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Lake District Mystery #7
The Dungeon House: A Lake District Mystery (Lake District Mysteries) by Martin Edwards
The magnificent Dungeon House and gardens overlook Cumbria’s remote western coast with its mix of beaches, dunes, and fells, Roman ruins, and nuclear plant. Twenty years ago the wealthy Whiteleys called it home. But not a happy one. Malcolm Whiteley had begun to disintegrate under financial and emotional pressures. He suspected various men in their social circle of being his wife’s lover. After a disastrous party for the neighbours, Lysette told Malcolm their marriage was over. Sadly an old Winchester rifle he had been hiding was at hand….
Fast forward to today. Hannah Scarlett’s cold case team is looking into the three-year-old disappearance of Lily Elstone whose father Gray had been Malcolm’s accountant. The investigation coincides with yet another disappearance of a teenage girl: Shona Whiteley, daughter of Malcolm’s nephew Nigel, who now lives in the Dungeon House despite its tragic history. As Hannah’s team digs down into the past, doubts arise about what really happened the night Malcolm killed his wife and 16-year-old daughter Amber, then himself.
Most of the people once close to the Whiteleys still live nearby. And one Joanna Footit, and her secrets, now returns from London. While Hannah leads the complex police inquiries, it is her lover, historian Daniel Kind, who supplies Hannah with the lead that unlocks the whole. Does it come too late?
Fast forward to today. Hannah Scarlett’s cold case team is looking into the three-year-old disappearance of Lily Elstone whose father Gray had been Malcolm’s accountant. The investigation coincides with yet another disappearance of a teenage girl: Shona Whiteley, daughter of Malcolm’s nephew Nigel, who now lives in the Dungeon House despite its tragic history. As Hannah’s team digs down into the past, doubts arise about what really happened the night Malcolm killed his wife and 16-year-old daughter Amber, then himself.
Most of the people once close to the Whiteleys still live nearby. And one Joanna Footit, and her secrets, now returns from London. While Hannah leads the complex police inquiries, it is her lover, historian Daniel Kind, who supplies Hannah with the lead that unlocks the whole. Does it come too late?
Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
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About the author
Martin Edwards
357 books809 followersMartin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ He has published twenty-three novels, which include the eight Lake District Mysteries, one of which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated Gallows Court and Blackstone Fell, while Gallows Court and Sepulchre Street were shortlisted for the eDunnit award for best crime novel of the year. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been nominated three times for Gold Daggers. In addition to the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) he has received four other lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, a former Chair of the CWA, and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
October 11, 2021
1.5* rounded up
Now normally I am a big fan of a book that challenges. A complex subject, a hard hitting story or a mysterious main character. However, from the offset this book was complex and not in a good way. So many characters that are all loosely linked in a spider web of complexion. I didn’t feel relaxed reading this or transported to my special book place. I felt confused, disorientated and like the last five pages would be a quiz.
It was a shame as the story had a lot of good elements to it even if I did guess part of the ending. I don’t think I would recommend and I wouldn’t go out of my way to read this author again.
Now normally I am a big fan of a book that challenges. A complex subject, a hard hitting story or a mysterious main character. However, from the offset this book was complex and not in a good way. So many characters that are all loosely linked in a spider web of complexion. I didn’t feel relaxed reading this or transported to my special book place. I felt confused, disorientated and like the last five pages would be a quiz.
It was a shame as the story had a lot of good elements to it even if I did guess part of the ending. I don’t think I would recommend and I wouldn’t go out of my way to read this author again.
July 26, 2015
Twenty years ago Malcolm Whiteley, already a heavy drinker, reeling from bad business news, suspicious that his wife is having an affair, takes up a rifle given him by his father. At the end of the evening, his wife and daughter were dead and he, a suicide. Now, in the present, the cold case team led by Hannah Scarlett is giving a look at this old case. It has tenuous links to two more recent events also: a three year old kidnapping and a days-old disappearance of a teenage girl. The links are the fathers of the recent victims. They were relatives or friends of Malcolm Whiteley.
Unlike prior Lake District Mysteries of this series, Scarlett's love interest, Daniel Kind, is on the periphery here, and I missed him. I have been reading the series from the start and am used to his being the focus. I also like the character of Hannah Scarlett who has emerged powerfully in the series, but was surprised at the "division of labor." Anyone new to the series would likely notice nothing at all
I did like the story, the mysteries, for there are more than one. It is a complex tale, perhaps occasionally a bit too much so, but I'd much rather that than simplistic. I was guessing who and what throughout and didn't have my answers until the detectives did.
