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Jenny Cooper #2
[ The Disappeared (Jenny Cooper Mysteries) [ THE DISAPPEARED (JENNY COOPER MYSTERIES) ] By Hall, M R ( Author )Apr-26-2011 Paperback
Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan vanish without a trace. The police tell their parents that the boys had been under surveillance, that it was likely they left the country to pursue their dangerous new ideals. Seven years later, Nazim’s grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is her last hope. Jenny is finally beginning to settle into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past that threatened to topple her, banished to the sidelines once more. But as the inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear...
Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
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About the author
M.R. Hall
22 books196 followersM R Hall, otherwise known as Matthew Hall, lives and works in the Welsh borders near Monmouth. Born in London in 1967, he was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Worcester College, Oxford, where he graduated in law.
After several years as a criminal barrister in London, Matthew started writing TV drama, beginning with epsiodes of ITV's Kavanagh QC. He was nominated for a BAFTA for his first original series, Wing and a Prayer. He has since written over 60 hours of prime time drama including the recent BBC hit series, Keeping Faith.
His debut novel, The Coroner (2009) was shortlisted for the CWA's Gold Dagger, as was his fourth, The Flight. The Jenny Cooper coroner series has now been adapted for television. 'Coroner' is made in Toronto for CBC and distributed internationally by Cineflix.
Series:
* Jenny Cooper
After several years as a criminal barrister in London, Matthew started writing TV drama, beginning with epsiodes of ITV's Kavanagh QC. He was nominated for a BAFTA for his first original series, Wing and a Prayer. He has since written over 60 hours of prime time drama including the recent BBC hit series, Keeping Faith.
His debut novel, The Coroner (2009) was shortlisted for the CWA's Gold Dagger, as was his fourth, The Flight. The Jenny Cooper coroner series has now been adapted for television. 'Coroner' is made in Toronto for CBC and distributed internationally by Cineflix.
Series:
* Jenny Cooper
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
May 31, 2010
First Sentence: During her six months as coroner for the Severn Vale District, Jenny Cooper had known only a handful of corpses remain unidentified for more than a day or two.
Coroner Jenny Cooper is contacted by the mother of a British Muslim student for a formal inquest on her son. He, and his friend, both disappeared from their college dorm rooms seven years’ ago. The authorities claim they went to Afghanistan for terrorist training and failed to do a thorough investigation. Jenny also has a unidentified Jane Doe in the morgue whose body is stolen but traces of radioactivity left behind. How are the two cases linked and why are the authorities trying so hard to suppress the inquest?
It is very difficult when you really like an author’s first book, yet find their second book so disappointing. What worked well in Hall’s first book, “The Coroner,” seemed to come completely undone here.
The protagonist, Jenny Cooper, moved from being a woman finding strength in spite of her issues, to an insipid, woman influenced and overwhelmed by everyone; her son, her clerk, her sometimes boyfriend, the police and some rather mysterious lawyer. Rather than being sympathetic, I found her annoying. At times, disability notwithstanding, her behavior was so unconscionable it wasn’t even excusable by being fictional.
None of the characters were fully developed. Worse yet, I found I didn’t care about or feel connected to any of them. The only exception was the boy’s mother, Mrs. Jamal, and she was poorly used by the story.
There was a sense of place but not strong enough to give me a visual sense of where the story occurred. The author does have a good ear for dialogue but that’s rather damning with faint praise.
The plot seemed to plod on with little sense of tension or suspense. Even the courtroom scenes, so effectively done in her first book, lacked punch or luster. The whole thing felt as though it was a collection news-story ideas (Muslim’s, terrorists, conspiracies) looking for a cohesive book plot.
The deal-breaker, for me, was the particularly annoying “you’ll have to read-the-next-book” ending. More than one author has lost me for doing that and Mr. Hall may well be the newest on that list.
The book just doesn’t ever quite work. I did read it all the way through and I don’t mean to say it was absolutely awful; but it wasn’t good either. I shall have to give serious thought as to whether I continue reading this series.
THE DISAPPEARED (Lic Invest-Jenny Cooper-England-Cont) – Poor
Hall, M.R. – 2nd in series
Macmillan, ©2010, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780230709850
Coroner Jenny Cooper is contacted by the mother of a British Muslim student for a formal inquest on her son. He, and his friend, both disappeared from their college dorm rooms seven years’ ago. The authorities claim they went to Afghanistan for terrorist training and failed to do a thorough investigation. Jenny also has a unidentified Jane Doe in the morgue whose body is stolen but traces of radioactivity left behind. How are the two cases linked and why are the authorities trying so hard to suppress the inquest?
It is very difficult when you really like an author’s first book, yet find their second book so disappointing. What worked well in Hall’s first book, “The Coroner,” seemed to come completely undone here.
The protagonist, Jenny Cooper, moved from being a woman finding strength in spite of her issues, to an insipid, woman influenced and overwhelmed by everyone; her son, her clerk, her sometimes boyfriend, the police and some rather mysterious lawyer. Rather than being sympathetic, I found her annoying. At times, disability notwithstanding, her behavior was so unconscionable it wasn’t even excusable by being fictional.
None of the characters were fully developed. Worse yet, I found I didn’t care about or feel connected to any of them. The only exception was the boy’s mother, Mrs. Jamal, and she was poorly used by the story.
There was a sense of place but not strong enough to give me a visual sense of where the story occurred. The author does have a good ear for dialogue but that’s rather damning with faint praise.
The plot seemed to plod on with little sense of tension or suspense. Even the courtroom scenes, so effectively done in her first book, lacked punch or luster. The whole thing felt as though it was a collection news-story ideas (Muslim’s, terrorists, conspiracies) looking for a cohesive book plot.
