returning to work, six weeks after the killing of his wife Alex, also a detective. He’s frustrated that the team investigating Alex’s murder have made little headway so far and hopes by being back on the job, he’ll be better informed about what is happening. In the middle of competing in the semi-final of a ballroom dancing competition with Miller, Alex received a phone call and left without telling him. At the time, she was working in Serious & Organised Crime investigating local crime organisations and Miller is convinced one of them killed her.

On his first day back at work, Miller barely has time to reclaim his desk before he’s assigned a new partner and a strange double murder of two men staying in neighbouring rooms at the Sands Hotel. There appears to be no connection between the two men, one an IT professional and one the son of the head of a criminal organisation. With all the hallmarks of a contract killing, was an innocent bystander caught up in a crime gang shooting?

This is the first of a new series from Mark Billingham, author of the popular 18-book DI Tom Thorne series, promises to be lighter and laced with humour, featuring an eccentric detective, solving less dark murder mysteries. DS Miller is a smart, intuitive cop, but also the type of person who has a joke or wisecrack for every situation. Initially I found his over the top sarcasm and witticisms very annoying but, it soon became apparent that this was partly his way of coping with his grief. Once back on the job, the wisecracks settled down to a less annoying level, assisted by the fact that his new partner, DS Sara Xiu just doesn’t get his jokes and finds him annoying, pigheaded and flippant (to mention just a few of the adjectives she flings at him).

The plot is a good one, with plenty of misdirection and false leads before the motive for the killings and the killer are eventually unmasked. Miller’s habit of thinking outside the box pay off and his ballroom dancing friends, including a retired police couple, hep with post-dance discussions in the pub. Deep down he is a caring person, as shown by his relationship with street girl Finn. Heavy metal loving, motorbike riding Sara Xiu also turns out to be smart and intuitive and together they forge a good partnership. With Alex’ murder still unsolved at the end of the novel, it looks as if we'll have to wait for the next book to find out more about her and what got her killed.

Mark Billingham has come up with a particularly interesting, off-beat, not what you might expect kind of character in The Last Dance, the first of what appears to be a new series. This is a police procedural murder mystery that is greatly enhanced by the flip nature of the protagonist DS Declan Miller.

Miller has just returned to work six weeks after the death of his wife, Alex. He found he can no longer bear sitting at home moping about and needs to occupy his mind with work. He’s happy enough to occasionally ring Alex’s mobile phone just to hear her voicemail message and speak to her when she visits him in the kitchen late at night.

Almost immediately, he meets his new partner and is handed a double homicide case by his DI. The case takes him to a local motel where two men have been killed, shot in the head. They occupied adjacent rooms but were apparently unrelated and unknown to one another. The nature of the case leads them into a lion’s den because one of the dead men is a known gangster who could have any number of enemies willing to put a bullet in his head.

Miller is a refreshingly offbeat character who can be relied upon to speak his mind, usually with an outrageous comment or off-kilter joke. His new partner, Sara Xiu is the polar opposite who, determined to remain focused solely on the job, appears to be lacking a sense of humour. It’s a combination that shouldn’t succeed but, thanks to Miller’s ineffable likableness, slowly manages to win both her trust and respect. I liked the dynamic between the two characters, their differences and similarities ensure there’s always something interesting happening.

Behind his wry, witty and outwardly upbeat nature hides a tragic recent past, the aforementioned death of his wife. Alex was a fellow police detective who died in the line of duty. Her murder remains unsolved and this sits very badly with Miller - and he lets the team working the case know of his displeasure…with predictable results.

I found a lot to like with this new police detective series. Miller’s humorous approach to life resonated perfectly with me, his off-key jokes and quips are right up my alley. The actual murder investigation takes a bit of a back seat with more emphasis on the characters to carry off the storyline. When the focus returns to the murder, however, Billingham produces quite a clever twist and, not surprisingly, Miller plays a key role in its resolution.

As what is clearly the first book in a series, I will be more than happy to return to find out how Miller and Xiu are getting on.

My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the digital ARC to allow me to read, enjoy and review this book.

Declan Miller, the protagonist of this new series, is a sarcastic and snarky alternative to Harry Bosch and Alex Cross. Although he is no less proficient at his job, he does come across as less superhero, more regular joe. As we get to know the characters we find the requisite support circle of friends/family who not only tolerate but actually love the curmudgeon, the token work “nemesis”, the loyal and understanding partner and the “issue” that caused them to be the way they are. Somewhat formulaic in its setup but with interesting twists and potential for more. I am looking forward to reading more about Declan Miller.

