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DI Marjory Fleming #1
Cold in the Earth
Death is in the air. Death is on the ground. Death is everywhere for the people of Galloway. As a catastrophic virus devastates the Scottish countryside, killing cattle and destroying lives, Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming finds herself at the stormy heart of a troubled, trapped community. Pyres are built, infected animals are burnt, and farmland is dug up as burial ground. But the all-pervasive stench of death develops a horrifying, unfamiliar edge when human remains are dug up near the small market town of Kirkluce. Thousands of miles away in New York City, a woman called Laura resolves to unearth the dark secrets of her past. Determined to discover the truth behind her older sister's disappearance fifteen years ago, her journey takes her back to Galloway, to a world of suspicion, fear and menace. A dead body, a missing girl, and a mysterious family's dangerous obsession with bull running provide a sinister backdrop to DI Fleming's first murder investigation. And as the cold shadow of death looms ever larger over this quiet corner of rural Britain, one thing becomes clear: it won't be her last.
358 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
101 people are currently reading
1397 people want to read
About the author
Aline Templeton
33 books124 followersAline Templeton grew up in the East Neuk of Fife and was educated at St Leonards School, St Andrews and Cambridge University. She has worked in education and broadcasting and has written numerous stories and articles for national newspapers and magazines. Templeton was a bench Justice of the Peace for ten years and is a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, now living in Edinburgh. She is married with a grown up family.
She has written nine crime novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton in Britain, and has also been published in the United States and several European countries. After writing seven stand-alone books, she started a series set in Galloway and featuring DI Marjory Fleming, the first of which – Cold In The Earth – was an Ottakar's Crime Novel of the Month and an Independent Best Summer Read. The second, The Darkness and the Deep, was published in July 2006, and there are now six books in the DI Fleming series.
She has written nine crime novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton in Britain, and has also been published in the United States and several European countries. After writing seven stand-alone books, she started a series set in Galloway and featuring DI Marjory Fleming, the first of which – Cold In The Earth – was an Ottakar's Crime Novel of the Month and an Independent Best Summer Read. The second, The Darkness and the Deep, was published in July 2006, and there are now six books in the DI Fleming series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
March 12, 2020
First book in the Marjory Fleming series, this was an interesting story of some bleak series of events in the Scottish Countryside which seriously affects the lives of some of those involved.
Disaster sets in for some of the residents of Galloway, as it seems a major case of foot and mouth disease has a major impact on the farming communities, of which Marjory Fleming and particularly her husband ( a farmer) particularly feel the brunt of what's happening.
In New York, British Laura returns home after hearing of her mother's death, and also wants to know what happened to her older, live wire sister, Diana, who no one has heard of for many years, when she writes an article about Diana, she is contacted by a Scotsman named Max Mason, now residing in London who claimed to have known "Dizzy" Di.
When Laura travels up to Galloway, to try and find out more, though she is less enthralled to find Max has also returned, much to the annoyance of the rest of the Mason clan, who don't seem to have much affection for their long lost relative, twists and turns happen and this was an entertaining read.
There was a bit of a lull two-thirds of the way through, but this was an interesting and occasionally thrilling read, I liked Marjory and Laura and would be interesting to see how the next in the series is, so while this wasn't excellent, it was a good read, so we'll see how book 2 pans out.
⭐⭐⭐3/4 stars (rounded up to 4).
Recommended.
Disaster sets in for some of the residents of Galloway, as it seems a major case of foot and mouth disease has a major impact on the farming communities, of which Marjory Fleming and particularly her husband ( a farmer) particularly feel the brunt of what's happening.
In New York, British Laura returns home after hearing of her mother's death, and also wants to know what happened to her older, live wire sister, Diana, who no one has heard of for many years, when she writes an article about Diana, she is contacted by a Scotsman named Max Mason, now residing in London who claimed to have known "Dizzy" Di.
When Laura travels up to Galloway, to try and find out more, though she is less enthralled to find Max has also returned, much to the annoyance of the rest of the Mason clan, who don't seem to have much affection for their long lost relative, twists and turns happen and this was an entertaining read.
There was a bit of a lull two-thirds of the way through, but this was an interesting and occasionally thrilling read, I liked Marjory and Laura and would be interesting to see how the next in the series is, so while this wasn't excellent, it was a good read, so we'll see how book 2 pans out.
⭐⭐⭐3/4 stars (rounded up to 4).
Recommended.
August 27, 2007
COLD IN THE EARTH (Police Procedural-Scotland-Cont) – VG
Templeton, Aline – 1st in series
Hodder & Stoughton, 2005- Hardcover
Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming is also a mother and wife raising chickens and sheep in Scotland. When foot-and-mouth disease breaks out in their area, she and her neighbors are faced with losing all their livestock. Laura Harvey, living in New York, is at loose ends with her life after her mother dies. In search of her sister, missing 15 years, her journey takes her to Scotland and an involvement with the Mason family. When the Mason family's prize bulls are destroyed, a pit is dug to bury the carcasses, and the body of a female is found.