I am very curious to see what direction the next book in the series will take. Will Daniel, the historian, resume a larger place in the story or will Hannah maintain the place of leadership?
3.5* to 4*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
Unlike prior Lake District Mysteries of this series, Scarlett's love interest, Daniel Kind, is on the periphery here, and I missed him. I have been reading the series from the start and am used to his being the focus. I also like the character of Hannah Scarlett who has emerged powerfully in the series, but was surprised at the "division of labor." Anyone new to the series would likely notice nothing at all
I did like the story, the mysteries, for there are more than one. It is a complex tale, perhaps occasionally a bit too much so, but I'd much rather that than simplistic. I was guessing who and what throughout and didn't have my answers until the detectives did.
I am very curious to see what direction the next book in the series will take. Will Daniel, the historian, resume a larger place in the story or will Hannah maintain the place of leadership?
3.5* to 4*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
December 15, 2015
Past and present...
Twenty years ago, in a drunken fit of jealous rage, Malcolm Whiteley shot his wife and killed his daughter before turning the gun on himself. Or did he? DCI Hannah Scarlett's old boss was never convinced, but could never find evidence to put anyone else in the frame. Now Hannah and her cold case team are re-investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl three years earlier when another girl goes missing – the daughter of Nigel Whiteley, who is now living in his uncle Malcolm's old house, the Dungeon House, where the tragedy took place. Hannah begins to wonder if the three cases might be linked in some way...
The first section of the book, almost a lengthy prologue, tells of the lead-up to the killings. Malcolm is convinced his wife is having an affair but doesn't know with whom. He suspects each of their friends in turn and obsessively watches their behaviour to see if he can pick up any signs. The characterisation of this successful and egotistical bully is very well done, and the reader is also introduced to some of the characters, young at the time of the killing, who will re-appear in the present day section.
At this stage, I couldn't get up much empathy for any of the characters and didn't really feel invested in their fate. However, when the book jumps to the present, it becomes a very enjoyable read. Hannah is a great character - normal, intelligent, functional. Her interactions with her team are convincing, and I particularly enjoyed the glimpses we got of her relationship with Patrick, the man she is living with. Their dialogue comes over as natural and they are gloriously angst free, both being interested in each other's work and mutually supportive. Refreshing!
This section, the bulk of the book, is split between Hannah's perspective and that of Joanne Footit. Joanne had been friends with Malcolm's daughter and, traumatised after the killings, left the area. But now she's back and hoping to revive her old relationship with Nigel. The way Joanne's character is developed is very clever – at first we see her only from her own perspective and then gradually Edwards lets us begin to see her through other people's eyes. She's intriguing, and as she meets up with the people she knew years before she seems to be stirring up old memories that many of them would prefer to leave buried.
Edwards creates a good sense of place in the Lake District setting, both in terms of the physical location and of the people who live there. He contrasts the beauty of the scenery with the looming atomic plant at Seascale, using it to help emphasise an atmosphere of growing tension as the story progresses.
The plotting is excellent on the whole and, though it goes a little over the top at the end, largely remains well within the bounds of possibility. As one might expect from Edwards, the author and editor of several books on classic crime fiction, there are echoes of the Golden Age mysteries, though brought bang up to date. The small town location means there's a limited cast of suspects and that slightly claustrophobic feeling of everyone knowing too much about their neighbours' business. There are proper clues and Hannah and her team work their way to the solution through the traditional technique of interviewing people – so much more interesting (to me) than trying to work out how long it takes for blowflies to invade corpses, etc! I didn't work it out, but when the solution was given I found it credible and satisfying.
Overall, well written and strongly plotted with some excellent characterisation – Hannah is a detective I will enjoy meeting again. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Twenty years ago, in a drunken fit of jealous rage, Malcolm Whiteley shot his wife and killed his daughter before turning the gun on himself. Or did he? DCI Hannah Scarlett's old boss was never convinced, but could never find evidence to put anyone else in the frame. Now Hannah and her cold case team are re-investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl three years earlier when another girl goes missing – the daughter of Nigel Whiteley, who is now living in his uncle Malcolm's old house, the Dungeon House, where the tragedy took place. Hannah begins to wonder if the three cases might be linked in some way...
The first section of the book, almost a lengthy prologue, tells of the lead-up to the killings. Malcolm is convinced his wife is having an affair but doesn't know with whom. He suspects each of their friends in turn and obsessively watches their behaviour to see if he can pick up any signs. The characterisation of this successful and egotistical bully is very well done, and the reader is also introduced to some of the characters, young at the time of the killing, who will re-appear in the present day section.