The deal-breaker, for me, was the particularly annoying “you’ll have to read-the-next-book” ending. More than one author has lost me for doing that and Mr. Hall may well be the newest on that list.
The book just doesn’t ever quite work. I did read it all the way through and I don’t mean to say it was absolutely awful; but it wasn’t good either. I shall have to give serious thought as to whether I continue reading this series.
THE DISAPPEARED (Lic Invest-Jenny Cooper-England-Cont) – Poor
Hall, M.R. – 2nd in series
Macmillan, ©2010, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780230709850
March 18, 2022
The Disappeared is the 2nd book in the Jenny Cooper mystery series by English author M.R. Hall. Jenny is the coroner in Severn Vale district of southwest England. She's a feisty, troubled, smart woman trying to deal with a newish job, family issues and something very troubling in her past. Her son now lives with her, this happened in the first book, but has a fractious relationship with her. Jenny sees a psychiatrist as she tries to sort out psychological issues and discover what has caused her issues. She has a troubled relationship with medication, needing it to help get through the day. She also has a sometimes tempestuous relationship with the local constabulary and even with her investigator, Allison.
With that background, Jenny is asked to open an inquiry into the disappearance of two British Muslim men. This happened 7 years ago and the mother of one has requested the inquiry. At the same time, a woman's body has been found on the shoreline and Jenny is trying to ascertain who it is. Has there been police corruption in the investigation of the 2 boys? Why were MI5, Britain's security services involved, and why do they seem to be trying to hamstring the investigation? And who is the lawyer, McAvoy, who represents Nazim's mother but is trying to instigate himself into the inquiry and get under Jenny's skin?
Hall throws everything, including the kitchen sink, at the wall in this entertaining, fascinating, frustrating mystery. Jenny is all over the place at times, starting up the inquiry, suspending it as she begins to investigate on her own, or with McAvoy. She's got so much to deal with; relationships, police interference, parental issues and out and out panic attacks. She's frustrating but at the same time, a rich, interesting character. The story is never tidy but it does all begin to tie together, even if not totally satisfactory. American spies, Muslim extremists and stolen radioactive material even enter the mix. But it doesn't matter because Hall ties things together so very well and comes up with a satisfactory conclusion. (Even if he does open the door just a bit to tease us about Jenny's past). Well worth the ride. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series very much. (4.5 stars)
With that background, Jenny is asked to open an inquiry into the disappearance of two British Muslim men. This happened 7 years ago and the mother of one has requested the inquiry. At the same time, a woman's body has been found on the shoreline and Jenny is trying to ascertain who it is. Has there been police corruption in the investigation of the 2 boys? Why were MI5, Britain's security services involved, and why do they seem to be trying to hamstring the investigation? And who is the lawyer, McAvoy, who represents Nazim's mother but is trying to instigate himself into the inquiry and get under Jenny's skin?
Hall throws everything, including the kitchen sink, at the wall in this entertaining, fascinating, frustrating mystery. Jenny is all over the place at times, starting up the inquiry, suspending it as she begins to investigate on her own, or with McAvoy. She's got so much to deal with; relationships, police interference, parental issues and out and out panic attacks. She's frustrating but at the same time, a rich, interesting character. The story is never tidy but it does all begin to tie together, even if not totally satisfactory. American spies, Muslim extremists and stolen radioactive material even enter the mix. But it doesn't matter because Hall ties things together so very well and comes up with a satisfactory conclusion. (Even if he does open the door just a bit to tease us about Jenny's past). Well worth the ride. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series very much. (4.5 stars)
December 2, 2014
“The Disappeared” by M. R. Hall, published by Simon and Schuster.
Category – Mystery/Thriller Publication Date – April 26, 2011
If you are looking for an English mystery and looking for one that is more cerebral without the bullets, sex, and brutality this book is for you.
Jenny Cooper is a coroner and has far reaching authority when it comes to investigating death. Eight years ago two young Muslim University students disappeared and Jenny becomes involved in investigating their disappearance when one of the boy’s mothers asks for Jenny’s help.
When she begins her investigation she is hampered at every turn by her own government. She is also put on notice by the Muslim community. She also has problems with her internal personnel. Help does come from an unusual person in Alec McAvoy. Alec has lost his license to practice law and has served time in prison for numerous infractions of the law.
Jenny is also confronted with questions concerning her past life, a failed marriage and the manner in which she is bringing up her son.
Through all of this Jenny maintains a firm (maybe not so firm) grip on her investigation and remains determined to find out what happened to these young men. All indications point to these young men leaving the country to fight for the Muslim cause, however the amount of effort that the government is exerting to close the investigation down leads Jenny to believe that a more sinister answer could be the cause for their disappearance.
A good read for those that especially enjoy an English mystery
Category – Mystery/Thriller Publication Date – April 26, 2011
If you are looking for an English mystery and looking for one that is more cerebral without the bullets, sex, and brutality this book is for you.
Jenny Cooper is a coroner and has far reaching authority when it comes to investigating death. Eight years ago two young Muslim University students disappeared and Jenny becomes involved in investigating their disappearance when one of the boy’s mothers asks for Jenny’s help.
When she begins her investigation she is hampered at every turn by her own government. She is also put on notice by the Muslim community. She also has problems with her internal personnel. Help does come from an unusual person in Alec McAvoy. Alec has lost his license to practice law and has served time in prison for numerous infractions of the law.
Jenny is also confronted with questions concerning her past life, a failed marriage and the manner in which she is bringing up her son.
