The Dead Place by
Stephen Booth
pbk out January 06
(HarperCollins)
at £6.99
The latest Derbyshire based mystery featuring Diane Fry and Ben Cooper has death
not only as its subject matter but also as its pervading theme. A mysterious caller is
leaving messages about death with the police and Ben investigates a weird case of
body snatching. The characters include a retired expert in the study of death and the
staff, past and present, of a firm of funeral directors. Stephen Booth has crammed an
enormous amount of information into this book, and although this means that the pace
is rather sedate, the factual tit-bits are intriguing and sometimes startling. The plot is
elaborate and although we learn little about the personality of the culprit prior to the
revelation of the truth, the characterisation of the police officers is first class. This is a
rural mystery firmly within the best traditions of the detective story.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
The Dead Place by
Stephen Booth