At this stage, I couldn't get up much empathy for any of the characters and didn't really feel invested in their fate. However, when the book jumps to the present, it becomes a very enjoyable read. Hannah is a great character - normal, intelligent, functional. Her interactions with her team are convincing, and I particularly enjoyed the glimpses we got of her relationship with Patrick, the man she is living with. Their dialogue comes over as natural and they are gloriously angst free, both being interested in each other's work and mutually supportive. Refreshing!
This section, the bulk of the book, is split between Hannah's perspective and that of Joanne Footit. Joanne had been friends with Malcolm's daughter and, traumatised after the killings, left the area. But now she's back and hoping to revive her old relationship with Nigel. The way Joanne's character is developed is very clever – at first we see her only from her own perspective and then gradually Edwards lets us begin to see her through other people's eyes. She's intriguing, and as she meets up with the people she knew years before she seems to be stirring up old memories that many of them would prefer to leave buried.
Edwards creates a good sense of place in the Lake District setting, both in terms of the physical location and of the people who live there. He contrasts the beauty of the scenery with the looming atomic plant at Seascale, using it to help emphasise an atmosphere of growing tension as the story progresses.
The plotting is excellent on the whole and, though it goes a little over the top at the end, largely remains well within the bounds of possibility. As one might expect from Edwards, the author and editor of several books on classic crime fiction, there are echoes of the Golden Age mysteries, though brought bang up to date. The small town location means there's a limited cast of suspects and that slightly claustrophobic feeling of everyone knowing too much about their neighbours' business. There are proper clues and Hannah and her team work their way to the solution through the traditional technique of interviewing people – so much more interesting (to me) than trying to work out how long it takes for blowflies to invade corpses, etc! I didn't work it out, but when the solution was given I found it credible and satisfying.
Overall, well written and strongly plotted with some excellent characterisation – Hannah is a detective I will enjoy meeting again. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 31, 2019
This was a great holiday read! (Yes I did go to the Lake District haha!)
If you love a good murder mystery / detective story set in the English countryside then this is for you.
Strong characters and plot - I was sucked in and really enjoyed myself reading this.
I prefer the book cover I own... especially set in the background of my garden...with wine! :)
If you love a good murder mystery / detective story set in the English countryside then this is for you.
Strong characters and plot - I was sucked in and really enjoyed myself reading this.
I prefer the book cover I own... especially set in the background of my garden...with wine! :)
May 12, 2024
3.5 stars
The next in this series set in the Lakes District sees cold case detective Hannah Scarlet investigating missing children and family murders. Hannah is front and center in this novel with sidekick, historian Ben Kind, very much in the background. That said we learn more about Hannah's earlier days and her work with Ben's father, the original detective on the case. I like this series for what it is - generally well written murder/police procedurals, each with ongoing character development, good plotting and pacing.
The next in this series set in the Lakes District sees cold case detective Hannah Scarlet investigating missing children and family murders. Hannah is front and center in this novel with sidekick, historian Ben Kind, very much in the background. That said we learn more about Hannah's earlier days and her work with Ben's father, the original detective on the case. I like this series for what it is - generally well written murder/police procedurals, each with ongoing character development, good plotting and pacing.
August 24, 2015
A British police procedural mystery set in the idyllic location of West Cumbria in England’s beautiful Lake District. The title of the novel evokes a sense of foreboding that the story more than adequately renders.
The first part of the novel takes place twenty years ago and introduces us to Malcolm Whiteley, the owner of “The Dungeon House“. A man with few redeeming traits, he is a paranoid, jealous, insecure and at times irrational businessman. After he sells his company the buyers want to forfeit the deal. Desperate and despondent, he turns to drinking even more heavily than before. He is insanely jealous and suspects that his beautiful trophy wife is being unfaithful. These factors spur a tragic event with lifelong repercussions for many.
The second part of the novel takes place in the present day. We meet Joanna Footit, who after twenty years away from the village returns to face her demons and look up a former love. Before she left she had been a victim of a tragic car accident.
We also are reacquainted with Edward’s recurring characters, DCI Hannah Scarlett and Daniel Kind of the Cumbria Constabulary. Tasked with finding the teenage daughter of a rich businessman, they wonder if their case is linked to another similar missing persons case which took place three years previously. The reason… both girls have ties to people surrounding “The Dungeon House“.