Through all of this Jenny maintains a firm (maybe not so firm) grip on her investigation and remains determined to find out what happened to these young men. All indications point to these young men leaving the country to fight for the Muslim cause, however the amount of effort that the government is exerting to close the investigation down leads Jenny to believe that a more sinister answer could be the cause for their disappearance.
A good read for those that especially enjoy an English mystery
July 10, 2024
I take back what I said for the 1st novel in this series: coroner Jenny Cooper is NOT better and is still pill-popping and whining. I can't empathize with her at all. Furthermore, the plot in "The Disappeared" plods on for ages so, in the end, I really didn't care what happened to the victims. I'm not at all sure I have the patience to read #3 in the series!
July 24, 2016
RATING: 3.5
It starts out as a relatively ordinary case. Amira Jamal has requested an inquest be performed by the coroner's office. Her son, Nazim, and one of his school colleagues disappeared seven years earlier. The official line has always been that the two young men left the UK to participate in terrorist activity in Pakistan. However, Mrs. Jamal is not satisfied with that conclusion. She believes that her son is dead. By UK law, she has the right to request that a coroner undertake a review of the case. The coroner has complete authority to do so and to summon witnesses and interrogate them under oath in a courtroom.
Jenny Cooper is the coroner who has been assigned to the investigation. The situation rapidly becomes more than a simple search for what happened to the two young men. Jenny's investigator, Alison, is only a reluctant assistant; she has personal ties to the original police investigator and doesn't believe that Jenny is going in the right direction. Then there's an unwanted helper, Alex McEvoy, a disbarred solicitor who was earlier hired by Mrs. Jamal to look into the situation and learned many disturbing facts that no one else seems to want to face. It's hard for Jenny to know how much to trust him or how much she believes the things that he reveals.
There are many threads to the narrative, which Hall skillfully weaves together into a compelling plot which goes far beyond investigating a disappearnce. However, there was one puzzling subplot having to do with radiation that I found a bit odd. One of the most fascinating elements of the book to me was the detailed look at the coroner's job in the English justice system, which is vastly different from that position in the US. The coroner's duty is to get to the truth in an impartial manner rather than merely dealing with determining cause of death.
Hall also does a masterful job in developing the character of Jenny Cooper. Jenny is a flawed individual who has to summon all her resources in order to do her job. First of all, she is subject to debilitating panic attacks, which she mostly keeps under control by taking prescription medication. She's aware that she is addicted to the meds; but when she tries to break the cycle, her anxiety disorder makes her almost totally ineffectual. At the same time, she is dealing with trying to raise a teenaged son with whom she has a difficult relationship, leading to much guilt on her part.
THE DISAPPEARED was a unique book, both because of the weaknesses of the protagonist and the focus on the role of the UK coroner. I found the plot to be engrossing, but was disappointed in the shocker revelation with which the book concluded, which seemed utterly out of place to me. Despite that, I plan to search out the first book in this series, THE CORONER.
It starts out as a relatively ordinary case. Amira Jamal has requested an inquest be performed by the coroner's office. Her son, Nazim, and one of his school colleagues disappeared seven years earlier. The official line has always been that the two young men left the UK to participate in terrorist activity in Pakistan. However, Mrs. Jamal is not satisfied with that conclusion. She believes that her son is dead. By UK law, she has the right to request that a coroner undertake a review of the case. The coroner has complete authority to do so and to summon witnesses and interrogate them under oath in a courtroom.
Jenny Cooper is the coroner who has been assigned to the investigation. The situation rapidly becomes more than a simple search for what happened to the two young men. Jenny's investigator, Alison, is only a reluctant assistant; she has personal ties to the original police investigator and doesn't believe that Jenny is going in the right direction. Then there's an unwanted helper, Alex McEvoy, a disbarred solicitor who was earlier hired by Mrs. Jamal to look into the situation and learned many disturbing facts that no one else seems to want to face. It's hard for Jenny to know how much to trust him or how much she believes the things that he reveals.
There are many threads to the narrative, which Hall skillfully weaves together into a compelling plot which goes far beyond investigating a disappearnce. However, there was one puzzling subplot having to do with radiation that I found a bit odd. One of the most fascinating elements of the book to me was the detailed look at the coroner's job in the English justice system, which is vastly different from that position in the US. The coroner's duty is to get to the truth in an impartial manner rather than merely dealing with determining cause of death.
Hall also does a masterful job in developing the character of Jenny Cooper. Jenny is a flawed individual who has to summon all her resources in order to do her job. First of all, she is subject to debilitating panic attacks, which she mostly keeps under control by taking prescription medication. She's aware that she is addicted to the meds; but when she tries to break the cycle, her anxiety disorder makes her almost totally ineffectual. At the same time, she is dealing with trying to raise a teenaged son with whom she has a difficult relationship, leading to much guilt on her part.
THE DISAPPEARED was a unique book, both because of the weaknesses of the protagonist and the focus on the role of the UK coroner. I found the plot to be engrossing, but was disappointed in the shocker revelation with which the book concluded, which seemed utterly out of place to me. Despite that, I plan to search out the first book in this series, THE CORONER.
July 30, 2016
Cripes! Near the end I was actually shouting at this book! I've done that with films, but don't think I've ever done it with a book before!
Coroner Jenny Cooper is a wonderful character - her personal life may be a bit of a disaster, but as a professional she won't take no for an answer. Can't wait to read no.3 in this series, which I highly recommend, but it's one definitely to be read in order as Jenny's erratic personal life plays a large - and fascinating - part.