*** Even though I suspected the killer, it didn't diminish my enjoyment in the reading. The characters are dimensional and so well drawn. The dialogue is excellent, even with the Scottish terms I didn't quite understand. She descriptions paint visual pictures of the people and the area which build tension and suspense in the plot. Her writing is described as atmospheric, and it is. This is the first book I've read by Templeton, but it only took a few pages to decide it won't be the last.
Templeton, Aline – 1st in series
Hodder & Stoughton, 2005- Hardcover
Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming is also a mother and wife raising chickens and sheep in Scotland. When foot-and-mouth disease breaks out in their area, she and her neighbors are faced with losing all their livestock. Laura Harvey, living in New York, is at loose ends with her life after her mother dies. In search of her sister, missing 15 years, her journey takes her to Scotland and an involvement with the Mason family. When the Mason family's prize bulls are destroyed, a pit is dug to bury the carcasses, and the body of a female is found.
*** Even though I suspected the killer, it didn't diminish my enjoyment in the reading. The characters are dimensional and so well drawn. The dialogue is excellent, even with the Scottish terms I didn't quite understand. She descriptions paint visual pictures of the people and the area which build tension and suspense in the plot. Her writing is described as atmospheric, and it is. This is the first book I've read by Templeton, but it only took a few pages to decide it won't be the last.
July 2, 2017
What a gem of a find! I was searching on something to use my Scribd credit for. This one looked appealing enough, but it was truly a great read. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
May 3, 2021
2,5 Sterne
Das Buch hat wirklich viele vielversprechende Ansätze: da wäre die leitende Ermittlerin, die sich in einer Männerwelt und besonders gegenüber ihrem frauenfeindlichen Vater behaupten muss; der Ausbruch der Maul- und Klauenseuche, die zur Massenschlachtung aller Huftiere führt und damit die Farmer (und den Ehemann der Hauptperson) in eine Katastrophe stürzt; eine dysfunktionale und von der Stierzucht besessene Famile; ein Skelettfund und eine junge Frau, die nach ihrer verschollenen Schwester sucht.
Daraus müsste sich doch eine spannende Geschichte mit viel düsterer Atmosphäre machen lassen, oder? Leider war mir die Umsetzung zu langgezogen (die wirkliche Handlung beginnt erst nach 40% des Buches) und immer wieder zu langweilig. Da es allen Ermittlern an Erfahrung bei der Mordermittlung fehlt (bislang gab es nur einen Mordfall und da hat sich der Mörder sofort selber gestellt), wird viel Zeit wenig effektiv verschwendet.
Vielleicht ist das Buch nicht gut gealtert, vielleicht ist es auch einfach nicht optimal aufgebaut, für mich wurde hier viel Potenzial verschenkt.
Das Buch hat wirklich viele vielversprechende Ansätze: da wäre die leitende Ermittlerin, die sich in einer Männerwelt und besonders gegenüber ihrem frauenfeindlichen Vater behaupten muss; der Ausbruch der Maul- und Klauenseuche, die zur Massenschlachtung aller Huftiere führt und damit die Farmer (und den Ehemann der Hauptperson) in eine Katastrophe stürzt; eine dysfunktionale und von der Stierzucht besessene Famile; ein Skelettfund und eine junge Frau, die nach ihrer verschollenen Schwester sucht.
Daraus müsste sich doch eine spannende Geschichte mit viel düsterer Atmosphäre machen lassen, oder? Leider war mir die Umsetzung zu langgezogen (die wirkliche Handlung beginnt erst nach 40% des Buches) und immer wieder zu langweilig. Da es allen Ermittlern an Erfahrung bei der Mordermittlung fehlt (bislang gab es nur einen Mordfall und da hat sich der Mörder sofort selber gestellt), wird viel Zeit wenig effektiv verschwendet.
Vielleicht ist das Buch nicht gut gealtert, vielleicht ist es auch einfach nicht optimal aufgebaut, für mich wurde hier viel Potenzial verschenkt.
December 27, 2021
A decent crime story, I think I am going to read the next one in the series
January 17, 2014
This is the first of six DI Fleming thrillers to be issued as e-books by Witness/Impulse Imprint of HarperCollins.
In the prologue we read about a woman awakening because she's cold. She realizes her pajamas are torn and she is bloody. Not only that, she's outside in a maze. She has been sleepwalking. Then she sees a figure running toward her. It looks like a man with horns, one of which stabs her in the heart.
The story is set in Scotland during an epidemic of foot and mouth disease among animals there and the resultant mass killing of suspect herds. You feel so badly for the farmers who are losing everything they've worked for. Many fall into depression or try in vain to prevent the authorities from entering their land. Detective Inspector Majory Fleming's beloved chickens and sheep are in danger from the disease.
Then we meet Laura Harvey, a London psychotherapist whose mother has just died. Laura is divorced, her sister had disappeared years ago, and suddenly she is homesick, not so much for her mom's home but for family and the countryside. She had written a letter to her sister, an open letter that is published in a London newspaper. She gets a response from someone who knew her sister.
There is another mysterious woman, unnamed, who owns a dress shop in London. Now what do you suppose she has to do with the story?
Laura ends up going to the Kirkluce area to research an assigned story for the newspaper about the human effects of the epidemic among their animals, and because she has learned her sister had been there for a time before she disappeared.
