Limestone Cowboy by
Stuart Pawson
hbk out October 03
Published by Allison Busby
at £17.99
Detective Inspector Charlie Priest is on top form in this characteristically quirky and
amusing offering from a very entertaining author. A variety of plot strands are
interwoven with a skill that is all the more notable for being unobtrusive. Charlie
investigates a spate of poisonings of supermarket products as well as reports of an
illegal dog-fighting ring. He also pursues romance with teacher Rosie Barraclough,
despite her unpromising warning that she comes with 'baggage'. It turns out that the
baggage involves a personal connection to a long-ago murder case and it is this
particular element of the story which gives the book much of its strength, coupled
with a pleasing final twist. The Yorkshire setting is nicely portrayed and Charlie's
humanity is much in evidence, not least when he resists the temptation of one
especially dangerous romantic liaison. There are many examples of Stuart Pawson's
agreeable humour scattered throughout the book; typical is his crisp and witty one-
paragraph description of the churches of Heptonstall. Recommended.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Limestone Cowboy by
Stuart Pawson
