Book Review: Blind to the Bones by Stephen Booth

This is the 4th book in the Cooper and Fry series, and follows my last Booth review, Blood on the Tongue(I know, for once, I'm reading semi in series!).

Synopsis:

The villagers of Withens are dying. Emma Renshaw vanished two years ago, her body never found. Now her former housemate has been bludgeoned, his remains discovered near a deserted railway tunnel. Is there a link between the two? 

While Detective Sergeant Diane Fry focuses on Emma’s possible murder, her colleague Ben Cooper investigates a series of burglaries. Only one family seems exempt: the Oxleys. Descended from workmen who built the ancient tunnels beneath the village, they stick close to their own–and keep their secrets closer. Caught in the tangle of death and deception are Cooper and Fry. Their personal history and professional relationship have blurred before, and will again, as their cases converge in the most unsettling ways. . . 

Review:

This book is perhaps the slowest to read of all of Booth's books I've read. I'm not sure why. Maybe because there is so much depression in the book, or so many aspects of the spiders web for him to weave, that it takes  him more time to build up the layers of the mystery, much like the peat that surrounds the Withens area. At it's heart, this is a book about resurrection. Of letting go and moving on, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, ending the chase. It shows us more of Fry and Cooper's inner emotions and personalities and makes you realize just how much they MIGHT be alike. There are so many subtleties in this book, that you may put it down and have to think for a few minutes, to see the missed clues and misdirections. In many ways it reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery that was shuffled and thrown, and the player has to rebuild it. Once the pieces are set, the brilliance is shown. If you've gotten hooked into this series, do NOT miss this book, but remember it is not as quick of a read as the others!

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. The latest title is DEAD AND BURIED, with a new book, ALREADY DEAD, published in June 2013. For more info check out his website and Twitter pages for more on the author and the series!