I’d like to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Last Dance’ by Mark Billingham in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DS Declan Miller returns early from compassionate leave following the shooting of his wife Alex. During his absence he’s given a new partner DS Sara Xiu who’s been instructed to keen an eye on him. They’re immediately thrown into investigating not one but two dead bodies in The Sands Hotel. One of them, Adrian Cutler, he can understand as his father is a well-known criminal, but what is the other man who’s identified as Barry Shepherd doing in the room next door?

Declan Miller is not Tom Thorne from Billingham’s previous popular series and it took me a while to become accustomed to his sarcasm and wicked sense of humour, but he’s a ‘character’ in his own right with his love of ballroom dancing and his two rats Fred and Ginger. Although Miller and Xiu who he calls ‘posh gravy’ are worlds apart they work well together and with a bit of help from Finn who lives on the streets and gives Miller bits of information they finally catch up with the killer. I’ve enjoyed this thriller that’s more tongue in cheek than others I’ve read and as this is the first in a new series I’m looking forward to reading more of Miller and Xiu and seeing how their characters develop.

5 resounding stars for Mark Billingham's new series featuring the great new detective Declan Miller.

Declan Miller will have you laughing out loud.

Miller has many sides to this quirky personality that you discover as the pages turn.

DS Miller returns to duty just a short week after the murder of his wife and now he has a new partner in DS Sara Xiu .

They complement each other in a weird sort of way.

The detectives have 2 murders to solve one involving the local crime family.

The ending was perfect and I for one will be first in line for the next book in the series. Can't wait.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press for a great new series to look forward to.

I loved this new adventure from Mark Billingham. It's a completely different story style to the Thorne series, but, I enjoyed it just as much.
The lead protagonist, Declan Miller, returns to work following the murder of his wife and is soon ensconced in a couple of murders that may or may not be linked.
I lost my husband recently and so was unsure how I'd feel reading this, but, it was so touching and uplifting in equal measure and I was completely absorbed in both the storyline and the characters. I loved Millers sense of humour and there were a number of times I laughed out loud. It's got everything; murder, intrigue, grief, humour and excellently rounded and interesting characters and I cannot wait for the next one.

Congratulations to the author. A resounding success! And many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to preview this fabulous read.

A fun book to read as Miller is a quirky character . His partner Xiu is just as quirky and the two make a good detective team. Both have their own demons and hopefully these won’t collide with their work. The mystery component was decent but I am thinking the character development is what made this an interesting read for me. In fact most of the characters in this book were helter skelter. An entertaining read for me.

Mark Billingham introduces us to a new character in the first of the series - DS Declan Miller.
I'm a huge fan of the Tom Thorne/Nicola Tanner books and was interested to see what this new character would be like. Despite having been recently widowed, Miller is flippant and full of one-liners. Maybe a few too many at times. The ballroom dancing aspect was a bit out of place in my opinion, but I can see the need for Miller to have friends to discuss things with.
Not my favourite Billingham book, but even a slightly less engaging book by him is better than no book!

The Last Dance is the upcoming novel by Mark Billingham, who is a best-selling novelist famous for creating the character Tom Thorne. In this novel, he introduces his readers to his new hero, Declan Miller. I have never read any book by Mark Billingham before, and this is a first for me. The Last Dance uses all the usual tropes found in investigation thrillers and introduces a few novel ones.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "The Last Dance", the new book by Mark Billingham.
How does one approach a new series by an established author? With an open mind. And so it begins; from the author of the Tom Thorne series (of which I have read many) comes the first in a new series, featuring DS Declan Miller and a cast of characters.
I have to admit that, right off the bat, I love the character of DS Miller, Dec to his friends. He's lighter than Tom Thorne, and his sense of humor I get.
Back early from bereavement leave, only to discover that a disliked colleague has been promoted to Detective Inspector, and is now effectively his boss, and to find that there is a new member to the team (whose predilection for heavy metal music and casual sex is interesting to say the least), the first case back is a doozy - what appears to be a contract hit on a local gangster - and turns out to be a two-for-the-price-of-one, as another body, that of a seeming nobody, is discovered in the hotel room next to the original.
So, the detectives must figure out if this is a coincidence or if the two killings are linked.
As the readers simultaneously get to see how the cases are investigated, we're also introduced to a number of local characters, who include Declan and his late wife's dancing partners (yes, they were involved in ballroom dance competitions) and in fact Alex Miller disappeared from the titular "Last Dance", and was later discovered murdered. Among those friends are the prerequisite retired coppers who act as sounding boards during the course of the investigation. Also introduced are some of the local heavies, along with their families - one of whom is the wife of the deceased.
We discover early on that DS Miller's new partner, the aforementioned heavy metal music aficionado, has no sense of humor, which is fine - we all get him anyway; and that she is very wary of Dec's investigatory style, but willing to go along.
Woven into the main plot is DS Miller's frustration with the speed at which his wife's murder is being investigated - by a different team, of course, in which he has no faith. Repeatedly warned off interfering in the investigation, Declan nonetheless is very unable to stop himself.
As the various threads of the double-murder investigation begin to weave themselves into a conclusion, there are more clues dropped as to what might have happened to Alex Miller. I see this as a running sub-plot to future installments in the series, and cannot wait to see where we go from here.
Get in on the ground floor of a new series - read this one! Highly recommended.