We meet a family of some of the strangest people you can imagine. And you thought your weird Uncle Frank was something! All of these characters of course have a part in the mystery. The plotline is excellent, even though for a change I figured out whodunnit and the weapon involved way before the end. It was how DI Fleming and her department discovered it that was interesting,
You'll love the characters in this book, especially Fleming and her husband. It's nice to see a crime solver with a happy marriage. The characters and their relationships as well as the scenery are what really make this novel.
Recommended
Source: publisher
In the prologue we read about a woman awakening because she's cold. She realizes her pajamas are torn and she is bloody. Not only that, she's outside in a maze. She has been sleepwalking. Then she sees a figure running toward her. It looks like a man with horns, one of which stabs her in the heart.
The story is set in Scotland during an epidemic of foot and mouth disease among animals there and the resultant mass killing of suspect herds. You feel so badly for the farmers who are losing everything they've worked for. Many fall into depression or try in vain to prevent the authorities from entering their land. Detective Inspector Majory Fleming's beloved chickens and sheep are in danger from the disease.
Then we meet Laura Harvey, a London psychotherapist whose mother has just died. Laura is divorced, her sister had disappeared years ago, and suddenly she is homesick, not so much for her mom's home but for family and the countryside. She had written a letter to her sister, an open letter that is published in a London newspaper. She gets a response from someone who knew her sister.
There is another mysterious woman, unnamed, who owns a dress shop in London. Now what do you suppose she has to do with the story?
Laura ends up going to the Kirkluce area to research an assigned story for the newspaper about the human effects of the epidemic among their animals, and because she has learned her sister had been there for a time before she disappeared.
We meet a family of some of the strangest people you can imagine. And you thought your weird Uncle Frank was something! All of these characters of course have a part in the mystery. The plotline is excellent, even though for a change I figured out whodunnit and the weapon involved way before the end. It was how DI Fleming and her department discovered it that was interesting,
You'll love the characters in this book, especially Fleming and her husband. It's nice to see a crime solver with a happy marriage. The characters and their relationships as well as the scenery are what really make this novel.
Recommended
Source: publisher
March 23, 2023
Complex and yet completely engaging plot with many likeable characters. The relationships among the police officers are complicated and ring true, and their humor is delightful.
The story is very dark, dealing to a great extent with the devastation wreaked upon farmers and their community during an out break of foot and mouth disease. This sounds as if it might be dull or off-puttingly technical, but it is very human and heartbreaking.
The murder mystery is never quite at the center of the story, but that makes the novel even more engaging, as there is a concurrent suspense story that is quite compelling, even if I did sometimes want to grab its central character by the shoulders and shake her! For crying out loud, when the police tell you to keep in touch because you are in danger and being stalked, don't go waltzing out by yourself and keep your cell phone handy (and charged!)
The story is very dark, dealing to a great extent with the devastation wreaked upon farmers and their community during an out break of foot and mouth disease. This sounds as if it might be dull or off-puttingly technical, but it is very human and heartbreaking.
The murder mystery is never quite at the center of the story, but that makes the novel even more engaging, as there is a concurrent suspense story that is quite compelling, even if I did sometimes want to grab its central character by the shoulders and shake her! For crying out loud, when the police tell you to keep in touch because you are in danger and being stalked, don't go waltzing out by yourself and keep your cell phone handy (and charged!)
November 20, 2017
Cold in the Earth is a police procedural that is atmospheric and character driven. This is the first in the series and the setting is Scotland. The writing is so descriptive that you can see the area and the people. You can feel the pain of the farmers who must lose their stock due to the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease outbreak. I remember reading about it some years ago and thinking how terrible it must be to take care of the disease by eradicating the animals. This book made me see and feel the real pain of the farmers. Emotions ran high and depression was real.
The mystery was well thought out. There was one scene set on a stormy night in a secluded area that I thought was very chilling. I am continuing with the series. My favorite mysteries are atmospheric and character driven and that describes this book.
The mystery was well thought out. There was one scene set on a stormy night in a secluded area that I thought was very chilling. I am continuing with the series. My favorite mysteries are atmospheric and character driven and that describes this book.
October 6, 2018
A good read
Well rounded story. Refreshing detective. Very atmospheric, which put you right in the heart of Scotland. I very much enjoyed it!
Well rounded story. Refreshing detective. Very atmospheric, which put you right in the heart of Scotland. I very much enjoyed it!
December 15, 2019
I read this in a couple of days, technically four one hour sessions on the treadmill. This was an okay to mediocre detective thriller. It’s set in Scotland and some of the jargon was way over my head. If I’m interested I’ll usually research the geography and dialect of a place w story is set. Unfortunately I didn’t find this novel captivating enough to look further into it. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.
November 1, 2016
An astonishingly good book, first in a series and very well written.
The story takes time to get going, which might prove to be 'slow paced' for some readers. But I prefer the term 'measured'. Notwithstanding the Prologue, it's about quarter way into the book before the body is found. In the meantime, the author has been setting the scene.
She uses that space to make us familiar with the main characters, notably Marjory Fleming the Detective Inspector, and with Laura, whose role is explained in the book blurb. There are many secondary characters, too, not least the Mason family.
