A Dirty Death: Den Cooper Series, Book 1 (West Country Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

This book is quite reminiscent of Agatha Christie, and I can honestly say that it was difficult to put down. It is set on a dairy farm in Devon and opens with the 22 year old central character, Lilah, finding her father face down in a slurry pit. The original idea that this was an accident is put aside when it turns out to be the first of several murders centred around the farm. There is a strong cast of suspicious characters in the village, including a sinister vicar, a badly treated farm hand and the best friend of Lilah's mother. I suspected nearly everyone at some time during the course of the book, but the ending still came as a surprise.

Rebecca grew up on a farm, and this comes across in her authoritative descriptions of the daily routines which form a backdrop to the story. The characters are well drawn and believable for the most part, with the possible exceptions of the 'townie' couple who are freelance software consultants (the husband spends most of the book in obscurity, before undergoing a strange role reversal towards the end). There is the faint hint of romance between Lilah and the local policeman, and plenty of dramatic moments ("the appalling shock of a gun being fired just outside her window sent her heart thudding with a violence that paralysed her").

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading her latest (just published) called "Dark Undertakings".