A sound and well written police procedural, “The Dungeon House” will be enjoyed by fans of the genre. I found the novel very enjoyable but was slightly confused by the myriad characters introduced in the beginning of the novel. Once the police officers came on board, the narrative seemed to flow and I followed the ‘case’ with eager anticipation. I acknowledge that I did myself a disservice by not reading the previous six novels in the series as I very much liked the character of DCI Hannah Scarlett.
My excuse: So many books…. so little time.
Sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for a digital ARC of the novel in return for this review.
The first part of the novel takes place twenty years ago and introduces us to Malcolm Whiteley, the owner of “The Dungeon House“. A man with few redeeming traits, he is a paranoid, jealous, insecure and at times irrational businessman. After he sells his company the buyers want to forfeit the deal. Desperate and despondent, he turns to drinking even more heavily than before. He is insanely jealous and suspects that his beautiful trophy wife is being unfaithful. These factors spur a tragic event with lifelong repercussions for many.
The second part of the novel takes place in the present day. We meet Joanna Footit, who after twenty years away from the village returns to face her demons and look up a former love. Before she left she had been a victim of a tragic car accident.
We also are reacquainted with Edward’s recurring characters, DCI Hannah Scarlett and Daniel Kind of the Cumbria Constabulary. Tasked with finding the teenage daughter of a rich businessman, they wonder if their case is linked to another similar missing persons case which took place three years previously. The reason… both girls have ties to people surrounding “The Dungeon House“.
A sound and well written police procedural, “The Dungeon House” will be enjoyed by fans of the genre. I found the novel very enjoyable but was slightly confused by the myriad characters introduced in the beginning of the novel. Once the police officers came on board, the narrative seemed to flow and I followed the ‘case’ with eager anticipation. I acknowledge that I did myself a disservice by not reading the previous six novels in the series as I very much liked the character of DCI Hannah Scarlett.
My excuse: So many books…. so little time.
Sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for a digital ARC of the novel in return for this review.
September 13, 2017
I have read most of what Martin Edwards has written and although this is solid and great to read, it isn't one of his best. This series of Lake District mysteries though is pretty reliable. The setting may affect my judgement... I live in the National Park, and it is perhaps no coincidence that I have enjoyed those novels set in the heart of the Park, or more towards where I live, The Coffin Trail, The Frozen Shroud, The Hanging Wood, whereas this is set around Ravenglass in the far west.
Nevertheless, Edwards has well-described characters and a good mystery, though, and this is a rarity, the first 30 pages of the story are weak.
Nevertheless, Edwards has well-described characters and a good mystery, though, and this is a rarity, the first 30 pages of the story are weak.
September 21, 2015
Decent Lake District story
I basically liked the book, I always enjoy Martin Edwards' work. But, not enough Daniel Kind, and pretty lame plot device in the save the day clue he comes up with after not really being in the story at all. I like the books better when the characters the reader has come back to read about again in a series actually a) are a primary part of the story and b) their own story moves along. This is a decent stand alone story, but disappointing as a continuation in a series.
I basically liked the book, I always enjoy Martin Edwards' work. But, not enough Daniel Kind, and pretty lame plot device in the save the day clue he comes up with after not really being in the story at all. I like the books better when the characters the reader has come back to read about again in a series actually a) are a primary part of the story and b) their own story moves along. This is a decent stand alone story, but disappointing as a continuation in a series.
October 5, 2016
DCI Hannah Scarlett & historian Daniel Kind are back in shape - in my opinion, this is so far the best book in the Lake District series. The character gallery is diversified and fascinating, the smell of old books is pleasantly distant and the plot, with its dramatic closure, is both exciting and surprising.
October 14, 2021
This is the first book I've read by this author and it was an easy read.
A cold case being re-opened alongside a current case where people are linked. Joanna's character irritated me a little bit at first in both the past and the present. I liked Hannah's character. A detective who just didn't rule out any possibility of things.
This was a good story and certainly had a twist that I didn't see coming. I was thinking of lots of other scenarios instead.
A cold case being re-opened alongside a current case where people are linked. Joanna's character irritated me a little bit at first in both the past and the present. I liked Hannah's character. A detective who just didn't rule out any possibility of things.
This was a good story and certainly had a twist that I didn't see coming. I was thinking of lots of other scenarios instead.
November 9, 2018
Satisfactory whodunnit. Nothing special though.
October 30, 2021
Couldn't put this book down - a great read.
