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Ben Cooper & Diane Fry #2
Dancing With The Virgins
Dancing With the Virgins is an atmospheric, psychological stunner—perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
As winter closes in on the moors, so does death. The body of a young woman is found within a ring of ancient cairns, her arms and legs arranged to look as though she's dancing.
Now another young woman has been found, savagely wounded and severely traumatized, but alive. Ben Cooper and Diane Fry must unlock the memories trapped inside her mind before more blood is shed amongst the stones . . .
As winter closes in on the moors, so does death. The body of a young woman is found within a ring of ancient cairns, her arms and legs arranged to look as though she's dancing.
Now another young woman has been found, savagely wounded and severely traumatized, but alive. Ben Cooper and Diane Fry must unlock the memories trapped inside her mind before more blood is shed amongst the stones . . .
592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2001
168 people are currently reading
1006 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Booth
55 books671 followersStephen Booth is the author of 18 novels in the Cooper & Fry series, all set around England's Peak District, and a standalone novel DROWNED LIVES, published in August 2019.
The Cooper & Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and Detective Constable Cooper has been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British author. The Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers most pleasure.”
The novels are sold all around the world, with translations in 16 languages. The most recent title is FALL DOWN DEAD.
A new Stephen Booth standalone novel with a historical theme, DROWNED LIVES, will be published in August 2019:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-Live...
In recent years, Stephen has become a Library Champion in support of the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign. He's represented British literature at the Helsinki Book Fair in Finland, appeared with Alexander McCall Smith at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia, filmed a documentary for 20th Century Fox on the French detective Vidocq, taken part in online chats for World Book Day, taught crime writing courses, and visited prisons to talk to prisoners about writing.
He lives in Nottinghamshire.
The Cooper & Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and Detective Constable Cooper has been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British author. The Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers most pleasure.”
The novels are sold all around the world, with translations in 16 languages. The most recent title is FALL DOWN DEAD.
A new Stephen Booth standalone novel with a historical theme, DROWNED LIVES, will be published in August 2019:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-Live...
In recent years, Stephen has become a Library Champion in support of the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign. He's represented British literature at the Helsinki Book Fair in Finland, appeared with Alexander McCall Smith at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia, filmed a documentary for 20th Century Fox on the French detective Vidocq, taken part in online chats for World Book Day, taught crime writing courses, and visited prisons to talk to prisoners about writing.
He lives in Nottinghamshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
July 16, 2021
Who Are the Nine Virgins?
Somewhere in Northwest England, stands nine stone statues, referred to as The Nine Virgins.
Taking the ancient ritual of human sacrifices too far, someone has committed murder! A body of a missing woman has been found, lying among the stones.
Cooper and Fry are sent to investigate, but their list of suspects is innumerable. And on top of it all, another woman is murdered.
Are the killings related to superstition or is the violence a personal issue? Regardless, someone needs to be stopped.
Somewhere in Northwest England, stands nine stone statues, referred to as The Nine Virgins.
Taking the ancient ritual of human sacrifices too far, someone has committed murder! A body of a missing woman has been found, lying among the stones.
Cooper and Fry are sent to investigate, but their list of suspects is innumerable. And on top of it all, another woman is murdered.
Are the killings related to superstition or is the violence a personal issue? Regardless, someone needs to be stopped.
January 27, 2019
Dancing with the Virgins is a crime/police procedural novel as its genre, but as a whole, it is a character-driven tale -- and what a complete and multi-faceted group the characters are.
From the series' protagonists, Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, both police detectives, to the supporting cast, there are many delicious layers to be enjoyed as the story moves forward. Cooper is a second generation police officer, a young man for whom justice and fair play is heavily nuanced by understanding the people involved and Fry, a highly skilled combatant for whom good and evil is as simple as black and white.
I think the reader can take as much, or as little, as he or she puts into reading Booth's books. I took my time and savored every level and nuance I could find in this book. I plan now to re-read Black Dogs, the first book in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry series in case I missed anything the first time around.
From the series' protagonists, Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, both police detectives, to the supporting cast, there are many delicious layers to be enjoyed as the story moves forward. Cooper is a second generation police officer, a young man for whom justice and fair play is heavily nuanced by understanding the people involved and Fry, a highly skilled combatant for whom good and evil is as simple as black and white.