Even more important is the description of foot-and-mouth disease. I had almost forgotten about it, fifteen years ago. I am a Townie so I was barely affected. Except that, when visiting for a cousin's wedding we tried to go to Alderley Edge but it was closed. And on arrival in Jersey we had to walk across disinfectant-soaked mats.
It was a devastating event. I recall various statistics. Such as, we only slaughter f-&-m animals to protect our export market, which amounted to only about £500m at the time. Yet the restrictions on movement and the bad publicity ruined many aspects of the non-farming rural economy and even reduced numbers attending visitor attractions in London.
I have never read a book about the f-&-m outbreak. Although as a child I did read Monica Edwards on the outbreak in the 1960s.
Aline Templeton description f-&-m outbreak is moving, because it shows the impact on farmers distraught at the slaughter of their animals, and worried about their already marginal livelihood. It highlights divisions in the community - Marjory is torn as a farmer's wife and as DI tasked with upholding public order while the MAFF officials slaughter the animals. Throughout the book she conveys a strong sense of the rural community and the land in which they live.
The book is, nevertheless, primarily a police procedural about a murder enquiry - the first time DI Fleming has been involved in one, despite a career of some years in Galloway (clearly not part of the Tartan noir scene where murders are everywhere). The enquiry takes several wrongish turnings until it concludes satisfactorily.
Arguably, Laura is involved too closely with the enquiry but she's an engaging character and roundly portrayed. Perhaps it's in the writing about Laura that we realise that Aline Templeton is a mature writer. She doesn't dwell on Laura's marriage breakup, and although Laura recognises she is drawn to Conrad, she doesn't tie herself in knots as a result. Perhaps she is given a maturity beyond her years. And is possibly just a little too good to be true. but I extracted a quote which I consider to be brilliant
(I could have used that in recent days at people moaning about news coverage of Marmite and GBBO - it's these news stories that, in their different ways, keep us sane, rather than focusing entirely on Iraq/Syria, domestic poverty and other 'bleakest core' stories.
The story pushes at the bounds of credibility. I must admit to having some difficulty with the 'shape shifting' episode, but concluded that it is explained rationally and stays within those bounds.
I found the book easy to read, notwithstanding the occasional sentence of many clauses, and the liberal use of Scots dialect (which was easy to look up on my Kindle and anyway their meaning can be deduced by context). I warmed almost immediately to DI Fleming and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.
The story takes time to get going, which might prove to be 'slow paced' for some readers. But I prefer the term 'measured'. Notwithstanding the Prologue, it's about quarter way into the book before the body is found. In the meantime, the author has been setting the scene.
She uses that space to make us familiar with the main characters, notably Marjory Fleming the Detective Inspector, and with Laura, whose role is explained in the book blurb. There are many secondary characters, too, not least the Mason family.
Even more important is the description of foot-and-mouth disease. I had almost forgotten about it, fifteen years ago. I am a Townie so I was barely affected. Except that, when visiting for a cousin's wedding we tried to go to Alderley Edge but it was closed. And on arrival in Jersey we had to walk across disinfectant-soaked mats.
It was a devastating event. I recall various statistics. Such as, we only slaughter f-&-m animals to protect our export market, which amounted to only about £500m at the time. Yet the restrictions on movement and the bad publicity ruined many aspects of the non-farming rural economy and even reduced numbers attending visitor attractions in London.
I have never read a book about the f-&-m outbreak. Although as a child I did read Monica Edwards on the outbreak in the 1960s.
Aline Templeton description f-&-m outbreak is moving, because it shows the impact on farmers distraught at the slaughter of their animals, and worried about their already marginal livelihood. It highlights divisions in the community - Marjory is torn as a farmer's wife and as DI tasked with upholding public order while the MAFF officials slaughter the animals. Throughout the book she conveys a strong sense of the rural community and the land in which they live.
The book is, nevertheless, primarily a police procedural about a murder enquiry - the first time DI Fleming has been involved in one, despite a career of some years in Galloway (clearly not part of the Tartan noir scene where murders are everywhere). The enquiry takes several wrongish turnings until it concludes satisfactorily.
Arguably, Laura is involved too closely with the enquiry but she's an engaging character and roundly portrayed. Perhaps it's in the writing about Laura that we realise that Aline Templeton is a mature writer. She doesn't dwell on Laura's marriage breakup, and although Laura recognises she is drawn to Conrad, she doesn't tie herself in knots as a result. Perhaps she is given a maturity beyond her years. And is possibly just a little too good to be true. but I extracted a quote which I consider to be brilliant
We all live with comforting illusions. We need to allow ourselves to accept them because the people who strip life to its bleakest core and focus only on that become mentally sick.
(I could have used that in recent days at people moaning about news coverage of Marmite and GBBO - it's these news stories that, in their different ways, keep us sane, rather than focusing entirely on Iraq/Syria, domestic poverty and other 'bleakest core' stories.
The story pushes at the bounds of credibility. I must admit to having some difficulty with the 'shape shifting' episode, but concluded that it is explained rationally and stays within those bounds.
I found the book easy to read, notwithstanding the occasional sentence of many clauses, and the liberal use of Scots dialect (which was easy to look up on my Kindle and anyway their meaning can be deduced by context). I warmed almost immediately to DI Fleming and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.