August 12, 2015
An old tragedy seems to be influencing events in the present. Malcolm Whitely was found dead at his home, Dungeon House, with the bodies of his daughter, Amber and wife Lysette after Lysette tells him she is leaving him. Twenty years ago the case was closed as a tragic murder/suicide.
Then three years ago a young girl, Lily, the daughter of Malcom Whiteley's accountant, Gray, disappears. She is still missing three years later when another young girl, this time Malcom's niece, Shona, has disappeared.Hannah Scarlett and her team are tasked with re-examining Lily's disappearance to see if it has any links with Shona vanishing.
The plot is well constructed and complex and the story certainly kept me guessing until very close to the end. The ending itself kept me turning the pages to find out what exactly happened not just in the present but twenty years ago too. I liked the characters but was sorry to see less of Daniel Kind - Hannah Scarlett's boyfriend - than in previous books in this series.
The book is well written, the characters interesting and believable and the conclusion enough to give anyone nightmares though it is not overdone. I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the previous books in this series and to readers who enjoy reading crime novels where the setting is as important as the story. The Lake District is almost a character in its own right in this series and reading this book made me want to revisit Ravenglass and the surrounding area. I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for review.
Then three years ago a young girl, Lily, the daughter of Malcom Whiteley's accountant, Gray, disappears. She is still missing three years later when another young girl, this time Malcom's niece, Shona, has disappeared.Hannah Scarlett and her team are tasked with re-examining Lily's disappearance to see if it has any links with Shona vanishing.
The plot is well constructed and complex and the story certainly kept me guessing until very close to the end. The ending itself kept me turning the pages to find out what exactly happened not just in the present but twenty years ago too. I liked the characters but was sorry to see less of Daniel Kind - Hannah Scarlett's boyfriend - than in previous books in this series.
The book is well written, the characters interesting and believable and the conclusion enough to give anyone nightmares though it is not overdone. I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the previous books in this series and to readers who enjoy reading crime novels where the setting is as important as the story. The Lake District is almost a character in its own right in this series and reading this book made me want to revisit Ravenglass and the surrounding area. I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for review.
October 23, 2016
I haven't read any others in this series but it doesn't get in the way of the story, which has a way of totally overshadowing the DCI investigating part of the mystery. This effect may be the result of having the earlier events (20 years earlier) laid out in the first chapter. A number of those characters are dead at the end of that first chapter but their shadows lie heavily over the survivors.
DCI Hannah Scarlett would like her now-deceased mentor's doubts about what the police have labeled a straight forward murder suicide to be proven true. She is looking into the disappearance three years earlier of a teenaged girl of whom no trace has surfaced. Looking into this she stumbles over the earlier murder-suicide and then another girl disappears. This is not Hannah's case since she is cold cases, but the suspects begin to overlap and as she moves around the Ravenglass area she is just in the right place to deal with a hot event and save other officers time and trouble.
The plot is complex and I had a feeling that there was almost too much complexity. Are there really that many truly odd people in that stretch of western coast?
Interesting point: it is pointed out that "dungeon" in that area refers to a split, as in a shattered rock, and that is how the house got its name but by the end of the book we're into the usually accepted meaning of the word so I'm not sure which meaning is meant. Why re-define the word if you're going to use the common one later on?
DCI Hannah Scarlett would like her now-deceased mentor's doubts about what the police have labeled a straight forward murder suicide to be proven true. She is looking into the disappearance three years earlier of a teenaged girl of whom no trace has surfaced. Looking into this she stumbles over the earlier murder-suicide and then another girl disappears. This is not Hannah's case since she is cold cases, but the suspects begin to overlap and as she moves around the Ravenglass area she is just in the right place to deal with a hot event and save other officers time and trouble.
The plot is complex and I had a feeling that there was almost too much complexity. Are there really that many truly odd people in that stretch of western coast?
Interesting point: it is pointed out that "dungeon" in that area refers to a split, as in a shattered rock, and that is how the house got its name but by the end of the book we're into the usually accepted meaning of the word so I'm not sure which meaning is meant. Why re-define the word if you're going to use the common one later on?
December 31, 2015
I enjoy Martin Edwards's Lake District novels, and this one was no different. The book is well crafted as a police procedural, and the plot twists appear logical, not just created to keep the reader guessing. The characters are well-developed, even the new ones, while the new characteristics and details of past events kept me guessing. The story links two events, twenty years apart, and Edwards skilfully keeps the reader well aware of who everyone is, and their relationship to the other characters in each event, with word of mouth descriptions by the characters.