I think the reader can take as much, or as little, as he or she puts into reading Booth's books. I took my time and savored every level and nuance I could find in this book. I plan now to re-read Black Dogs, the first book in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry series in case I missed anything the first time around.
April 7, 2011
First Line: On the day the first woman died, Mark Roper had radio trouble.
In a remote area of the Peaks District in England, a prehistoric ring of stones called the Nine Virgins witnesses the brutal murder of a young cyclist. When Detective Constable Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry learn that another woman was attacked by an assailant with a knife less than half a mile from the Nine Virgins, they feel they've found the start of a pattern that needs to be stopped immediately.
After enjoying the first book in the series, Black Dog, I expected to settle down to another good read, and Dancing With the Virgins did start well. Author Stephen Booth is a master of the atmospheric setting of the Peaks District-- making it appear both beautiful and menacing-- and his two main characters are finely drawn. However, I had several major problems with this book.
Those very same main characters that I'm getting to know so well are rubbing my fur the wrong way. Diane Fry is the Queen of Not-Letting-Anyone-Get-Close. She realizes this but doesn't know what to do about it... or if she even wants to do anything about it. She's so prickly that, no matter what anyone does, they put their foot in it. I may understand some of her motivations, but after a while prickly gets old, and I begin to wish that she could remain civil to everyone for one entire hour.
Ben Cooper, on the other hand, is the opposite of Diane Fry. Where Diane Fry sees black or white, everything is in shades of grey to Ben Cooper. He has a difficult time saying no to anyone and seems to want to be all things to all people. As a result, he seems frozen in place at times.
The pacing of the book was glacial and came very close to being a Did Not Finish for me. The first substantive clue for the main murder occurred on page 380 of a 528-page book. The culprits for this were the many subplots that sucked all the life out of the investigation into the murder of the cyclist. Besides the murder, there were plot threads involving child pornography, illegal dog fighting, a corrupt cop, two young homeless men camped out in a broken-down van, domestic violence, a young park ranger learning the ropes... and others. If there'd been fewer subplots, I think things would've moved a bit faster and the book would've held my interest.
As it stands, Dancing With the Virgins just didn't work for me. I do have the third book in the series here, and I will read it. But it will be a while before I pick it up.
In a remote area of the Peaks District in England, a prehistoric ring of stones called the Nine Virgins witnesses the brutal murder of a young cyclist. When Detective Constable Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry learn that another woman was attacked by an assailant with a knife less than half a mile from the Nine Virgins, they feel they've found the start of a pattern that needs to be stopped immediately.
After enjoying the first book in the series, Black Dog, I expected to settle down to another good read, and Dancing With the Virgins did start well. Author Stephen Booth is a master of the atmospheric setting of the Peaks District-- making it appear both beautiful and menacing-- and his two main characters are finely drawn. However, I had several major problems with this book.
Those very same main characters that I'm getting to know so well are rubbing my fur the wrong way. Diane Fry is the Queen of Not-Letting-Anyone-Get-Close. She realizes this but doesn't know what to do about it... or if she even wants to do anything about it. She's so prickly that, no matter what anyone does, they put their foot in it. I may understand some of her motivations, but after a while prickly gets old, and I begin to wish that she could remain civil to everyone for one entire hour.
Ben Cooper, on the other hand, is the opposite of Diane Fry. Where Diane Fry sees black or white, everything is in shades of grey to Ben Cooper. He has a difficult time saying no to anyone and seems to want to be all things to all people. As a result, he seems frozen in place at times.
The pacing of the book was glacial and came very close to being a Did Not Finish for me. The first substantive clue for the main murder occurred on page 380 of a 528-page book. The culprits for this were the many subplots that sucked all the life out of the investigation into the murder of the cyclist. Besides the murder, there were plot threads involving child pornography, illegal dog fighting, a corrupt cop, two young homeless men camped out in a broken-down van, domestic violence, a young park ranger learning the ropes... and others. If there'd been fewer subplots, I think things would've moved a bit faster and the book would've held my interest.