Detective Sergeant Declan Miller’s first day back, after being on leave following the murder of his wife and fellow officer, Alex. He’s paired with his would-be replacement, DS Sara Xiu and almost immediately tasked with solving a potential double murder. The murders of the son of a local gangland boss and a man that works in IT.

I enjoyed this police procedural, there was an interesting cast of characters that were well drawn. I did have mixed feelings about Miller’s continual bad jokes, they did flesh out his character but oh my goodness, did we really need so many! Xiu is much more strait laced, lacking a sense of humour altogether. But the odd couple work well together, both opening up to their counterpart. The end is set up for the next in the series, with many loose ends still hanging in relation to Alex’s death.

On a completely unrelated note, I detest those twee portmanteau insults in general, cockeomble, wankspangle and spunktrumpet, so it was disappointing to see them used by the main character.

Excellent news - there is life after/apart from Tom Thorne. Billingham maintains the quality of plot and wry undertone.

THE LAST DANCE falls far short of the standard of Billingham's previous work. The narrative felt muddled and even difficult to follow in places, and the whole dance metaphor thing was just plain dull. Those parts had little to do with moving the story forward, and I found myself skimming through them.

This is supposed to be the start of a new series, but in my view the main character doesn't have the legs to carry one. He's simply an annoying, arrogant asshole. While it's easy enough to understand how a human being in his position might be excused for being an annoying and arrogant asshole, the fact remains that a character has to be more than a human being to carry a series. He has to be someone you like and care about and want to spend a lot of time with. This protagonist simply isn't.

One more problem. The end of the book was less about bringing this narrative to a satisfactory conclusion than it was about spinning out a setup for future books. It was lame, clumsy, and ultimately insulting to readers who might just want to see this narrative conclude, not suffer through a cliffhanger that is supposed to pull them into future narratives.

All quite disappointing to someone who has read and enjoyed several of Billingham's previous novels.

I’ve been missing good straightforward British police procedurals since the deaths of P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Reginald Hill and Peter Robinson, so I was excited to see Mark Billingham starting a new series featuring DS Miller, set in Blackpool. Miller has been a widower for six weeks when he returns to the job, after the murder of his wife Alex, a fellow police detective and also his dancing partner.

While he’s still arguing with his boss about whether he should be taking more time off, he’s quickly assigned to a homicide with a new partner, the much younger DS Sara Xiu. Miller is a nonstop wiseacre, while Xiu is all business with a nice added spice of sarcasm. Miller’s attitude takes the book a little outside the mainstream of British police procedurals, and a little further when he chats on a near nightly basis with his dead wife.

Longtime crime fiction readers may spot the critical clue(s), but I didn’t find that spoiled the entertainment of the read. I liked the Miller and Xiu characters and will look forward to reading more about them and progress on Alex’s murder case.

An unconventional detective, Declan Miller is grieving the loss of his wife and returns to work to solve a double murder at a Blackpool hotel. Is it a case of mistaken identity?

I'm a fan of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne / Nicola Tanner series but also very much enjoyed (perhaps more!) his standalone 2021 release, Rabbit Hole. His latest novel, The Last Dance, kicks off a new series featuring Detective Declan (Dec) Miller... a witty wiseass I can soooo envisage on the big or small screen. Miller's constant (almost compulsive) commentary is hilarious and it would translate well - if done properly with someone with great (droll) comedic timing.

So what you need to know about The Last Dance, is it's very funny. Well, the dialogue is witty and the characters are quirky. Miller is a ballroom dancing fan and (like Billingham) plays the guitar. Miller's new partner DS Sara Xiu is into heavy metal accompanied by casual sex. And she (nick-named Posh because Miller thinks her surname is like jus... the 'posh' gravy) has no sense of humour; with sarcasm and witty repartee bypassing her completely. She quickly earns Miller's respect though, through her no-nonsense straight-up detectiving. 

We quickly learn Miller's returning to work after a personal loss. No one expects him back so soon but he's bored. He's also got an agenda and wants to right past wrongs. He gets waylaid though on an assassin-style double shooting at a local hotel. Complicating matters is the fact that one of the victims is the son of a local mobster, linked to Miller's own recent tragedy. 

The cases themselves are interesting but the treat here is Miller - predominantly through the piquant prose penned by Billingham. It reminded me of slightly-darker Ted Lasso... that verbal diarrhoea that could be annoying but is endearing...

