Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Booth on top form, 19 Jul 2004
Stephen Booth is a superb author. His series featuring Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, of which One Last Breath is the fifth novel, is superb, and gets better with each instalment. Booth is a master at building believable and fascinating characters, with whom it is easy to get very involved with as the series progresses. As usual, the relationship between Cooper and Fry is somewhat stormy, yet the unacknowledged and grudging mutual respect is still evident just below the surface. Cooper in particular learns a lot about himself in this novel, as he is forced to confront his past, and the way in which he involves himself with other people.
Set, as usual, in the Peak District, One Last Breath has all the hallmarks of Stephen Booth - a challenging, believable plot, expertly described landscapes, complex relationships between the characters, myriad sub-plots and diversions, which in the end come together to make a cohesive whole. This is by no means a typical 'whodunit' - from the outset we meet Mansell Quinn, a convicted murderer recently released from prison with a mission to complete. When his ex-wife is brutally killed soon afterwards, the hunt is on to recapture Quinn, who manages to elude the best efforts of the police. Cooper meanwhile explores the background to Quinn's original conviction, finding along the way a dark web of deceit, cunning, and cold-heartedness among Quinn's family and associates. These investigations provide both help and hindrance in the attempt to locate Quinn and obtain a conviction for the murder of his ex-wife. The complex plot reaches a superb climax, with a real anxiety tangible in every word.
Throughout the novel, Booth explores challenging issues of justice, family relationships, long-lasting friendship, failure, police procedure, illustrating how it is unwise to assume anything without evidence.
As with all his novels, this is well worth reading. Buy it! More please...
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing, memorable and believable, 25 Mar 2005
Well, if you want a quick, shallow read, then Dan Brown and 'The Da Vinci Code' are probably your cup of tea. If you want lingering descriptions of violence, you'd better go elsewhere. But if you want living, breathing characters, a fascinating location and a believable plot, plus a series of themes and images that will live in your mind long after you've finished the book, then you've come to the right place. From the shocking opening scene to the memorable climax, 'One Last Breath' has enough to engage any reader with an ounce of imagination. And above all that, Ben Cooper and Diane Fry have got to be one of the most intriguing duos in current British crime fiction. Why not give them a try and see for yourself? I'm sure you'll thank me for it!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winning novel from Stephen Booth, 6 Sep 2006
Another winning novel from Stephen Booth. I really enjoyed ONE LAST BREATH and in the 646 pages I thought it was great. For those who haven't read the book I won't give the plot away suffice to say that it really held me. Stephen has always been excellent at descriptions in his novels whether it be the Crime Scene or the descriptions of the Derbyshire Hills.
Diane Fry is a really good character and I like her tough no nonsense approach and she really means business in the novel as indeed she has meant business in previous books. Although she tells Cooper off I still think they are fond of each other but because of the profession and the situations they find themselves in they really cannot progress in a romantic sort of way. (Or maybe they can), it certainly would be interesting.
Fry's sister Angie I found a very intriguing character, I hope she features in Stephen's future books as I think she could surprise people.
Murfin I found was a very likeable police officer and I could imagine him sitting in the Squad Car eating his food, I think he brings humour to the book but I also think he is a character that stands no nonsense and can really get down to his work.
As I say a real winner. Congratulations Stephen on another fine piece of work, I really enjoyed it. For those of you who haven't read the book, two words: YOU MUST.
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