As it stands, Dancing With the Virgins just didn't work for me. I do have the third book in the series here, and I will read it. But it will be a while before I pick it up.
Read
August 9, 2011I've put off reading this book for ages because (nonsensically) I was expecting to enjoy it a lot and also worried that it wouldn't be as good as I hoped despite numerous reports that if anything it was better than Black Dog. One of the offputting things about the book is its 500 odd pages. I don't mind a long read at all, it's more that I've read several long mysteries with filler than plot and I didn't want to be disappointed in this one.
This is a book that is well worth its length though. Booth takes what could have been a basic plot driven story and fills it with in depth characters that deserve the attention that they receive. He also does a wonderful job with the setting though this might be helped by the fact that I now know the Peak District myself and am getting to know it better all the time.
One of the things that makes this book really good for me is that despite finding that I don't really like either of Booth's lead characters I enjoy finding out about them and I want to know what happens to them in the future. Local boy Ben Cooper is trying to live up to his father's reputation in the police force and still lives on the family farm run by his brother. Incomer Diane Fry has just beaten Cooper to a promotion and is viewed with deep suspicion by most of the local coppers, in trying to keep her personal life separate from her working life she comes over as a very cold person. Both characters are completely believable though and the fact that I want to knock their heads together is a testament to Booth's realistic storytelling.
The plot is solid and contains less predictable elements that the first book in the series, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next in Cooper and Fry's world.
Oh, and I also wanted to add that Booth gets bonus marks for not falling into the trap that so many other authors seem to of calling men by their surnames and women by their first names. If anything his main characters are Ben and Fry. I got really fed up with Barry Maitland for referring to "Kathy and Brock" all the time and it's a habit that's been annoying me ever since and it's nice to see someone writing in reverse for a change.
This is a book that is well worth its length though. Booth takes what could have been a basic plot driven story and fills it with in depth characters that deserve the attention that they receive. He also does a wonderful job with the setting though this might be helped by the fact that I now know the Peak District myself and am getting to know it better all the time.
One of the things that makes this book really good for me is that despite finding that I don't really like either of Booth's lead characters I enjoy finding out about them and I want to know what happens to them in the future. Local boy Ben Cooper is trying to live up to his father's reputation in the police force and still lives on the family farm run by his brother. Incomer Diane Fry has just beaten Cooper to a promotion and is viewed with deep suspicion by most of the local coppers, in trying to keep her personal life separate from her working life she comes over as a very cold person. Both characters are completely believable though and the fact that I want to knock their heads together is a testament to Booth's realistic storytelling.
The plot is solid and contains less predictable elements that the first book in the series, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next in Cooper and Fry's world.
Oh, and I also wanted to add that Booth gets bonus marks for not falling into the trap that so many other authors seem to of calling men by their surnames and women by their first names. If anything his main characters are Ben and Fry. I got really fed up with Barry Maitland for referring to "Kathy and Brock" all the time and it's a habit that's been annoying me ever since and it's nice to see someone writing in reverse for a change.
March 11, 2014
This is my kind of book - a great mystery taking place in small towns/villages in England, characters I don't think I'll tire of reading about and of course, some kind of darkness...
I'll keep reading this series!
I'll keep reading this series!
December 21, 2008
Okay, so I loved this book.
This is the second in a series of Constable Ben Cooper novels and my affinity for these books has been previously well-documented. However, since I started reading the series at book three, I was always a little confused about what DS Diane Fry was holding over Cooper's head. Which, of course, was finally revealed in this book.
Turns out, Cooper's inherent sense of loyalty to his family, friends, and colleagues blows up in his face. His partner, DC Todd Weenink, confides in him that he tampered with evidence in a burglary case. Add to that the fact that Cooper inadvertently comes across a piece of evidence linking Weenink to their current case (and doesn't share it), and Cooper is in potentially very hot and dangerous water.
The case is an interesting one. A young woman is found dead in the center of a Stonehenge-like set of stones known locally as the Nine Virgins (thus the title of the book). Of course, there's more to the case than meets the eye because there was also a previous victim (two, really, as it turns out). There is also a cast of interesting, real, and tragic characters that help flesh out the story, including two nearly codependent Peak Park Rangers, a womanizing police detective, a couple of vagabonds living in a decrepit van, and a desperate farmer on the verge of losing everything.