<i>Xiu seemed pleased; bemused, but pleased. 'Anyway, nothing to get excited about as far as Massey is concerned but I did find out one very interesting thing.'

'Is it the fact that dolphins sleep with one eye open?'

'No, it isn't.'

'OK, that was a bit of a stab in the dark... let me have one more guess. Is it the fact that the man who invented Pringles had his ashes buried in a Pringles can? Original flavour, if you want to be precise.' p162 </i>

This ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, so readers are poised for the next in the series, but for me it also ended with a smidge of disappointment that I was saying goodbye to Dec Miller... even just for now.

4.5 stars

A new series from one of my favourite authors and this one introduces Detective Miller who is based in Blackpool. He has a good set of one liners (like a detective Les Dawson or Eric Morecombe!) and likes a bit of ballroom dancing.

Miller sees Mark Billingham increasing the humour quota and a few entertaining new characters (a gangland boss who still likes to visit his past as a drag act). Bold move to try a new character but it has worked and there is even a cameo from his Thorne series.

Perfect.

It’s always fun to get in on the ground floor of a new series. And in this case, fun is the operative word. The Last Dance introduces us to DS Declan Miller. He’s unconventional, to say the least. “Were you like this before your wife died?” “You’ll need to be more specific,” Miller said. “Annoying.” Xiu paused, but only to take a deep breath. She’d obviously compiled a healthy list. “Bloody minded. childish…” “Are you actually doing them alphabetically?” “Insensitive, inappropriate, pig-headed, rude…stupidly over-confident and completely dismissive of authority…Inattentive, flippant, sarcastic, annoying, erratic, unreliable, flaky—“
Miller is all of those things. But he’s also smart.
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Bellingham’s writing or his characters. Aficionados of our language or just plain grammar nerds will love this.
“…as he sauntered across the office. Sauntered, which was bloody ridiculous and only went to prove that he was brimming with misplaced confidence. Miller might have ambled now and again and may even have meandered on occasion, but he had never been one for sauntering anywhere. He was more of a lolloper.”
On top of all that is a bloody good plot. Two men are murdered on the same floor of the same hotel within minutes of each other. Was one the intended victim and the other a mistake? Which one was the intended victim? On top of that, Miller’s wife, also a police detective, was murdered just months before and her murder remains unsolved. In fact, it’s his first day back on the job when he’s handed these investigations and assigned a new partner, the enigmatic Sara Xiu.
This is the first in the series and I can hardly wait to see where the second book takes me.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.

For over two decades now, Mark Billingham has been known as the author of the popular Tom Thorne detective series, although he has also spiced it up with four good stand-alone thrillers.

Now in a bold move, Billingham has temporarily left his London detective behind and headed to Blackpool, and a new detective in the form of Declan Miller.

The Last Dance opens in typically intriguing Billingham fashion, with a professional killer taking care of two victims in a rundown seafront hotel. We are then quickly introduced to quirky Blackpool detective Declan Miller, ballroom dancer and owner of two rats, who is returning to work early after some extended personal leave.

On his first day back, Miller finds himself caught up in the investigation of the double murder the Sands Hotel. At first glance the two murdered men, a local gangland figure and an IT consultant, seem to be completely unconnected, and the police suspect that one of them was a case of mistaken identity. But as Miller and his new partner dig into the killing, they come to realise that things are not that simple.

The reason for Miller’s personal leave comes clear reasonably soon, but I won’t mention it here, as much of the pleasure of the book comes from Billingham’s gradually unfolding of Miller’s tragic backstory. There are multiple strands to the plot, and the core mystery at the centre of the story is resolved in a clever and surprising way. The other elements are also pleasingly developed, and Billingham leaves some unresolved mysteries to tease the reader into reading the next book in the series.

The pacing of the book is good, and the secondary characters are textured and well developed, especially a young homeless girl, Finn, who plays an important part in the story. Miller is a very different character from the world weary Thorne, and his constant joking takes a while to get used to. It is clear, however, that underneath the jokes there is a very damaged figure and a good detective.

There is poignancy and sadness to the story, but also plenty of humour. Not all of Miller’s jokes hit the mark, but the ongoing commentary is amusing, and Billingham’s skewering of the rundown Sands hotel is particularly good:

“If a guest staying at the Sands was to discover something that looked like chocolate on their pillow, Miller would have strongly advised against eating it.”

Overall, I really liked The Last Dance. The plotting is clever and there is good substance to the story. I suspect that readers will be divided over Miller, but I think that he is a character that will grow and appeal more as the series develops. Less jokes will probably help, and the further development of Finn and Miller’s new partner, Sara Xiu, will assist in balancing the sometimes forced quirkiness of Miller. A solid start to a new series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book for review.