This is the second completed book of my 20 books of summer.
Full review to follow.
Coroner Jenny Cooper is a wonderful character - her personal life may be a bit of a disaster, but as a professional she won't take no for an answer. Can't wait to read no.3 in this series, which I highly recommend, but it's one definitely to be read in order as Jenny's erratic personal life plays a large - and fascinating - part.
This is the second completed book of my 20 books of summer.
Full review to follow.
March 2, 2020
I must admit, I'm really enjoying this series. Jenny Cooper is a "take no shit" kind of person and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Despite her shit show of a personal life, she keeps her shit together when it comes to work. I am finding this series fascinating, this is the first series I have read based around a Coroner and what they can and can't do was quite illuminating.
This book centres around potential terrorism and as many cases seem to cross wires, the waters just get muddier and muddier. However, Jenny Cooper is like a dog with a bone, and no matter whose toes she treads on, she will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
Cannot wait to start book 3.
This book centres around potential terrorism and as many cases seem to cross wires, the waters just get muddier and muddier. However, Jenny Cooper is like a dog with a bone, and no matter whose toes she treads on, she will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
Cannot wait to start book 3.
June 16, 2013
I liked the idea of this, a mystery tackled from a different point of view - that of the coroner. I liked the main character for all her insecurities and I liked the supporting cast too but it was the plot I couldn't get along with. I kept getting bogged down in the details and ultimately didn't really care what had happened to the boys. I hadn't read the book prior to this and I suspect I'd have enjoyed that better and maybe this one better armed with more information. But I do admire the author for making such a flawed character the lead. She seemed very human to me.
October 14, 2014
I enjoyed the book and got very caught up in it, but it had, what I thought, were too many characters. I am going to take a break from my second novel about Jenny Cooper, but I'm sure I won't stay away from her, or M.R. Hall, for long.
June 8, 2010
Very British.
February 21, 2018
I wondered about Jenny Cooper. She seems so unbalanced that she probably isn't really capable of doing her job and I'm not sure she has a firm grasp as to what her job actually entails. Most paeople would feel that if they are running afoul of the police on a regular basis they perhaps need to take some advice. On the other hand, I've just heard an interview with a Quebec coroner who expressed much the same feelings as Jenny displays, a concern that the dead not disappear completely, that they still have something to say and a coroner's inquest is their last chance to do that. I can remember a rather loud dispute between the provincial government and the coroners' service after which coroners were asked not to allow juries to make wide ranging recommendations that the government couldn't really act on, so we must have had confrontational coroners, too.
In this book we're looking at the disappearance of two Muslim university students eight years earlier, in 2002. There were searches conducted then but nothing turned up except for some suggestions that the two friends had been attenders at a mosque which some officials felt was recruiting for Islamic forces overseas. It was just after the attacks in New York and Britain was on edge and willing to co-operate with American agencies. The feeling was that the boys had been recruited and pulled out of the country so the British authorities couldn't follow them. There was also a strong feeling of not being concerned about them - unless they should turn up in Britain again. In the meantime the mother of one of the boys, having chased her way through all the public agencies and spent what money she had on a solicitor, has landed on Jenny Cooper's desk. If the boys are dead then it is up to the coroner to issue a death certificate and in order to do that there has to be an inquiry into what happened.
Discovering what happened drags us through all sorts of questionable places and has Jenny talking to all sorts of unlikely people. Her officer, an ex-police detective, is concerned about the level of research Jenny is prepared to investigate and also worried that her former police colleagues will soon refuse to extend any help and she will find herself friendless.
Jenny is undergoing psychiatric counseling and drug therapy for her depression, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence. She has divorced her husband of almost twenty years and is hiding the extent of her problems from her teenage son, who has very little sympathy for her. I cannot imagine holding down a distressing job like that of coroner while dealing with the personal problems Jenny does and there were times when I really wanted to shake her, but Mr. Hall has created a very realistic person in Jenny Cooper and you can't help but cheer for her as well as hope she can unravel the twists of events that surround the disappearance of these two "nice young boys."
In this book we're looking at the disappearance of two Muslim university students eight years earlier, in 2002. There were searches conducted then but nothing turned up except for some suggestions that the two friends had been attenders at a mosque which some officials felt was recruiting for Islamic forces overseas. It was just after the attacks in New York and Britain was on edge and willing to co-operate with American agencies. The feeling was that the boys had been recruited and pulled out of the country so the British authorities couldn't follow them. There was also a strong feeling of not being concerned about them - unless they should turn up in Britain again. In the meantime the mother of one of the boys, having chased her way through all the public agencies and spent what money she had on a solicitor, has landed on Jenny Cooper's desk. If the boys are dead then it is up to the coroner to issue a death certificate and in order to do that there has to be an inquiry into what happened.
Discovering what happened drags us through all sorts of questionable places and has Jenny talking to all sorts of unlikely people. Her officer, an ex-police detective, is concerned about the level of research Jenny is prepared to investigate and also worried that her former police colleagues will soon refuse to extend any help and she will find herself friendless.
Jenny is undergoing psychiatric counseling and drug therapy for her depression, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence. She has divorced her husband of almost twenty years and is hiding the extent of her problems from her teenage son, who has very little sympathy for her. I cannot imagine holding down a distressing job like that of coroner while dealing with the personal problems Jenny does and there were times when I really wanted to shake her, but Mr. Hall has created a very realistic person in Jenny Cooper and you can't help but cheer for her as well as hope she can unravel the twists of events that surround the disappearance of these two "nice young boys."
