Book Review: Dead and Buried by Stephen Booth

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from William Morriw, via NetGalley for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it



DS Ben Cooper comes closer to death than he ever has before in the 12th Cooper & Fry case




Synopsis:
Brutal acts of firestarting have ravaged the Peak District, and now a new wave of moorland infernos sweeps across the national park. For DS Ben Cooper, the blazes are best left to the firefighters, even with the arsonists still at large. But when an intruder breaks into an abandoned pub, Cooper is on the case—and he swiftly unearths a pair of grim surprises. The first is evidence of a years-old double homicide, and the second is a corpse, newly dead. What links the three deaths? Where are the missing bodies? Who is responsible—and how do the raging fires fit in? For Cooper and his rival DI Diane Fry, it's the most twisted investigation of their lives, and with an ingenious killer pulling the strings, it could also be their last. Drenched in atmosphere, rich with suspense, Stephen Booth's relentless new thriller builds to a shock finale that will catch even the most seasoned suspense readers off guard.


Review:

Cooper and Fry are now separated- he's still in the local force and she is working a Major Crimes detail. They are at odds with each other and with an old case, that neither of them ever worked. In this book, their differences are very apparent and can literally lead to their ruin. This installment in the series is a change over book (having read the next book already), Cooper and Fry have each matured and become set in their personality quirks and they have a different way of working with each other. Sometimes by book 12 in a series, the characters can all get dependable, and the reader knows what they will do and how they react. But in the installment, Booth allows them to change, as they would have in real life. They are more nuanced and human. I would definitely reading the previous 3 book at least, to have a more thorough background knowledge of how the characters have changed, to see the beauty in this novel. The book's dramatic ending provides another major turning point in the characters (and readers!) lives, and will leave the reader eager for the next book! Kudos to Booth for shaking things up and bringing new life to this series! 


About the Author:

Stephen Booth is an award winning British crime writer, the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in twelve novels set in England’s beautiful and atmospheric Peak District. Stephen has been a Gold Dagger finalist, an Anthony Award nominee, twice winner of a Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, and twice shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year. Ben Cooper was a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and in 2003 the Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers the most pleasure”.

The Cooper & Fry series is published all around the world, and has been translated into 15 languages. For more info check out Boone's website and Twitter pages for more on the author and the series!

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