The result of the police investigation is unexpected; again, things aren't ever what they seem. But the meat of the story is the background of the two leads: DC Cooper and (Acting) DS Fry. For instance, we learn more about Cooper's almost love-hate relationship with his dad and the pressure he still feels to live up to his father's standards even after Joe Cooper's death. We also learn that Fry had had an abortion as a result of a rape-induced pregnancy. Also, the fact that she is searching for her sister is introduced.
The best part to me is the tenuous relationship between Cooper and Fry. It's very contentious, very tense, very reluctant. Cooper wants to befriend her, but he wants to hate her, too. After all, he still resents her a little for getting the promotion he'd hoped to get. Fry, on the other hand, is being driven crazy by her need to understand Cooper. She keeps finding herself asking, "What would Cooper do?" and she hates it. It's no secret their methods are completely different, as are their personalities. But they still tend to complement each other and get the job done.
Having read all the subsequent books (well, the ones available in the US, at least), it was great to be able to put some of the stuff that happens in them between Cooper & Fry in its proper context.
I very much enjoyed this book. Can't wait for the latest book to come to the States.
This is the second in a series of Constable Ben Cooper novels and my affinity for these books has been previously well-documented. However, since I started reading the series at book three, I was always a little confused about what DS Diane Fry was holding over Cooper's head. Which, of course, was finally revealed in this book.
Turns out, Cooper's inherent sense of loyalty to his family, friends, and colleagues blows up in his face. His partner, DC Todd Weenink, confides in him that he tampered with evidence in a burglary case. Add to that the fact that Cooper inadvertently comes across a piece of evidence linking Weenink to their current case (and doesn't share it), and Cooper is in potentially very hot and dangerous water.
The case is an interesting one. A young woman is found dead in the center of a Stonehenge-like set of stones known locally as the Nine Virgins (thus the title of the book). Of course, there's more to the case than meets the eye because there was also a previous victim (two, really, as it turns out). There is also a cast of interesting, real, and tragic characters that help flesh out the story, including two nearly codependent Peak Park Rangers, a womanizing police detective, a couple of vagabonds living in a decrepit van, and a desperate farmer on the verge of losing everything.
The result of the police investigation is unexpected; again, things aren't ever what they seem. But the meat of the story is the background of the two leads: DC Cooper and (Acting) DS Fry. For instance, we learn more about Cooper's almost love-hate relationship with his dad and the pressure he still feels to live up to his father's standards even after Joe Cooper's death. We also learn that Fry had had an abortion as a result of a rape-induced pregnancy. Also, the fact that she is searching for her sister is introduced.
The best part to me is the tenuous relationship between Cooper and Fry. It's very contentious, very tense, very reluctant. Cooper wants to befriend her, but he wants to hate her, too. After all, he still resents her a little for getting the promotion he'd hoped to get. Fry, on the other hand, is being driven crazy by her need to understand Cooper. She keeps finding herself asking, "What would Cooper do?" and she hates it. It's no secret their methods are completely different, as are their personalities. But they still tend to complement each other and get the job done.
Having read all the subsequent books (well, the ones available in the US, at least), it was great to be able to put some of the stuff that happens in them between Cooper & Fry in its proper context.
I very much enjoyed this book. Can't wait for the latest book to come to the States.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2015
A cyclist is murdered on a moor in the Peak District and her body left displayed, as if dancing, in a megalith called the Nine Virgins. The local cops link the killing to a savage attack close by on another woman, a few weeks ago. DS Diane Fry and DC Ben Cooper are among the investigating team, although they rarely work alongside each other; clearly they have A Past together but, not having read the first book in the series (when I bought this book I didn't realize it was part of a series), I don't know the details. There are other deaths in the vicinity, and slowly the two cops individually work out what must be the truth.
I quite enjoyed this novel, but felt it could have done with being about ten percent shorter; it wasn't so much that it was slow-burning (I actually liked that aspect) but that, every now and then, I'd find I'd just read a few pages which seemed to serve no useful purpose. Again, the dialogue seemed to flounder from time to time; on the other hand, Booth's narrative prose is often very elegant and I do like his evocation of the setting. But I still don't know for sure the motive for the first attack -- in fact, I'm not 100% certain if the perpetrator of that attack is who I think it was.
