- Hardcover: 416 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (3 Sep 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007243421
- ISBN-13: 978-0007243426
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 387,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dying to Sin
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Product Description
Review
Praise for 'Scared to Live':
'It's easy to see why Stephen Booth's novels are so popular. The Peak District's awesome scenery is an ideal background for a murder or two; he has developed his two principal characters into rounded personalities and he always gives them an intriguing mystery to investigate' Sunday Telegraph
'A modern master of rural noir' Guardian
'Booth's aim is to portray the darkness that lies below the surface… in this he succeeds wonderfully well' Mark Billingham, Daily Mail
'Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric' Reginald Hill
Praise for Stephen Booth:
'Stephen Booth creates a fine sense of place and atmosphere … the unguessable solution to the crime comes as a real surprise' Sunday Telegraph
'The complex relationship between [Cooper and Fry] is excellently drawn, and is combined with an intriguing plot and a real sense of place: Stephen Booth is an author to keep an eye on' Evening Standard
'In this atmospheric debut, Stephen Booth makes high summer in Derbyshire as dark and terrifying as midwinter' Val McDermid
'Best crime novel of the year' Independent
Review
Praise for 'Scared to Live' (HB): 'It's easy to see why Stephen Booth's novels are so popular. The Peak District's awesome scenery is an ideal background for a murder or two; he has developed his two principal characters into rounded personalities and he always gives them an intriguing mystery to investigate.' Sunday Telegraph 'A modern master of rural noir.' Guardian 'Booth's aim is to portray the darkness that lies below the surface! in this he succeeds wonderfully well.' Mark Billingham, Daily Mail 'Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric.' Reginald Hill Praise for Stephen Booth: 'Stephen Booth creates a fine sense of place and atmosphere ! the unguessable solution to the crime comes as a real surprise.' Sunday Telegraph 'The complex relationship between [Cooper and Fry] is excellently drawn, and is combined with an intriguing plot and a real sense of place: Stephen Booth is an author to keep an eye on.' Evening Standard 'In this atmospheric debut, Stephen Booth makes high summer in Derbyshire as dark and terrifying as midwinter.' Val McDermid 'Black Dog sinks its teeth into you and doesn't let go ! A dark star may be born!' Reginald Hill 'A leading light of British crime writing.' Guardian 'Best crime novel of the year.' Independent
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stephen Booth is an ex- journalist who has entered the stage of British Crime writers. He sets his novels in the east Midlands with his stock characters of DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry. They patrol a rural backwater where it runs a close rival to Midsomer for the amount of major crime that seems to happen there.
This book starts with great promise but fades out with a whimper. The plot is just crammed to the hilt with too many issues and the way in which the author uses his characters to pontificate on various contemporary issues. So the story has the continued practice of ancient country folklore, care of the elderly, the diversification of British agriculture, office politics with the CID and the frosty relationship between Fry and Cooper. We then have the issue of itinerant migrant workers from the former Eastern bloc used as cheap labour, illegal drugs factories and the ease of obtaining firearms. Plus a whole lot more. Now in the hands of an experienced crime novelist such as Ruth Rendell, she could make this plot work. However, Booth cannot. He is I feel still learning his craft. He is not yet ready for promotion into the major league of British crime writers. The plot is rambling and quite frankly unbelievable. It starts with so much promise but just fades out leaving this reader anyway unsatisfied.
This book starts with great promise but fades out with a whimper. The plot is just crammed to the hilt with too many issues and the way in which the author uses his characters to pontificate on various contemporary issues. So the story has the continued practice of ancient country folklore, care of the elderly, the diversification of British agriculture, office politics with the CID and the frosty relationship between Fry and Cooper. We then have the issue of itinerant migrant workers from the former Eastern bloc used as cheap labour, illegal drugs factories and the ease of obtaining firearms. Plus a whole lot more. Now in the hands of an experienced crime novelist such as Ruth Rendell, she could make this plot work. However, Booth cannot. He is I feel still learning his craft. He is not yet ready for promotion into the major league of British crime writers. The plot is rambling and quite frankly unbelievable. It starts with so much promise but just fades out leaving this reader anyway unsatisfied.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A tourist advert for the Peak District of Derbyshire this aint! It's cold, it's wet, it's bleak mid winter and the natives are unfriendly and uncooperative. Detectives Fry and Cooper have two unidentified skeletons on their hands at a deserted farm in the middle of nowhere. Slowly they piece together a tale of crime and violence coupled with superstition and "The Old Religion". Meanwhile the body count starts to rise. To add to their misery, they've a new boss who is out to stamp her authority on the local force.
One gets the impression that maybe this is a bit more like how real police work goes, albeit condensed into a relatively few days. But don't get me wrong, despite the downbeat tone of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to picking up more of Stephen Booth's novels in this series.
One gets the impression that maybe this is a bit more like how real police work goes, albeit condensed into a relatively few days. But don't get me wrong, despite the downbeat tone of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to picking up more of Stephen Booth's novels in this series.
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read all of the books in this series, featuring DS Fry and DC Cooper, set in the peak district. I have enjoyed all of the previous novels and looked forward to reading this one. What a disappointment. I got to page 170 and gave up.Nothing much had happened and for once I couldn't care less about the characters, or the fact that i wouldn't find out "whodunnit", The author seemed to be showing off his knowledge of the farming industry by putting lots of information about the workings of a farm, the economy, processes etc into the mouth of the equally boring DC Cooper. It didn't even seem to enhance the "plot". The relationship between DS Fry and her sister, Angela didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book - it was almost like an afterthought to give us some personal relationship stuff - clunking and lightweight.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't bother
This is the first Stephen Booth novel I have attempted to read. No matter how unimaginative my reading matter is I like to see it through to the end. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Gord
As good as ever
As always Stephen booth's "Dying to Sin" does not disappoint the reader.
The characters and storylines are well thoughtout and novel without being fanciful, in this instance... Read more
The characters and storylines are well thoughtout and novel without being fanciful, in this instance... Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2009 by Judith Ann Freeman
Another great book from Stephen
Another great book from Stephen, his books just get better and better. I think he is fantastic at describing things throughout the book. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2009 by Andy Capp
Good, though not his best
This is the 8th book in Booth's series featuring DS Fry and DC Cooper of the Edendale police in Derbyshire. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2009 by M. V. Clarke
Much better than expected
I enjoyed "Dying to Sin" quite as much as the other books.
Having read the earlier adverse criticisms, I was put off buying Booth's latest novel. Read more
Having read the earlier adverse criticisms, I was put off buying Booth's latest novel. Read more
Published on 29 Feb 2008 by Lawrie Hodges
A Slow and Flat Read
Dying to Sin is contemporary with the theme of people working in the UK from EU countries and the references made to Bernard Matthews in East Anglia and the recent serial murder... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2007 by S. Lloyd
Disappointing
Unfortunately this book was a disappointment. The story fails to build any suspense or interest, and the dialogue is made highly tedious by the author's research being delivered in... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2007 by Edd Dumbill
Bland and Boring
Like previous reviewers,I have read all of the books in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed the earlier ones, particularly as the Peak District is my favourite location in... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2007 by Anon
better than blind to the bones, but lacks tension
This is the second work I've read by this author. The first, Blind to the Bones, was, at 600 pages, twice as long as it should have been, and there were too many threads which... Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2007 by David W. Straight
The Eighth Book in the Series
A newspaper and magazine journalist for over 25 years, Stephen Booth was born in the English Pennine town of Burnley. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2007 by J. Chippindale
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