May 14, 2019
Apparently I am binge-listening to this series (my library only has three so it will be a short binge). Jenny Cooper the coroner is more stable in this one but still prone to charging into things without thinking them through and doing what “instinct tells her” (a phrase that I noticed A LOT in this book. The mystery revolves around two young (South) Asian men who have been missing for 7 years. Did they get radicalized and go to Afghanistan to fight? Or were they mysteriously abducted? Does their disappearance relate to other cases Jenny is exploring, of a body stolen from the morgue and a missing woman who worked at a decommissioned nuclear plant?
The plot is pretty tangled and I’m not sure all the bits hung together (and it’s also a ripe field for representation issues; although I thought Hall was working to avoid stereotyping his Muslim characters I’m not sure he always achieved it). Jenny battles security services and police in trying to get at the truth, helped by a shady and mysterious lawyer she is drawn to, and both the plot and her personal life get pretty melodramatic. This is the kind of book I get fed up with in print but kind of enjoy on audio, when I am not giving it my full attention. Jenny can be annoying but I can’t help sympathizing with her quest for justice. There’s a dramatic cliffhanger reveal about her personal trauma right at the end which a) I saw coming a mile away and b) is kind of a cheap trick. But I guess it worked since I promptly downloaded book 3.
The plot is pretty tangled and I’m not sure all the bits hung together (and it’s also a ripe field for representation issues; although I thought Hall was working to avoid stereotyping his Muslim characters I’m not sure he always achieved it). Jenny battles security services and police in trying to get at the truth, helped by a shady and mysterious lawyer she is drawn to, and both the plot and her personal life get pretty melodramatic. This is the kind of book I get fed up with in print but kind of enjoy on audio, when I am not giving it my full attention. Jenny can be annoying but I can’t help sympathizing with her quest for justice. There’s a dramatic cliffhanger reveal about her personal trauma right at the end which a) I saw coming a mile away and b) is kind of a cheap trick. But I guess it worked since I promptly downloaded book 3.
November 14, 2021
Having enjoyed the first book in this series, I was a bit underwhelmed with this second instalment.
Our protagonist, coroner Jenny Cooper, is a prickly and unusual character and I enjoy Hall’s refusal to make her more obviously likeable.
However, in this long and over-complicated story she seems to lose her character quite starkly in places. Not only does she behave in some uncharacteristic ways, such as developing an eyebrow raising obsession with a dubious and clearly manipulative lawyer but it seems unlikely that she is functioning at all with the combination of drugs and alcohol she’s downing.
Now I need to decide whether it’s worth giving a 3rd one a try to see if it returns to form. 🤔 🤨
Our protagonist, coroner Jenny Cooper, is a prickly and unusual character and I enjoy Hall’s refusal to make her more obviously likeable.
However, in this long and over-complicated story she seems to lose her character quite starkly in places. Not only does she behave in some uncharacteristic ways, such as developing an eyebrow raising obsession with a dubious and clearly manipulative lawyer but it seems unlikely that she is functioning at all with the combination of drugs and alcohol she’s downing.
Now I need to decide whether it’s worth giving a 3rd one a try to see if it returns to form. 🤔 🤨
October 28, 2017
Was a bit disappointed by this having really enjoyed The Coroner. It didn't feel like Jenny's character was developed and I found the plot a rather turgid. My attention wandered while I was reading it so I lost track of who some of the characters were. Found it rather odd the way the love interest from the first book was completely absent for most of the book.
May 23, 2021
I listened to the audio - the performance was excellent, but the story was just ok. The book is well written, and this one was more interesting than the first book. My liking of a story and its characters is subjective. A lot of work and effort went into these books; they are intelligent and polished. That said, I'm heading for the third in the series, unsure I'll finish it.
January 24, 2013
One of the problems with sequels is that authors are bound by choices they made in the previous book(s) of a series. Jenny Cooper is a District Coroner, she has serious psychological and emotional problems that had resulted in a breakdown in the past, she is chemically dependent, and she is strongly driven to right the wrongs. The first book in the M.R. Hall’s series featuring Jenny Cooper, “The Coroner”, is very good (four stars from me). The threads of the plot in that novel nicely mesh with Ms. Cooper’s psychological portrait, and her fight for justice against corporate greed is shown realistically and with passion.
Mr. Hall’s “The Disappeared” is not as good as the first book. The main premises of the plot do not fit the bounds set by the author in the previous book; they are no longer believable. First, the premise that a District Coroner would embark on a crusade against the government, based only on sympathy for the mother of a young Muslim man who had disappeared several years ago, is rather fantastic. Second, the coroner plays role of a detective for a substantial part of the book. This is not likely at all, and probably not quite legal. But then believability is not required of thrillers. Maybe I am too demanding.
In “The Coroner” Ms. Cooper fought against obstruction of justice caused by corporate greed. In “The Disappeared” she fights against the obstruction of justice caused by the government security agencies that are concerned with potential terrorist activity by extremist Muslims. The plot is complicated and, excluding the improbability of the coroner’s role in it, quite well developed. Large portions of the action take place in the courtroom, during the inquest into the disappearance, so the novel is, in a sense, a mix of a mystery, a thriller, and a courtroom drama. The ending is, thankfully, less action-packed than in the first novel. Writing is very good, and the deeply flawed Ms. Cooper is portrayed vividly.
Three and three-quarter stars.
Mr. Hall’s “The Disappeared” is not as good as the first book. The main premises of the plot do not fit the bounds set by the author in the previous book; they are no longer believable. First, the premise that a District Coroner would embark on a crusade against the government, based only on sympathy for the mother of a young Muslim man who had disappeared several years ago, is rather fantastic. Second, the coroner plays role of a detective for a substantial part of the book. This is not likely at all, and probably not quite legal. But then believability is not required of thrillers. Maybe I am too demanding.