So my feelings about this book are a bit of a mixed bag. When it was good it was very, very good, and certainly it was never horrid, but it did seem a bit, well, drab in places.
I quite enjoyed this novel, but felt it could have done with being about ten percent shorter; it wasn't so much that it was slow-burning (I actually liked that aspect) but that, every now and then, I'd find I'd just read a few pages which seemed to serve no useful purpose. Again, the dialogue seemed to flounder from time to time; on the other hand, Booth's narrative prose is often very elegant and I do like his evocation of the setting. But I still don't know for sure the motive for the first attack -- in fact, I'm not 100% certain if the perpetrator of that attack is who I think it was.
So my feelings about this book are a bit of a mixed bag. When it was good it was very, very good, and certainly it was never horrid, but it did seem a bit, well, drab in places.
August 18, 2024
I'm afraid I found this novel quite boring and nearly didn't finish it. It drags on far too slowly, the ending is rather confusing and I really don't like Diane Fry at all. I will not be looking out for other novels in this series.
April 2, 2014
I finished this book. But the book was a slog. Normally, I shove such books aside. Donate them half-read to the thrift shop. I don't know why I kept going. It was 562 pages of my life I'll never get back.
One of the reasons was to see how many appalling metaphors the author could cram into those 562 pages. Did I mention there were 562 pages? Oh yeah, sorry, three times now.
Samples, just a few out of hundreds ~
When a fellow's hair lifts off his forehead:
"It settled back to his temples like roosting doves."
On a small sound from someone:
"Like the wheeze in the chest of an asthmatic, or the faint whimper of a small creature dying at the side of the road."
"The inquiry team were starting to dissipate their energies fruitlessly, like men urinating into a strong wind."
Reflecting on a picture of a six year old girl:
"Fair hair cut raggedly across her forehead and a selection of teeth and gaps like a half-demolished wall."
"Tears crawled over his skin, like tiny slugs, slow and painful."
Apart from these, there were also times when metaphors were needed as in two sets of parents with murdered daughters not reacting to the loss and horror. At all. In fact, one couple doesn't bother to come back from their vacation. A face etched in grief at the death, a small sob over the casket? Not at all. No funerals even mentioned.
And the resolution at the end was so forced along with the perpetrator being signalled from Page 1 or 2.
Oh, boy. Someone should have told Mr. Booth that appalling metaphors takes a reader right out of the story as she contemplates those slug-like tears and teeth like a wall or a pile of men urinating into the wind, while her mind frets over the conundrum of that chilly pair of non-grieving parents.
One of the reasons was to see how many appalling metaphors the author could cram into those 562 pages. Did I mention there were 562 pages? Oh yeah, sorry, three times now.
Samples, just a few out of hundreds ~
When a fellow's hair lifts off his forehead:
"It settled back to his temples like roosting doves."
On a small sound from someone:
"Like the wheeze in the chest of an asthmatic, or the faint whimper of a small creature dying at the side of the road."
"The inquiry team were starting to dissipate their energies fruitlessly, like men urinating into a strong wind."
Reflecting on a picture of a six year old girl:
"Fair hair cut raggedly across her forehead and a selection of teeth and gaps like a half-demolished wall."
"Tears crawled over his skin, like tiny slugs, slow and painful."
Apart from these, there were also times when metaphors were needed as in two sets of parents with murdered daughters not reacting to the loss and horror. At all. In fact, one couple doesn't bother to come back from their vacation. A face etched in grief at the death, a small sob over the casket? Not at all. No funerals even mentioned.
And the resolution at the end was so forced along with the perpetrator being signalled from Page 1 or 2.
Oh, boy. Someone should have told Mr. Booth that appalling metaphors takes a reader right out of the story as she contemplates those slug-like tears and teeth like a wall or a pile of men urinating into the wind, while her mind frets over the conundrum of that chilly pair of non-grieving parents.