September 20, 2016
3.5 stars. This is book number 7 in this series. The books I have liked the best in this series are the ones where DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind have the most important roles. In books 4 and 6 they do. This book starts slowly, something common in this series, with DCI Scarlett not playing an important part until the mid-point. Daniel Kind is unfortunately of very little importance in this book.
September 20, 2016
I loved it! Now I have read all 7 of the Lake District mysteries, and I highly recommend them all to anyone who enjoys a good mystery series coupled with complicated relationships and romance. Now I have to patiently wait for the author to write and publish book #8. Keep on writing, Martin Edwards!
January 2, 2017
A book populated with almost likeable characters as the suspects, and likeable police officers, though I think I came into the depiction of the team late and therefore missed a few connexions between them. The geographical setting was good, but I felt the whole thing went a bit daft near the end and I didn't find the ending very credible. Well written, though.
March 8, 2021
Another twisty book. Happy that Hannah was main character and that the clumsily blunt, nosy writer was barely mentioned. Nice change. Wished there was a line in the book about how Dean managed (in such a small village) to buy blond hair dye for Lily for 3 years. She would not have continued to look like Carrie without it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2015
Book provided by publisher and Netgalley. I'm sorry to say that I didn't like this book very much due to the way it was written and the characters in it.
January 14, 2016
Seventh in series, not essential to read in order. Set in Lake district . I would like to see more development of main characters. A great page turner crime thriller
July 14, 2017
This is an ok book. I will probably read another by Martin Edwards in the future I didn't find it very engaging. The twist at the end was the only thing which gave it some merit.
July 27, 2019
The Dungeon House by Martin Edwards is the seventh (and final) book of the Lake District mystery series set in the contemporary Lake District of England. Hannah Scarlett is in charge of the Cold Cases detectives in the Cumbria police. Her lover Daniel, a retired academic, is the son of Hannah's former mentor, the late detective Ben Kind. Les, one of Hannah's experienced detectives, cautions anyone investigating a case to "understand the relationships in order to solve the crime". Indeed, each book of the series details an intricate web of relationships leading to crime.
Twenty years ago Malcolm Whitely lived at Dungeon House, a luxurious mansion in Cumbria, with his stunning wife Lysette and teenage daughter Amber. Malcolm made a fortune by fair and foul means, sold off his business at huge profit, and dedicated himself to a life of drunken luxury. The shady characters who bought his business are threatening him, but he just stays drunk He's unreasonably possessive and jealous of anyone who pays attention to his wife. He's certain she's having an affair with her private art teacher, Scott Durham. At Malcolm's annual house party, he's in a drunken stupor. After the party, when his wife attempts to leave him, he shoots her. Next day, police find Amber has fallen to her death in the quarry, and Malcolm shot himself.
Three years ago, Lily Elstone disappeared. Her father Gray Elstone was Malcolm's accountant.
In the present day, Elstone has Nigel Whitely as a client. Nigel is Malcolm's nephew. He lives in Dungeon House, renamed Ravenglass. Nigel's daughter Shona has disappeared. He appears on television appealing to all to report any sightings, and urging her to return home. Joanna Footit's crush on Nigel is rekindled when she sees him on TV. She and Amber Whitely had been friends. Joanna and Nigel, Robbie Dean and Carrie North were in a car crash not long after the Whitely shootings. Carrie didn't survive the crash, Robbie was disabled. Joanna had a mental breakdown following the crash, and moved away from Cumbria. But now she regains self-confidence, and goes back for a holiday. She hopes to finally establish the relationship she always wanted with Nigel. She stays at a guesthouse run by Carrie North's father, decorated with paintings by Scott Durham.
When Joanna meets up again with those she knew twenty years ago, she stirs memories long hidden. Hannah's cold case is Lily Elstone's disappearance, but detective Les sees many ties between the Whitely deaths, Lily's disappearance, and Shona's. Soon Hannah and Les are investigating them all. A particularly unpleasant task for Hannah is interviewing Cheryl, Lysette's best friend (Ben Kind had left his wife and children to live with Cheryl). Hannah learns key information about the past from Joanna, later gets help just-in-time from Daniel Kind.
Twenty years ago Malcolm Whitely lived at Dungeon House, a luxurious mansion in Cumbria, with his stunning wife Lysette and teenage daughter Amber. Malcolm made a fortune by fair and foul means, sold off his business at huge profit, and dedicated himself to a life of drunken luxury. The shady characters who bought his business are threatening him, but he just stays drunk He's unreasonably possessive and jealous of anyone who pays attention to his wife. He's certain she's having an affair with her private art teacher, Scott Durham. At Malcolm's annual house party, he's in a drunken stupor. After the party, when his wife attempts to leave him, he shoots her. Next day, police find Amber has fallen to her death in the quarry, and Malcolm shot himself.