In “The Coroner” Ms. Cooper fought against obstruction of justice caused by corporate greed. In “The Disappeared” she fights against the obstruction of justice caused by the government security agencies that are concerned with potential terrorist activity by extremist Muslims. The plot is complicated and, excluding the improbability of the coroner’s role in it, quite well developed. Large portions of the action take place in the courtroom, during the inquest into the disappearance, so the novel is, in a sense, a mix of a mystery, a thriller, and a courtroom drama. The ending is, thankfully, less action-packed than in the first novel. Writing is very good, and the deeply flawed Ms. Cooper is portrayed vividly.
Three and three-quarter stars.
July 2, 2014
Second in series about Jenny Cooper, who is a coroner in Bristol and lives across the bridge in Wales. She is a bit annoying, but perhaps I need to think about my attitude to her medication rather than criticise her. (I don't like the descriptions of the way she drives while under the influence of either her drugs or her symptoms. It might have something to do with living not too far from the same area and imagining coming across her in her car!) Anyway, the novel ends with a big hefty hint about what the trauma in her past might be - to be continued, clearly!
As for this story, it encompasses some very topical issues (the radicalisation of young Muslims), and skirts around a few others which have been around for a while (such as activities which may or may not happen in the vicinity of Hereford, and the mysterious deaths of people who do not drink but who fall from high places reeking of whisky). The powers of the coroner are far-reaching but not that well known, and this background to the book is very interesting. Jenny has issues in her personal life and in her office, and is quite isolated. She does sometimes enlist the help of the police over the border in Wales when she doesn't seem to be getting support locally. (I love the idea of Welsh-speaking nationalist policemen in Gwent. This might be a little fanciful! The possible cross-border conflicts of interest are interesting though). I shall probably carry on with this series (have to follow up the final sentence of this book, for one thing!)
As for this story, it encompasses some very topical issues (the radicalisation of young Muslims), and skirts around a few others which have been around for a while (such as activities which may or may not happen in the vicinity of Hereford, and the mysterious deaths of people who do not drink but who fall from high places reeking of whisky). The powers of the coroner are far-reaching but not that well known, and this background to the book is very interesting. Jenny has issues in her personal life and in her office, and is quite isolated. She does sometimes enlist the help of the police over the border in Wales when she doesn't seem to be getting support locally. (I love the idea of Welsh-speaking nationalist policemen in Gwent. This might be a little fanciful! The possible cross-border conflicts of interest are interesting though). I shall probably carry on with this series (have to follow up the final sentence of this book, for one thing!)
December 27, 2012
In this age of television drama we often hear the term M.E. and many think that medical examiner and coroner are interchangeable terms but that’s not the case. In the UK the coroner is a more highly respected legal officer than is often the case here. It is the coroner’s responsibility to show evidence that a death took place and that it’s given a proper legal classification; accomplished through evidence presented to a jury which then returns a verdict. Jenny Cooper takes her job as coroner seriously and when two young Muslim students disappear and a great deal of complex and conflicting evidence begins to materialize she refuses to take the easy or safest road to resolution. As she struggles with personal issues of her own, she finds that many others with an interest in the case, some of them mysterious, want this investigation to come to a quick conclusion. This well done crime novel moves along quickly, creating interesting characters and mystifying circumstances along the way. The final wrap-up was a bit of a cheat, however, and the reason I only gave it three stars.
November 29, 2013
OH please can I have 10 stars to give. I finished this at 6am this morning !!I absolutely love these books by M.R.Hall. His character is wonderful Mrs Cooper the coroner has flaws like the rest of us and is believable. The storylines never disappoint good solid stories not light and airy fairy.
This is the 3 novel I have read its doesn't matter if you pick this up separately. Yes they have the same character but each story is different. I can't write spoilers I never do. But the writing of this is as good as the first often authors end up with weaker books the more they write on one set person but Mr Hall does not dissapoint. I have to pace myself as I have all he has written so far and I don't want to sit waiting for the next one to come along. I have two more to go and I just hope before I get to the end of the second one a new one is in the shops.
This is the 3 novel I have read its doesn't matter if you pick this up separately. Yes they have the same character but each story is different. I can't write spoilers I never do. But the writing of this is as good as the first often authors end up with weaker books the more they write on one set person but Mr Hall does not dissapoint. I have to pace myself as I have all he has written so far and I don't want to sit waiting for the next one to come along. I have two more to go and I just hope before I get to the end of the second one a new one is in the shops.
July 17, 2014
This is the second book in this series. I am really enjoying the character of Jenny Cooper. She is a character with weaknesses and strengths. Interesting storylines and her interactions with the police and her assistant all add to an interesting read. Looking forward to the next in the series.
May 3, 2019
I don't like how the main character, Jenny, is written. I'm not sure if it is because she comes across as weak. She wouldn't be in the position she is in if she was like this in real life. It just really grates that she isn't a strong, assertive person.
April 1, 2022
This is the second Jenny Cooper book I've read, although strictly speaking the first is an audio book I'm nearly finished listening to in the car!
Jenny Cooper is the coroner for the Severn Vale district which straddles the welsh and english border. She is contacted by the mother of a missing university student Nazim Jamal who vanished one night when he was 20 which was 7yrs ago, and can now be legally declared dead. Mrs Jamal wants an inquest to be held, and this can be done, to establish how he died, if he is dead at all.