July 10, 2016
My first book by this author, enjoyed it and will read more in this series. Reminds me of Ann Cleeves' similar series, also featuring a female detective (Vera Stanhope). Cold in the Earth, however, is set in Scotland rather than northern England. I found the characters very interesting as well as the plot. Very atmospheric and authentic feel to the book although some of the local Scottish words and phrases were quite foreign to me - not sure they were necessary to convey real authenticity. The local people were struck with a deadly foot-and-mouth outbreak which wasn't really essential to the plot but certainly contributed to the gloomy atmosphere. The story revolved around the death of a young woman and a local dysfunctional family that was obsessed with bulls - raising them and bull fighting in Spain. The author inserted a theory about one or more of the male family members falling into some sort of psychotic state where they actually thought they were bulls. This was interesting but I'm not sure it was necessary for the overall suspense in the book. Sometimes the first novel in a series is not as streamlined as it could be. I found this also with the first in the Vera Stanhope series.
July 12, 2009
I found this an enjoyable and diverting novel, and just the antidote I needed this weekend to the utter exhaustion of this last week. I don't read many modern detective novels, because some of them are too grizzly and unpleasent. Luckily this isn't. The back drop to the novel, the 2001 foot and mouth crisis is fascinating. I remember being driven somewhere at the time, where we had to venture out into the countryside, and seeing, as we drove, empty fields and plumes of ominious black smoke. Other than that like most city dwellers I was largely unaffected, and this novel brings the true horror of it, for rural communities into focus. The main story - the discovery of the body, followed by the discovery of who that body used to be, is also well done. Although there weren't that many suspects it wasn't easy to guess who had "dunnit" - although what strange discoveries are made about some of the characters (I'll say no more)does involve a slight suspension of belief - well it did for me. I liked the characters of Marjorie Fleming and her Burns quoting DS Tam MacNee, and will no doubt look out for more of this series.
April 13, 2013
Good first story.
June 28, 2016
This is the first book I've read in this series. I really enjoyed it, will definitely be looking for more of the same.
May 19, 2024
Foot and mouth disease hits the Scottish countryside. While digging a mass grave to put the dead livestock a body appears. Miles away Laura has decided to go to this small area and look for clues to what happened to her sister.
A deep police procedural deals with an archaeological body find, missing persons, murder, and a community hit with foot and mount. The agricultural disease is detailed very well leading to the effect on the community as their livelihood is slaughtered. Meanwhile, human death is at the forefront and a person is missing and a body is found. This is a slow burn and character-based rather than plot. More than halfway through the plot picks up and it's an intelligent crime with many possible culprits. I enjoyed the DI, Morjory, a strong, sharp woman at work who deals with managing a family and helping out at their farm while at home. I'd certainly try the next in the series.
A deep police procedural deals with an archaeological body find, missing persons, murder, and a community hit with foot and mount. The agricultural disease is detailed very well leading to the effect on the community as their livelihood is slaughtered. Meanwhile, human death is at the forefront and a person is missing and a body is found. This is a slow burn and character-based rather than plot. More than halfway through the plot picks up and it's an intelligent crime with many possible culprits. I enjoyed the DI, Morjory, a strong, sharp woman at work who deals with managing a family and helping out at their farm while at home. I'd certainly try the next in the series.
January 30, 2013
About a year ago, I was looking for recommendations for a new series/author and someone on Goodreads recommended Aline Templeton. It has taken me this long to track down her first book in the Marjory Fleming series, so I was looking forward to seeing if it lived up to my expectations. In a word, yes, it was one of those books that comes along now and then that just captivates me and I just don't want to put it down. I have given it 5 stars because I enjoyed it so much, not because it was an incredible piece of literature or the story was mind-blowing. It was just one that I loved, with good wholesome, realistic characters and a likable lead in Marjory Fleming. It is set in rural Scotland, Marjory is a D.I. and also a farmer's wife and the story is set at the time of the last bad foot and mouth outbreak, which destroyed the lives and livings of so many farmers and their families. For small holdings in isolated rural areas, the devastation must have been soul-destroying, and Aline Templeton sets this out so well in this story. In the midst of the destruction of livestock, human remains are found when an animal burial pit is being prepared on one of the local farms. Laura Harvey is brought to the area in search of her sister, she has not seen or had contact from in about 15 years and when the remains turn out to be that long there, Laura suspects it may be her sister. This was a most enjoyable and tense story. The professional and personal side of Marjory's life collide head-on, as she deals with protests to the Government officials who have arrived to cull diseased and healthy herds and flocks and her husband's spiral into depression at the loss of his own sheep, who have just lambed. I loved this book, and have now ordered two online, which my library did not have in stock. Nothing makes me happier than finding a new series I am loving and luckily, the second book of the series was immediately available in the library, so I could continue reading this series right away. Highly recommended for lovers of a good old fashioned mystery, in a nice, quiet rural setting.
January 13, 2014
I'm so glad to have found this new (to me) series. DI Marjorie Fleming in Scotland lives on a farm (we'd call it a ranch here) where her husband raises sheep. The book takes place during an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease, as all the livestock in this remote part of Scotland are being destroyed. The first third of the book is a dark treatise on the psychology of the farmers who have to deal with loss of their herds: their livelihood, their companions, their work. And of the policemen and women who must enforce the edicts to kill the animals.