June 13, 2011
Having enjoyed the first installment of this series Black Dog recently - I was looking forward to this second book in the Cooper and Fry series. Stephen Booth creates great atmosphere in his Peak district mysteries, the plot fairly races along, with plenty of excellent twists and turns and it becomes hard to put the book down. I guessed one or two things - but was led right up the garden path over others.
The tension between central characters Cooper and Fry adds another interesting dimension, they are both authentic well drawn characters, each very different, with their own demons and motivations. Fry is a city girl, making her home in the town of Edendale, who has her own personal reasons for transferring to the area. She has little interest in the countryside, and is contemptuous of Coopers knowledge and respect for the farming community within which he lives. Now Diane Fry is acting DS - while Cooper remains a DC - he had thought not long before that it would be him that got promotion. I found this an excellent weekend read - brilliant well written escapism, set within a breathtaking landscape.
January 25, 2015
This is the second in a series by Stephen Booth. I really enjoy his storytelling. He gives tantalizing hints and leads you into dark corners. You're sure he's given you the answer, but then he upends everything, as if to say, "Shame on you for thinking that dirty thought." Well, maybe that's me expecting the worst in his characters. Ben Cooper is so very likeable, and Diane Fry's history is a little more revealed in this book. She still mostly remains a mystery, though. I'm looking forward to the next book.
January 15, 2025
A very good police procedural where everyone has a good and bad side. Lots of twisted up people that are not dealing with things very well. All of this leads to a jumbled up heap of bad events and murder. What a sad tale. I am not even sure who I actually like in the end. Even Ben Cooper seems to make some bad decisions that frustrated the hell out of me, although he does seem to have more empathy than most of his fellow cops. Very well done. All of humanity’s foibles seem to be laid out for us to pick over. Bad choices, evil intent, and secrets led to a tangled web and all one can feel is sadness in the end.
November 12, 2020
Dancing with the Virgins is the second book in the “Cooper & Fry” police-procedural murder-mystery series written by Stephen Booth featuring DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, set in the Peak District of Northern England. About three-quarters through the first book in the series, Black Dog, I decided I wanted to spend more time with Cooper & Fry and found the kindle version of book 2 at my local library, lapl.org.
The central feature of the Cooper & Fry books is the relationship between the two main characters, which (somewhat surprisingly) is based on mutual animosity, professional distrust and ambiguous attraction. I had half-expected romantic tension to play some part in the series by now but that is most definitely not the case. In my opinion, this is an excellent choice made by their creator, Stephen Booth, and one that definitely whets my appetite to read what happens next with them.
In Dancing with the Virgins the titular virgins are stones at the top of the moors where a woman has been expertly stabbed through the heart, just a few weeks after another woman was horribly maimed in the face as a result of another knife attack. DS Diane Fry is working on the first attack, trying to figure out a way to get the amnesiac victim to remember any aspect of the incident to help the police catch the culprit. Meanwhile, DC Ben Cooper has been paired with a new partner, the large and obtuse DC Weenink, who clearly doesn’t take his oath “to serve and protect” the community as seriously or energetically as Ben does. The reader spends a lot of time in Ben’s head, and he’s clearly a nice guy. We spend a fair amount of time Diane’s head as well, and it’s pretty clear she’s not as “nice” as Ben is. Which approach to policing (Ben’s or Diane’s) is actually more effective at solving crime is a key conflict in the books, as well as the question of which approach makes for a happier (or more fulfilling) life. Both Ben and Diane have complicated back stories. Ben is the son of a well-known police officer who was a local hero who died in the line of duty two years before the events in Dancing with the Virgins and he still lives at home on the family farm with his brother’s family and mentally-ill mother. Diane grew up in foster care with an older sister who became a drug addict and disappeared as a young teenager. Recently she suffered a sexual assault (before the events of the first book Black Dog) and her search for her sister and that traumatic event are the reason for this city girl transferring to the very rural area. The other officers (both supervisory and collegial) are supporting characters, and after two books they are becoming more familiar but they aren’t key or important features of the story.