There is also the back story of a young woman who was found dead on the banks of the river severn and whom they can't identify. This young woman during the post mortem is found to be emitting very high levels of radiation and the mortuary has to be shut down and decontaminated. Coupled with the apparent suicide of Mrs Jamal who seems to have jumped out of her apartment window and who also is emitting the same high levels of radiation, then we are being carried along on the beginnings of a very bumpy ride involving the security services as they believe that he and the other young muslim man he disappeared with were security risks, something which his mother disbelieved.
How are the dead body of the unidentified young woman and the disappearance of Nazim connected? I really did enjoy the book, Jenny herself has a very messy background, she had a breakdown after a difficult divorce and had to cease working for a time and is now on medication yet she somehow manages to hold it all together in the face of immense adversity, who knew how complicated inquests could be, yet she does get there in the end and does find some justice for both the young woman and Nazim and his now dead mother.
I would recommend M R Hall's coroner books, at least they keep you on your toes and leave you with many questions about the work of a coroner's court.
Jenny Cooper is the coroner for the Severn Vale district which straddles the welsh and english border. She is contacted by the mother of a missing university student Nazim Jamal who vanished one night when he was 20 which was 7yrs ago, and can now be legally declared dead. Mrs Jamal wants an inquest to be held, and this can be done, to establish how he died, if he is dead at all.
There is also the back story of a young woman who was found dead on the banks of the river severn and whom they can't identify. This young woman during the post mortem is found to be emitting very high levels of radiation and the mortuary has to be shut down and decontaminated. Coupled with the apparent suicide of Mrs Jamal who seems to have jumped out of her apartment window and who also is emitting the same high levels of radiation, then we are being carried along on the beginnings of a very bumpy ride involving the security services as they believe that he and the other young muslim man he disappeared with were security risks, something which his mother disbelieved.
How are the dead body of the unidentified young woman and the disappearance of Nazim connected? I really did enjoy the book, Jenny herself has a very messy background, she had a breakdown after a difficult divorce and had to cease working for a time and is now on medication yet she somehow manages to hold it all together in the face of immense adversity, who knew how complicated inquests could be, yet she does get there in the end and does find some justice for both the young woman and Nazim and his now dead mother.
I would recommend M R Hall's coroner books, at least they keep you on your toes and leave you with many questions about the work of a coroner's court.
August 17, 2019
Jenny Cooper is a coroner, and in this book she is dealing with young Asian men who have apparently disappeared. Vilified as having joined terrorist organisations, their families have a different view and one mother in particular is desperate to find out what happened to her son 8 years ago.
The book hints at conspiracies and that the problem is much more widespread than just the two men in the story, but doesn't really explore it further. The inquests feel very stilted and unlikely. Jenny herself has her own demons - her ante-depressant dependency, her failed marriage and relationship with her son, her burgeoning relationship with Steve and her attraction to the maverick lawyer, McAvoy.
For me, it all felt very heavy-handed. The plot and story lines were good, but the delivery felt rather drawn out and not, at times, very believable. The storyline running through from book one is that her problems stem from something in her childhood, and we are given little snippets of something traumatic, but again, its all very drawn out.
I think if the book had been shorter, it would have been a pacier and more enjoyable read, but overall it was interesting, particularly from the standpoint of a UK coroner.
The book hints at conspiracies and that the problem is much more widespread than just the two men in the story, but doesn't really explore it further. The inquests feel very stilted and unlikely. Jenny herself has her own demons - her ante-depressant dependency, her failed marriage and relationship with her son, her burgeoning relationship with Steve and her attraction to the maverick lawyer, McAvoy.
For me, it all felt very heavy-handed. The plot and story lines were good, but the delivery felt rather drawn out and not, at times, very believable. The storyline running through from book one is that her problems stem from something in her childhood, and we are given little snippets of something traumatic, but again, its all very drawn out.
I think if the book had been shorter, it would have been a pacier and more enjoyable read, but overall it was interesting, particularly from the standpoint of a UK coroner.
January 31, 2022
I really want to like this series. The main character has so much potential. But she reads very much like a woman written by a man, with none of the actual nuances of a woman. She's hyper focused on her work, and her personal life is in shambles. She is in therapy, but it seems to have no bearing on her actual life. Parts of it are really long and drawn out. All of a sudden one character was a super conservative Christian this book, when she hadn't been before, because it fit the plot. This book just felt like the author wrote himself into a corner and instead of actually writing a good ending to the book, he just ended it. This series has all the right parts, it just needs a little more. A little more research into actually being a woman. A little more of the plot points connecting in a way that makes sense. A little more movement in the middle of the book.
December 7, 2024
Jenny Cooper #2. Jenny is settling into her role as coroner, still in therapy, still struggling with anxiety, still struggling with medication.
A Muslim woman comes to Jenny requesting an inquest for her son. He and his friend have been missing for 7 years. The police didn't seem very interested when she reported him missing years earlier and have concluded that he and his friend probably ran away to Afghanistan. Various police agencies are against the idea of an inquest, which only makes Jenny suspicious and more determined.
Meanwhile, the body of a young blonde woman is discovered near the river. Jenny and Alison look through missing person records trying to identify their Jane Doe. Several people come to view the body, but no one recognizes her.
Jenny finds signs the Jane Doe has been exposed to radiation. The missing young man was studying physics and working at a nearby nuclear plant. His mother believes she's being watched and followed. A former lawyer with an unscrupulous reputation comes forward with information that the 2 young men may have been abducted. Jenny becomes a little too taken with him.