It comes almost as a relief when an effort to bury all the bulls from a champion line results in the uncovering of a murder. At least now the reader is able to move from the unremitting hopelessness of the hoof and mouth story to a possibility of something with a resolution. The famous bulls and the family who breeds them and has almost seemed to take on their nature play a major role in uncovering the murderer of 15 years ago, even as DI Fleming deals with the depression of her husband while working overtime on her first real murder investigation.
There is a tremendous amount of psychology in the book, as one of the main characters, the younger sister of the victim, is a psychologist in the area to write an article about the psychological state of the farmers (officially) and to continue the search for her sister (unofficially). She gets mixed up with the bull farming family as well as with Fleming's family, and she plays a key role at several points in the investigation. Those tough Scots who don't believe in psychology find they learn something from her, as she finds she learns from them.
In the end, DI Fleming pushes the envelope in her investigation, something that could have ended her career. Instead, it is clearly the beginning of a new role as a respected murder investigator. There are quite a number of books in this series, which has now become a favorite of mine. Aline Templeton reminds me of Anne Cleeves in her writing -- yes, she is that good!
It comes almost as a relief when an effort to bury all the bulls from a champion line results in the uncovering of a murder. At least now the reader is able to move from the unremitting hopelessness of the hoof and mouth story to a possibility of something with a resolution. The famous bulls and the family who breeds them and has almost seemed to take on their nature play a major role in uncovering the murderer of 15 years ago, even as DI Fleming deals with the depression of her husband while working overtime on her first real murder investigation.
There is a tremendous amount of psychology in the book, as one of the main characters, the younger sister of the victim, is a psychologist in the area to write an article about the psychological state of the farmers (officially) and to continue the search for her sister (unofficially). She gets mixed up with the bull farming family as well as with Fleming's family, and she plays a key role at several points in the investigation. Those tough Scots who don't believe in psychology find they learn something from her, as she finds she learns from them.
In the end, DI Fleming pushes the envelope in her investigation, something that could have ended her career. Instead, it is clearly the beginning of a new role as a respected murder investigator. There are quite a number of books in this series, which has now become a favorite of mine. Aline Templeton reminds me of Anne Cleeves in her writing -- yes, she is that good!
January 31, 2015
This was my first Aline Templeton book. Cold in the Earth introduces DI Marjory Fleming, a DI, a farmer’s wife, mother,and daughter of an old school police officer, who doesn’t quite approve of a female DI. The mystery surrounds some corpses that seem to be connected set against the backdrop of a farming community enduring an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The interwoven storylines really kept the pace moving. Besides Di Fleming’s professional and family life, there is also Laura Harvey’s search for a long missing sister, and the Mason family’s own passionate dramatics. The stories come together neatly and the conclusion is well done, if not entirely unexpected.
I will be reading more in this series to see how Di Marjory Fleming develops.
I will be reading more in this series to see how Di Marjory Fleming develops.
July 7, 2016
I am not sure I'd like Aline Templeton very much... There were some political, small p, points made which seemed appropriate to the story and to arise from the plot and the characters but a few times I felt she might be trying to tell townies what to think, and a few big P comments which seemed to come from the author and which for me only served to create distance and lack of trust.
However, I do like her Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming and the whole setting for this first in a series - rural Galloway during the foot and mouth outbreak. A farmer's wife and mother, inordinately fond of her hens but a perfectly competent police officer with few hang ups.
A plot that slightly stretches credulity but has some crackingly vivid, if dysfunctional and unpleasant characters.
However, I do like her Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming and the whole setting for this first in a series - rural Galloway during the foot and mouth outbreak. A farmer's wife and mother, inordinately fond of her hens but a perfectly competent police officer with few hang ups.
A plot that slightly stretches credulity but has some crackingly vivid, if dysfunctional and unpleasant characters.
May 18, 2011
Very enjoyable. I look forward to picking up her other Margery Fleming stories.
"Let's cut the cackle." I did get slowed down a.bit by all the Scottish slang, but usually I could get the gist of it.
There are two cousins who squabble like 10-year-olds. They are adults. There is a psychologist who wants to find out what happened to her sister. And then there is Detective Inspector Margery Fleming. There is also a woman in a dress shop in London.
You know that all these story lines are going to come together but not sure how.
This is the second book I've read where there is a person with "locked in" syndrome. Not what I would want to get.
"Let's cut the cackle." I did get slowed down a.bit by all the Scottish slang, but usually I could get the gist of it.
There are two cousins who squabble like 10-year-olds. They are adults. There is a psychologist who wants to find out what happened to her sister. And then there is Detective Inspector Margery Fleming. There is also a woman in a dress shop in London.
You know that all these story lines are going to come together but not sure how.
This is the second book I've read where there is a person with "locked in" syndrome. Not what I would want to get.
July 11, 2019
I really really lived this book as it about the effects of the foot and mouth disease on DI Marjory Flemings home life where she lives on a farm with her husband and 2 children. The main story revolves around a murder 15 years ago on a neighbouring farm and how this persons sister wants to find her/what happened to her. She’s a psychologist and her training is woven through solving the murder which I really enjoyed learning new things. It’s also got a twist right at the end which was great. Definitely read more of the series.