Overall, I would say Dancing with the Virgins is a strong second entry in this British police procedural series. We learn more about the protagonists, in the context of an intriguing set of mysteries, murders and misdemeanors. One of the weaknesses in this particular book is its slightly unsatisfying conclusion. There are three primary crimes being investigated and in the end the reader is only given definitive answers about the perpetrators of two of the three crimes. In fact, the conclusion of the book seems somewhat rushed and inconclusive, because some of the important issues in Fry’s and Cooper’s lives remain unresolved. Happily, this leaves room for more character development in the following books, which I am definitely looking forward to. Other genre readers who have enjoyed Peter Robinson, Peter James or Ian Rankin, will likely enjoy the Cooper & Fry mysteries as well.
The central feature of the Cooper & Fry books is the relationship between the two main characters, which (somewhat surprisingly) is based on mutual animosity, professional distrust and ambiguous attraction. I had half-expected romantic tension to play some part in the series by now but that is most definitely not the case. In my opinion, this is an excellent choice made by their creator, Stephen Booth, and one that definitely whets my appetite to read what happens next with them.
In Dancing with the Virgins the titular virgins are stones at the top of the moors where a woman has been expertly stabbed through the heart, just a few weeks after another woman was horribly maimed in the face as a result of another knife attack. DS Diane Fry is working on the first attack, trying to figure out a way to get the amnesiac victim to remember any aspect of the incident to help the police catch the culprit. Meanwhile, DC Ben Cooper has been paired with a new partner, the large and obtuse DC Weenink, who clearly doesn’t take his oath “to serve and protect” the community as seriously or energetically as Ben does. The reader spends a lot of time in Ben’s head, and he’s clearly a nice guy. We spend a fair amount of time Diane’s head as well, and it’s pretty clear she’s not as “nice” as Ben is. Which approach to policing (Ben’s or Diane’s) is actually more effective at solving crime is a key conflict in the books, as well as the question of which approach makes for a happier (or more fulfilling) life. Both Ben and Diane have complicated back stories. Ben is the son of a well-known police officer who was a local hero who died in the line of duty two years before the events in Dancing with the Virgins and he still lives at home on the family farm with his brother’s family and mentally-ill mother. Diane grew up in foster care with an older sister who became a drug addict and disappeared as a young teenager. Recently she suffered a sexual assault (before the events of the first book Black Dog) and her search for her sister and that traumatic event are the reason for this city girl transferring to the very rural area. The other officers (both supervisory and collegial) are supporting characters, and after two books they are becoming more familiar but they aren’t key or important features of the story.
Overall, I would say Dancing with the Virgins is a strong second entry in this British police procedural series. We learn more about the protagonists, in the context of an intriguing set of mysteries, murders and misdemeanors. One of the weaknesses in this particular book is its slightly unsatisfying conclusion. There are three primary crimes being investigated and in the end the reader is only given definitive answers about the perpetrators of two of the three crimes. In fact, the conclusion of the book seems somewhat rushed and inconclusive, because some of the important issues in Fry’s and Cooper’s lives remain unresolved. Happily, this leaves room for more character development in the following books, which I am definitely looking forward to. Other genre readers who have enjoyed Peter Robinson, Peter James or Ian Rankin, will likely enjoy the Cooper & Fry mysteries as well.
June 12, 2017
I calculated that in order to finish all the books my coach lended to me before the end of season I have to average 1.2 of his books per month...I'm not sure if I can miss my children's, YA and fantasy books that long though...
Even though this book won a prize (sorry can't remember which one) I didn't like this one as much as the first one. I think this stems from the fact that I found the ending very confusing. I'm quite sure who the perpatrators of some of the murders were, but others I'm not as sure. Especially the first body which is found in the moors/mountains/whatever you call that place ... I still have no idea who actually did the "murdering" bit.
I'm not sure whether the author did this on purpose or whether it was due to my inattentiveness...
Even though this book won a prize (sorry can't remember which one) I didn't like this one as much as the first one. I think this stems from the fact that I found the ending very confusing. I'm quite sure who the perpatrators of some of the murders were, but others I'm not as sure. Especially the first body which is found in the moors/mountains/whatever you call that place ... I still have no idea who actually did the "murdering" bit.
I'm not sure whether the author did this on purpose or whether it was due to my inattentiveness...
March 11, 2019
Problems?
