- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Simon and Schuster; 1st Scribner Ed edition (October 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 068487301X
- ISBN-13: 978-0684873015
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 658 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,252,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
A neat little psychological thriller in the Barbara Vine tradition, debut novelist Stephen Booth's smart, spare suspense story introduces Detective Constable Ben Cooper, an up-and-coming English policeman who fears he'll never be able to fill the shoes of his father, a police sergeant who died a hero's death on the job in Ben's own precinct. Diane Fry, Ben's new partner, is an ambitious woman who's just been transferred to the Edendale force. She's jealous of Ben's familiarity with the locals, who won't tell her anything but treat Ben like a beloved son. The pair is teamed up to investigate the brutal murder of a 15-year-old girl whose parents, like Fry, are outsiders. The old man who finds Laura Vernon's body is an enigmatic, close-mouthed man who obviously knows more than he's telling, but even Ben can't budge Harry Dickinson from his determination to keep the real story of what happened in the dark woods of England's brooding Peak District to himself. Laura's father is anxious to pin the crime on a local boy who may have had sexual designs on her and who's conveniently gone missing. But the search for the killer turns up the dark secrets of the Vernons as well as a number of other suspects who keep Ben and Diane guessing until the last page of this well-written, carefully paced, and deeply atmospheric novel. A strong first showing from a writer worth watching, with a protagonist who'd be good company in a return engagement. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
The cryptic activities of eccentric, uncooperative murder suspect Harry Dickinson add depth to this intriguing first-time offering, a psychological suspense story from a British journalist. Dickinson is one of a triad of macabre old men who haunt the woods and countryside near Edendale in northern England's Peak District. Out walking his black Labrador one sweltering August evening, the retired miner finds a running shoe belonging to Laura Vernon, a 15-year-old reported missing from her mansion on the Mount. Investigating the case is a promising young local detective, Ben Cooper, whose heart is set on a sergeant's post also sought by the Edendale Police Division's icy new up-and-comer, Diane Fry. Personal troublesDCooper's mentally ill mother and memories of his heroic cop father's murder, and Fry's dim recollection of past terrorsDdistract the two from their work, but somehow they patch together a case, sexual tension building between them all the while. The list of suspects, including Dickinson and Laura's wealthy father, Graham Vernon, grows to include the Vernons' gardener and Mrs. Vernon's young lover; Laura's biker boyfriend; and a few business associates of the Vernons'. Cooper is sickened to learn that Vernon's male and female co-workers and clients of his financial consultancy business were often invited to the Mount for orgiesDand that a few may have included Laura. But Cooper, too, is demonstrating increasingly unprofessional behavior, which costs him dearly and deprives Fry of her promotion. Only his brother Matt understands that Cooper may be suffering from the mental "black dog" of his mother's schizophrenia. The leisurely pace and Dickinson's philosophical conversations with his friends on loyalty, death and television detective shows may disappoint readers of fast moving crime fiction, but Booth's intention here, at which he succeeds admirably, is to unveil secret lives against the seemingly placid background of a country village.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A matter of perspective...,
By
This review is from: Black Dog: A Crime Novel (SCRIBNER) (Hardcover)
Whether or not one thinks BLACK DOG is the most amazing book ever written or a run-of-the-mill mystery will undoubtedly be tied to one's perspective and prior reading experience. I have read mostly British mysteries (ALL of Sayers, Christie, James, Dexter, Ellis, Allingham, Walters, Hall, Hill, Robinson, etc.) as well as a few American writers (Cornwall, Evanovich). For me, although BLACK DOG is well written, it is a run-of-the-mill British mystery -- great for grabbing in an airport book store to while away the hours standing in the security lines or seated on airplanes. I would not place Booth in the top tier of recently "arrived" British mystery writers (i.e. Minette Walters) as some have. However, like Jill McGowan he shows promise of surviving the long haul without becoming a super star. Booth's character development is comparable to Reginald Hill's (medium), although Ben Cooper is more akin to Peter Pasco than Dalziel. Ben Cooper has a future, but I don't find Diane Fry appealing. I think Booth would have done better to spend more time in Cooper's head and less in Fry's. Rare is the writer who can inspire a protagonist of the opposite sex. P.D. James succeeded with Adam Dalglish, but Dalglish is older like James, and older men and women tend to think more alike than not. Life simply wears one down around the edges and narrows the differences. Booth's forensics events are familiar, particularly if you are a fan of Patricia Cornwell, who did a masterful job of explaining the progression of the decomposition of the human body in BODY FARM. I suppose every mystery/crime writer has to resort to forensics these days, but it gets tiresome to read about flies and maggots over and over. Booth is not gratuitous, however, and his descriptions of the material events surrounding the death of Laura Vernon are necessary to futher his storyline. Anglophiles love the perspective that only Brits can share about their lives. BLACK DOG takes place in what appears to be an English village in or near Derbyshire in Central England. Most Americans who travel to England don't see the life Booth describes--old established connections of the family members and friends; the varous types of housing, streets, and pathways; and other aspects of daily living such as the importance of dogs, manure, and pub life. The ancectdotal bits are wonderful. I never understood the significance of the Black Dog before I read Booth's book, and now, maybe I do.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospheric mystery,
By Slipping Away (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Dog (Paperback)
This is a new author for me and very happy to have found him. Nice atmospheric tale by someone who seems well acquainted with the sinister undertones below the charming surface of the English village. I recommend this author to fans of Peter Robinson and Reginald Hill, and look forward to reading the rest of his work.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed Despite Good Reviews,
By "ita_fischer" (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Dog (Ben Cooper and Diane Fry Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Although the reviews for this debut police procedural were glowing, I found myself disappointed. The author does a great job setting the scene and the local characters are believable. The dialog was also crisp and realistic. However, I could not connect with his protagonists. They both had so many hidden psychological traumas that it detracted from the main story. I found myself skimming the chapters devoted to them in favor of getting through the story! I was actually relieved when I reached the end.I don't think I will read the follow-up.
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