August 6, 2011
Very entertaining mystery with appealing characters and clever dialogue. I liked how the author wove in recent events.
I understood most of the Scottish slang, but I had to look up "I was in a dwam." A dwam or dwaum is a stuporous sort of daydream--you're conscious but not paying attention and not really thinking of anything in particular.
I had no idea Robert Burns was such a scunner. Apparently his own mother despaired of him.
I understood most of the Scottish slang, but I had to look up "I was in a dwam." A dwam or dwaum is a stuporous sort of daydream--you're conscious but not paying attention and not really thinking of anything in particular.
I had no idea Robert Burns was such a scunner. Apparently his own mother despaired of him.
November 7, 2018
First in the DI Marjory Fleming police procedural series a well-written thriller set in the idyllic Scottish countryside blighted by plague.
July 5, 2023
This has been a very good read, and I would be tempted to read more. By happy coincidence I picked up the first in a series. I had never heard of Aline Templeton, and only picked this one up in a charity shop because it mentioned the setting was Dumfries and Galloway.
Her writing makes me think a little of Ann Cleeves, although I will admit her lead detective, Margery Flemming will have to do a bit more to hit the same bar as Jimmy Perez. But this is a well written, steady away murder mystery that builds up the atmosphere. Interestingly it is set at a specific time in 2001 when the foot and mouth epidemic was a crisis in farming communities, as the one depicted in this story. Over 20 years on it interesting to reflect on it, albeit depressing, and how it affected people. I remember it myself and the area I was living in at the time. And it is whilst dealing with an infected bull farm, that in digging a pit to dispose of the carcases, that a different type of body turns up. There has indeed been a murder, although some years ago on the Mason farm - a wealthy but particularly obnoxious and bullying farming family who are obsessed about their bulls.
Towards the end it did have moments that felt a little rushed or not quite so plausible - the whole quick and easy blink conversation with a man recently in locked-in syndrome felt a bit.... hmm, and although the killer was a bit obvious from behaviour all the way through the book, when they suddenly turn up to do in a sort of potential witness... I don't know. Little niggles to iron out, but on the whole I really liked this and would look to read more of the series. It would be good to know that Bill did get better after the destruction of his flock.
Her writing makes me think a little of Ann Cleeves, although I will admit her lead detective, Margery Flemming will have to do a bit more to hit the same bar as Jimmy Perez. But this is a well written, steady away murder mystery that builds up the atmosphere. Interestingly it is set at a specific time in 2001 when the foot and mouth epidemic was a crisis in farming communities, as the one depicted in this story. Over 20 years on it interesting to reflect on it, albeit depressing, and how it affected people. I remember it myself and the area I was living in at the time. And it is whilst dealing with an infected bull farm, that in digging a pit to dispose of the carcases, that a different type of body turns up. There has indeed been a murder, although some years ago on the Mason farm - a wealthy but particularly obnoxious and bullying farming family who are obsessed about their bulls.
Towards the end it did have moments that felt a little rushed or not quite so plausible - the whole quick and easy blink conversation with a man recently in locked-in syndrome felt a bit.... hmm, and although the killer was a bit obvious from behaviour all the way through the book, when they suddenly turn up to do in a sort of potential witness... I don't know. Little niggles to iron out, but on the whole I really liked this and would look to read more of the series. It would be good to know that Bill did get better after the destruction of his flock.
October 5, 2023
A most refreshing change from some of police procedurals I have read recently in that it is extremely well written with interesting supporting characters and without the over emphasis on the gory details that so many authors seem to feel is necessary. I sometimes wonder if the author is “getting off” on them - or thinks their reader is. I don’t consider myself to be particularly squeamish and of course terrible things do happen but a skilful author can convey the horror of these without spelling out every grisly detail.
I found I was rationing my reading to just an hour or so at a time so as to make it last. The plot was engaging; so much so that I found my mind going back to it even when I wasn’t reading it. Some thought it slow paced but I would prefer to think of it as realistic. And as I said, the supporting characters were also interesting unlike many police procedurals in which they are sketchily drawn and of little substance.
Although I am English I used to holiday in the area regularly so the descriptions of the locality resonated with me and, having read the likes of Rankin and McIlvanney, the occasional use of local dialogue was never a problem. Even if you’ve never heard a phrase before the meaning can usually be deduced by the context. The desolate backdrop of the Foot & Mouth disaster was sombre and convincing. And it made a welcome change to have a lead protagonist who was well adjusted and still had a normal family life.
I have only just discovered this author and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her books.
I found I was rationing my reading to just an hour or so at a time so as to make it last. The plot was engaging; so much so that I found my mind going back to it even when I wasn’t reading it. Some thought it slow paced but I would prefer to think of it as realistic. And as I said, the supporting characters were also interesting unlike many police procedurals in which they are sketchily drawn and of little substance.
Although I am English I used to holiday in the area regularly so the descriptions of the locality resonated with me and, having read the likes of Rankin and McIlvanney, the occasional use of local dialogue was never a problem. Even if you’ve never heard a phrase before the meaning can usually be deduced by the context. The desolate backdrop of the Foot & Mouth disaster was sombre and convincing. And it made a welcome change to have a lead protagonist who was well adjusted and still had a normal family life.