To say the plot thickens is an understatement - it's quite convoluted. In a tense ending, Jenny ends up figuring most of it out. As would likely be the case IRL, there are some things that will never be known and some bad deeds that go unpunished. It definitely helps to have knowledge of 9/11 and the "war on terror" era to understand it.
At the end, there's a teaser for the next book. Fortunately, that's dealt with in the show and I also have the next book ready to go. Otherwise, I'd be very annoyed by it.
A Muslim woman comes to Jenny requesting an inquest for her son. He and his friend have been missing for 7 years. The police didn't seem very interested when she reported him missing years earlier and have concluded that he and his friend probably ran away to Afghanistan. Various police agencies are against the idea of an inquest, which only makes Jenny suspicious and more determined.
Meanwhile, the body of a young blonde woman is discovered near the river. Jenny and Alison look through missing person records trying to identify their Jane Doe. Several people come to view the body, but no one recognizes her.
Jenny finds signs the Jane Doe has been exposed to radiation. The missing young man was studying physics and working at a nearby nuclear plant. His mother believes she's being watched and followed. A former lawyer with an unscrupulous reputation comes forward with information that the 2 young men may have been abducted. Jenny becomes a little too taken with him.
To say the plot thickens is an understatement - it's quite convoluted. In a tense ending, Jenny ends up figuring most of it out. As would likely be the case IRL, there are some things that will never be known and some bad deeds that go unpunished. It definitely helps to have knowledge of 9/11 and the "war on terror" era to understand it.
At the end, there's a teaser for the next book. Fortunately, that's dealt with in the show and I also have the next book ready to go. Otherwise, I'd be very annoyed by it.
October 3, 2020
I do not recall ever saying this but I am saying it now:
the TV show is BETTER than this book. What a muddle
this book is. I just think the author needed to provide
more cohesiveness than what I read. The fate of
two missing boys/men is overly complicated and
very boring for the most part. I took note that my
interest perked up in Chapter 6 for the first time, and
then trailed off again until Chapter 17 or 18 . After that
it never recovered; just alot of yada-yada-yada
failure to engage the reader.
And the ending is such a disappointment with the
need to 'explain' things in a missive from one of
the characters.
The sub-plot dealing with the main character's
private life is quickly and summarily dealt with in
a short final chapter.
Not recommended
the TV show is BETTER than this book. What a muddle
this book is. I just think the author needed to provide
more cohesiveness than what I read. The fate of
two missing boys/men is overly complicated and
very boring for the most part. I took note that my
interest perked up in Chapter 6 for the first time, and
then trailed off again until Chapter 17 or 18 . After that
it never recovered; just alot of yada-yada-yada
failure to engage the reader.
And the ending is such a disappointment with the
need to 'explain' things in a missive from one of
the characters.
The sub-plot dealing with the main character's
private life is quickly and summarily dealt with in
a short final chapter.
Not recommended
May 18, 2021
It's convoluted, political, and depressing.
It's kind of like life. In a way that there is no relief—nothing ends on any kind of satisfactory note, if things can get worse they will get worse, and abandon hope all who enter here.
This book just made me so tired. Tired of politics, shitty human beings, the main character that just constantly continues to sabotage herself, the fact that we for some reason need to constantly read about how, when, and what medication she takes, the fact that Alison is still in this book while being a pretty irredeemable character...
I don't believe there's a single pleasant/likable character or topic in the whole book.
It's kind of like life. In a way that there is no relief—nothing ends on any kind of satisfactory note, if things can get worse they will get worse, and abandon hope all who enter here.
This book just made me so tired. Tired of politics, shitty human beings, the main character that just constantly continues to sabotage herself, the fact that we for some reason need to constantly read about how, when, and what medication she takes, the fact that Alison is still in this book while being a pretty irredeemable character...
I don't believe there's a single pleasant/likable character or topic in the whole book.
May 5, 2024
This feels like it came out around 2009, and it did. It also feels like a Britbox or Acorn crime show. The author is a screenwriter so that makes sense. It's a typical plot for the time where two young men of Middle Eastern heritage disappear and, of course, are assumed to have been extremist terrorists and, of course, it's not that simple.
Coroner Jenny Cooper ends up entangled with spies and depleted uranium and a mysterious and romantically intriguing bloke whom she's not sure she can trust.
The plot is messy. The book ends on a cliffhanger regarding her backstory that was a little too cheesy.
3.5 stars rounded down.
Coroner Jenny Cooper ends up entangled with spies and depleted uranium and a mysterious and romantically intriguing bloke whom she's not sure she can trust.
The plot is messy. The book ends on a cliffhanger regarding her backstory that was a little too cheesy.
3.5 stars rounded down.
September 14, 2025
I read the audiobook, the narration was good. I gave this book only 2 stars because I thought it would never end. So tiresome listening to every feeling the lead character, Jenny, ever felt about anything. What had me talking back to the book was the death of the mother of the missing young man. First of all. No one ever believed the mother who said her apartment was being watched and the apartment was being searched periodically. Then when she turns up dead, supposedly after drinking whiskey and jumping off her balcony naked, Jenny immediately says she committed suicide? Never.
I actually hated this book. Why did I finish it? I was too lazy to download another book.
I actually hated this book. Why did I finish it? I was too lazy to download another book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2018
I thought this was a more interesting story than the first in the series, but still pretty unbelievable how it all connected up! It was a bit too complicated as well with lots of characters and the coroner acting like a detective again. It introduced another character solicitor Alec McAvoy who was helping her - enough to get her sacked but she gets away with it cos it’s a novel. Then suddenly everyone starts to get radioactive and that connects with another case- but you have to keep reading and will Jenny completely breakdown- phew!!
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