Three years ago, Lily Elstone disappeared. Her father Gray Elstone was Malcolm's accountant.
In the present day, Elstone has Nigel Whitely as a client. Nigel is Malcolm's nephew. He lives in Dungeon House, renamed Ravenglass. Nigel's daughter Shona has disappeared. He appears on television appealing to all to report any sightings, and urging her to return home. Joanna Footit's crush on Nigel is rekindled when she sees him on TV. She and Amber Whitely had been friends. Joanna and Nigel, Robbie Dean and Carrie North were in a car crash not long after the Whitely shootings. Carrie didn't survive the crash, Robbie was disabled. Joanna had a mental breakdown following the crash, and moved away from Cumbria. But now she regains self-confidence, and goes back for a holiday. She hopes to finally establish the relationship she always wanted with Nigel. She stays at a guesthouse run by Carrie North's father, decorated with paintings by Scott Durham.
When Joanna meets up again with those she knew twenty years ago, she stirs memories long hidden. Hannah's cold case is Lily Elstone's disappearance, but detective Les sees many ties between the Whitely deaths, Lily's disappearance, and Shona's. Soon Hannah and Les are investigating them all. A particularly unpleasant task for Hannah is interviewing Cheryl, Lysette's best friend (Ben Kind had left his wife and children to live with Cheryl). Hannah learns key information about the past from Joanna, later gets help just-in-time from Daniel Kind.
April 28, 2019
Hadn't realised till I started reading this book that it was the seventh in a series. However, having started at the end of a series, I found I really enjoyed the book, despite only having bought it on the strength of its title.
The story begins twenty years in the past, with a man, his wife and their teenage daughter. The man has sold his company for much more than it was really worth and he was being threatened with having to repay a substantial amount of money back. He was also not ashamed to be involved in some creative accountancy, either. The family home is very large, cost an arm and a leg to renovate and to cap it all, the man's wife is unhappy and is believed to be having an affair. After killing his wife, their daughter is found dead at the bottom of a quarry, with her father's body next to her.
Moving on twenty years, the local police force's Cold Case team are looking into the Dungeon House deaths, as well as the disappearance of two local young women. After a former local woman returns to the area after suffering from a severe nervous breakdown, she also goes missing, leaving a note saying 'Sorry'.
Eventually, after some persistent questioning of various suspects from the book's present and some from the story's past, the police solve the crime, but not without a few more casualties.
I think I may start this series of books from the beginning at some point. I only hope the other books are as good as this one was.
The story begins twenty years in the past, with a man, his wife and their teenage daughter. The man has sold his company for much more than it was really worth and he was being threatened with having to repay a substantial amount of money back. He was also not ashamed to be involved in some creative accountancy, either. The family home is very large, cost an arm and a leg to renovate and to cap it all, the man's wife is unhappy and is believed to be having an affair. After killing his wife, their daughter is found dead at the bottom of a quarry, with her father's body next to her.
Moving on twenty years, the local police force's Cold Case team are looking into the Dungeon House deaths, as well as the disappearance of two local young women. After a former local woman returns to the area after suffering from a severe nervous breakdown, she also goes missing, leaving a note saying 'Sorry'.
Eventually, after some persistent questioning of various suspects from the book's present and some from the story's past, the police solve the crime, but not without a few more casualties.
I think I may start this series of books from the beginning at some point. I only hope the other books are as good as this one was.
June 19, 2024
The seventh Lake District mystery from Martin Edwards featuring DCI Hannah Scarlett, a police officer in charge of cold cases, and Daniel Kind, the historian who moved to the district and who happens to be the son of Hannah's mentor. This time we finally have the distracting "will they or won't they" shuffle between Hannah and Daniel over as they finally give in to the inevitable. Unfortunately this also seems to push Daniel into the background as he really plays a very minimal role in this adventure.
We start out with quite a bit of background, more than normal. Malcolm Whitely's world is crumbling around him, his business practices are leading to financial ruin, (he believes) his wife is cheating on him, and his life is disappearing in a swirl of alcohol. After a final party at The Dungeon House ends in humiliation and embarrassment, Malcolm kills his wife and daughter before taking his own life.
In the present day, the disappearance of a teenage girl leads to a review of a similar incident from three years ago, both disappearances involving people from that 20 year old tragedy. As Hannah and her team start digging, old ghosts are resurrected and questions about what actually happened after that party may effect what happens today.