I have only just discovered this author and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her books.
March 31, 2025
This was a good story. Characters were filled out well and likeable.
The main character of the story, Marjorie Fleming, is a DI with many roles. Detective, farmer's wife, mother, daughter, neighbor, often times conflict with one another. She does her best.
Foot and mouth disease is running rampant in their area and people are being quarantined to help stop the spread. Marj's boss won't give her leave so she must leave her husband and home, taking her children to stay with her mother and ex police father so she can continue working. Her father cuts her no slack, believing women have no place in law enforcement.
Psychologist/ Journalist Laura is a woman who's lost the last of her family. She wants out of the city and is on a search for her her long lost older sister. She's contacted by Max who might know where she can search.
Max is the son of a man obsessed with his prize bulls. He's got issues, as does his cousin Conrad, a detective who works with Marjorie.
Then there's the ex hand who was injured by a bull and bought an inn with his wife when he can't work anymore.
Then a body is found when the officials start digging to bury the destroyed animals.
Lots of characters in this story but they keep you guessing.
I liked it and plan to read more in the series.
The main character of the story, Marjorie Fleming, is a DI with many roles. Detective, farmer's wife, mother, daughter, neighbor, often times conflict with one another. She does her best.
Foot and mouth disease is running rampant in their area and people are being quarantined to help stop the spread. Marj's boss won't give her leave so she must leave her husband and home, taking her children to stay with her mother and ex police father so she can continue working. Her father cuts her no slack, believing women have no place in law enforcement.
Psychologist/ Journalist Laura is a woman who's lost the last of her family. She wants out of the city and is on a search for her her long lost older sister. She's contacted by Max who might know where she can search.
Max is the son of a man obsessed with his prize bulls. He's got issues, as does his cousin Conrad, a detective who works with Marjorie.
Then there's the ex hand who was injured by a bull and bought an inn with his wife when he can't work anymore.
Then a body is found when the officials start digging to bury the destroyed animals.
Lots of characters in this story but they keep you guessing.
I liked it and plan to read more in the series.
January 13, 2018
My first Alone Templeton book, and I rather liked it.
DI Marjory Fleming is running a police investigation as well as trying to keep her family together during an out break of Foot and Mouth disease. Their farm is condemned and Marjory and her two children remove themselves to her parents home, while her husband, Bill, stays on the farm.
A nearby farm has already had their prize bulls slaughtered and, while digging a hole to bury the carcasses, the remains of a body is discovered.
Psychologist, Laura, is staying in the town. She is trying to find evidence related to her sister’s disappearance. Max has returned home after his father is hospitalized after her suffered a stroke. Max believes the body is that of his mother who left the farm years ago. It turns out to be Laura’s sister, Dizzy (Diane).
While continuing to be worried about Bill, isolated on the farm, Marjory tries to discover the identity of the murderer.
DI Marjory Fleming is running a police investigation as well as trying to keep her family together during an out break of Foot and Mouth disease. Their farm is condemned and Marjory and her two children remove themselves to her parents home, while her husband, Bill, stays on the farm.
A nearby farm has already had their prize bulls slaughtered and, while digging a hole to bury the carcasses, the remains of a body is discovered.
Psychologist, Laura, is staying in the town. She is trying to find evidence related to her sister’s disappearance. Max has returned home after his father is hospitalized after her suffered a stroke. Max believes the body is that of his mother who left the farm years ago. It turns out to be Laura’s sister, Dizzy (Diane).
While continuing to be worried about Bill, isolated on the farm, Marjory tries to discover the identity of the murderer.
November 11, 2024
This is the first book in a police procedural series (nine books) featuring Deective Inspector Marjory Fleming which is set in south west Scotland. I had enjoyed the ninth book so am trying to read the earlier books.
The story takes place in 2001 during the outbreak of foot and mouth disease when many farmers saw their flocks and herds slaughtered in order to prevent the spread of the disease. A young woman who had been trying to find her half-sister, who disappeared years earlier, finds out that her half-sister had briefly worked on a farm in Galloway so heads up there to ask questions. When human remains are found buried in a field she fears the worst. It's a very readable book, which I read in one sitting, with several threads.
The story takes place in 2001 during the outbreak of foot and mouth disease when many farmers saw their flocks and herds slaughtered in order to prevent the spread of the disease. A young woman who had been trying to find her half-sister, who disappeared years earlier, finds out that her half-sister had briefly worked on a farm in Galloway so heads up there to ask questions. When human remains are found buried in a field she fears the worst. It's a very readable book, which I read in one sitting, with several threads.
June 7, 2017
I couldn't put this down. My first experience of this author and I am looking forward to reading lots more of her books. The writing is beautiful with astounding imagery presented on the first page. The words just flowed and were beautiful to read. The setting of this novel takes the reader to another world, its like reading the Shetland series. The cold winter of Galloway in Scotland is contrasted to the harshness but beauty of life on the farms and the the surrounding scenery. Add to this the characters of Laura and Majorie and the search to uncover a murder and you have a book that is hard to put down.
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