Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peak thrillers keep getting better, 21 Feb 2006
Another Fry and Cooper mystery set in and amongst the world of undertakers. Very morbid but still fascinating. The chemistry between the two leads in there for all to see, except the leads! The descriptions of the Peaks are evocative and imaginative, they feel claustrophobic and engulf everything and anything - excellent. Cant wait for the sixth volume in the summer
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darkness and Intrigue!, 2 April 2006
I know full well, that the title of my review sounds like an ad for a brand of choc ice, but please rest assured dear readers that this novel is nothing even remotely similar to anything nice and tasty! But it is infact, very dark and full of intrigue. It is one of a series of the Peak murder mystery series featuring detectives Diane Fry and Ben Cooper. It is the first of the series that I have read. Although the first novel (Black Dog) currently sits upon my bookshelf unread I was immediately attracted to this one. The story is based upon a series of murders within the Derbyshire Peak District and a quite complicated investigation carried out by the aforementioned detctives and their team. If you really do like a bit of morbidity and you are not afraid to delve into the daily workings and the 'goings on' in the funeral parlour and crematorioum industry then this novel will be right up your street! To give you an idea of the subject matter, by chapter two alone we are already onboard with two undertakers as they proceed to perform a 'removal' (collection of a recently deceased person). All the gory details are provided even to the extent of the procedures which are undertaken within the 'cremation suite'. I did find the investigation side of things a bit on the heavy side but then thats me, not the book. Those of you who like a good puzzle will appreciate that. I also enjoyed the characters involved not only the Detectives but also the characters that we happen upon as the investigations proceed. Whilst primarily very dark throughout there are also one or two rays of sunshine where Mr.Booth does demonstrate that he can easily and skilfully inject some humour. Not to forget of course the wonderfull descriptions of the wild but beautiful peak district. Oh and by the way, the book does include some very grizzly websites including something called the Deathclock which following the input of some of your personal details will predict how long you'll live. What more could you ask for?! Enjoy the book!
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, Intelligent Mystery, 14 Jun 2006
I was very intruiged to read the synopsis of 'The Dead Place'on Amazon here. It sounded precisely the kind of mystery I like, and as I hadn't read anything by Stephen Booth before I thought I would give it a try.
I have been disappointed by a lot of crime writers for a long time - poor and contrived plots, and subplots; ludicrous, shallow characterisation; endings which make you wish you hadn't bothered wasting the time involved getting into the book; and increasing wariness (and cynicism) at overfabricated 'blurbs'. To be honest I was quite prepared not to expect very much.
But I was genuinely delighted by this book. A modern mystery with an old fashioned sense of place. There is real craftsmanship here. Booth provides an intellectual edge to the puzzle - and one learns a lot about the funeral business, both ancient and modern, to boot. The characters of Fry and Cooper aren't immediate - you realise it is a series - but by the end you want to know more about them.
'The Dead Place' became quite unputdownable. A satisfying, powerful, and at times surprisingly mystical, crime thriller. I am now going to get all of his remaining books. Can't wait.
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