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Amazon.com 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Reader Reviews 2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: dont be misled by all the great reviews..., May 31, 2003 Reviewer: RachelWalker from England ....becuase this is not an absolutely fantastic wonderful excellent book, as you might imagine when you read good review upon good review. indeed, just because it has many great reviews doesn't mean its any more of a great book than if it only had one great review... To be honest, i'm probably not getting my point across. Basically, what I'm saying is, this book is worth ive stars, because it is very, very good, but do not expect anything absolutely brilliant and awe-inspiring that concludes with a fanfare and a firework display. Because a plethora of good reviews is very misleading. This is a very good British police procedural (in my mind, it's a sort of cross between Reginald Hill and Peter Robinson, and is what every Elizabeth George novel wants to be), sure to appeal to ANYONE who loves that kind of mystery, because you're unlikely to find many writers able to do it better. Stephen Booth is clearly an exciting new talent. The basic plot goes something like this: There's a missing teenage girl, smart, very attractive. Her body does, eventually, turn up, found by an old man walking his dog. Parents claim she was paragon of virtue, other mutterings say otherwise. Local policeman Ben Cooper, knows village intimately, finds himself thrust into the investigation, up against a seeming wall of secrets and lies and darkness. Add to that the friction caused by the introduction of another officer, Diane Fry, from another division, into the local force, and Cooper finds himself in a very tough case that will effect him personally as well as professionally. It's written excellently. It's intelligent, occasionally humourous, and while the plot is not always flash-bang exciting, the style is easy to read and keeps you turning the pages (indeed, it did so to such an extent that I finished the book in a mere two days). Another remarkable aspect of the book is the atmosphere, and the description of the landscape. The Peak District, where the novel is set, takes on a very dark and sinister shroud, and seems almost to pulse beneath the story. The characters are also good (although not excellent, just good). Especially interesting is Booth's depiction and development of the various relationships and bonds of people within the story. Cooper and Fry are beginning to take on a fascinating relationship (sexual tension almost beginning to champ at the bit). The relationship between the three elderly friends is drawn EXCELLENTLY, and is possibly even one of my favourite things about this novel. Booth exmaination of friendship and loyalty and bonds and how far we will go for our friends is excellent. However, while this book is very good in very many ways, it is by no means perfect. To be honest, at the 400 page point, it began to feel a little drawn out, and only was saved from becoming "a little boring" by the numerous twists and turns which occur through the entire story. Still, I feel it was a little too long. Also, many things were captured very well, there was something about this book which just makes me think "well, the plot itself wasn't all that inspiring". There were aspects of it that were, certainly, but the bigger picture could be improved slightly. But, this is a first novel, so I'm sure it will be. So, I reccomend Black Dog to all fans of the Police Procedural and crime genre. I'm certainly looking orward to reading his next book, to see how Stephen Booth develops from here.
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