Another middle of the road mystery, more violent then the previous episodes, with very little input from Daniel and his historical tendencies.
We start out with quite a bit of background, more than normal. Malcolm Whitely's world is crumbling around him, his business practices are leading to financial ruin, (he believes) his wife is cheating on him, and his life is disappearing in a swirl of alcohol. After a final party at The Dungeon House ends in humiliation and embarrassment, Malcolm kills his wife and daughter before taking his own life.
In the present day, the disappearance of a teenage girl leads to a review of a similar incident from three years ago, both disappearances involving people from that 20 year old tragedy. As Hannah and her team start digging, old ghosts are resurrected and questions about what actually happened after that party may effect what happens today.
Another middle of the road mystery, more violent then the previous episodes, with very little input from Daniel and his historical tendencies.
November 21, 2020
This is a well-written mystery with the cold case squad led by Hannah investigating a murder-suicide from 20 years ago that may have links to two recent abductions of young teen-age girls. It is engaging and very interesting told in great part from the point of view of one of the people from around the time of the murder-suicide. I only gave it a 3-star because what I love about the Lake series is Daniel Kincaid, and his involvement in solving crimes alongside Hannah. He was the principal in the stories! In this book, Daniel has been sidetracked as he and Hannah apparently have settled into domestic bliss and the only mention of him is as he nuzzles Hannah's neck and puts his hand under her shirt. It's as if Edwards dropped Daniel off along the road, drove to his destination, then remembered him at the end and went back and picked him for the finale. One of the things driving this series is the tension between Daniel and Hannah, his insight into people and places and ability to draw parallels in history. It was a big disappointment to find him marginalized and Hannah now the prime character, not that I don't like Hannah but Daniel and Hannah together are the driving force in this series. What happened?
August 20, 2021
This is an excellent police detective story. It's got a robust plot, with a 20-year-old cold case involving a sensational murder-suicide and two recent missing person cases. All of it comes to a surprising conclusion that manages to shock. No loose ends are left for readers to wonder about. The characters are believable and speak with authentic dialogue. It's all set against the background of English coastal countryside at Cumbria, with its ever-changing weather. For me this was a standalone because I had not read any of the six other books in the series. There are hints throughout the story of an interesting backstory for the police characters, especially Hannah Scarlett, the head of the cold case team.
The stage is set for a sequel, the arrival of which is eagerly anticipated.
The stage is set for a sequel, the arrival of which is eagerly anticipated.
June 13, 2017
I'd not read anything by this author before I bought this book in The Works as part of a deal. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense but felt there wasn't a lot of tension. However, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the title, if anything it made the procedural aspects all the more convincing. Real investigations into past crimes often go unsolved or take many years. The author told an original story well, plotted it carefully, and made the entire thing authentic. The characters were realistic and their motivations, hopes, fears, dreams, beliefs, well rounded. I will be reading more from this author.
November 5, 2017
The recent disappearance of Shona Whitely coincides with Hannah Scarlett's investigation into the cold case disappearance of Lily Elstone. Ever so neatly this makes a series of tragedies, the murders of the Lysette and Amber Whiteley and suicide of Malcolm Whitely and the car accident involving four young people, including Nigel, eventually all tie together. It also just so happens that Hannah's boyfriend is a local historian that will lead to the final unraveling. Notwithstanding what seems to be a bit of strained series of troubled relationships and people, I stayed with this fiction and enjoyed it.
December 5, 2025
DCI Hannah Scarlett has her Cold Care Unit under review even thought her last 3 cases where all of them ended in resultes.
20 years ago The Dungeon House owner Malcolm Whiteley shot dead his wife,then pushed his daughter over a cliff to her death then turned the gun on himself, at the time Hannah was a young copper with her mentor Ben Kind thought there was a mistake but couldn’t put his finger on it, now his Son Daniel is seeing Hannah Scarlett which is only a few weeks in to their relationship.
Joanna Footit wants a holiday where she was a young girl and hasn’t visited for 20 years
20 years ago The Dungeon House owner Malcolm Whiteley shot dead his wife,then pushed his daughter over a cliff to her death then turned the gun on himself, at the time Hannah was a young copper with her mentor Ben Kind thought there was a mistake but couldn’t put his finger on it, now his Son Daniel is seeing Hannah Scarlett which is only a few weeks in to their relationship.
Joanna Footit wants a holiday where she was a young girl and hasn’t visited for 20 years
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