Having problems finding a good book? Having problems getting away from reading it? Having problems with sleeping all day long because you are unable to put down this book and go to bed? If your answer is no, then you’re not reading the right book.
Having problems finding a good book? Having problems getting away from reading it? Having problems with sleeping all day long because you are unable to put down this book and go to bed? If your answer is no, then you’re not reading the right book.
February 20, 2017
I would like it a bit if he'd not jump from character to character quite so rapidly, but I am really enjoying these books. The stories are very captivating.
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December 31, 2020This is a solid mystery novel. It's intricate, the setting is good. I'm not sure I'd want to reada lot of the series in a row, because it seems to be fairly morally grey, and a bit disturbing (the description of the first murder was very effective, for example). Cooper and Fry are also intriguing foils for each other. An intriguing series, but also I think something to take breaks from.
July 5, 2008
I've wondered why I seem to need so much time to read Stephen Booth's books, and I've decided that it's the pacing. The plot does not drag nor does the author include any unnecessary digressions, but the rhythm matches the pace of life in the bleak countryside where Constable Ben Cooper works. It also matches the slow but steady progress of a routine police investigation.
"Dancing with the Virgins" is the second in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry series, and Cooper's personal relationships continue from the first book. Newcomer Fry is now an acting sergeant, a promotion Cooper thought would be his. The uneasy relationship between the two continues, but it is clear that their strengths are complementary. The problem is that neither can comprehend the other's view of the world. Cooper's relationship with his new partner is uneasy for different reasons; it seems that personal loyalty and professional ethics will soon clash. Finally, the tentative romance Cooper began at the end of "Black Dog" is fizzling, mostly because of his own inattention, which is only partly explained by his focus on his work.
All of these relationships are a background to and influence on the investigation. A young woman has been murdered on the moor, and her body was deliberately positioned in the center of a stone circle known as the Virgins. There seems to be a connection to a previous attack, and Diane Fry has been assigned to help that victim remember any details that might help the police. In reality, there are many more interlocking pieces that the police must assemble, and sometimes there are devastating consequences. The bleak landscape reflects the unhappy lives of most of the characters. Cooper seems to cling to his sense of justice and integrity to keep from being overcome with the despair that haunted him in "Black Dog."
The realism of the characters and the use of place are two of the pleasures of this novel. Another is the logic of the investigation's resolution. All the clues are shown to the reader as the police gather them. At the end, the only questions that remain concern the consequences of the investigation on the lives of Cooper and Fry--and those questions will carry the series forward.
"Dancing with the Virgins" is the second in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry series, and Cooper's personal relationships continue from the first book. Newcomer Fry is now an acting sergeant, a promotion Cooper thought would be his. The uneasy relationship between the two continues, but it is clear that their strengths are complementary. The problem is that neither can comprehend the other's view of the world. Cooper's relationship with his new partner is uneasy for different reasons; it seems that personal loyalty and professional ethics will soon clash. Finally, the tentative romance Cooper began at the end of "Black Dog" is fizzling, mostly because of his own inattention, which is only partly explained by his focus on his work.
All of these relationships are a background to and influence on the investigation. A young woman has been murdered on the moor, and her body was deliberately positioned in the center of a stone circle known as the Virgins. There seems to be a connection to a previous attack, and Diane Fry has been assigned to help that victim remember any details that might help the police. In reality, there are many more interlocking pieces that the police must assemble, and sometimes there are devastating consequences. The bleak landscape reflects the unhappy lives of most of the characters. Cooper seems to cling to his sense of justice and integrity to keep from being overcome with the despair that haunted him in "Black Dog."
The realism of the characters and the use of place are two of the pleasures of this novel. Another is the logic of the investigation's resolution. All the clues are shown to the reader as the police gather them. At the end, the only questions that remain concern the consequences of the investigation on the lives of Cooper and Fry--and those questions will carry the series forward.
February 6, 2012
I am currently reading my way through this series and really enjoying it. D.C. Ben Cooper is back with a new partner, D.C. Todd Weenick, not a pairing he is particularly happy with, but he figures it's better than being partnered up with the newly promoted Acting D.S. Diane Fry. The body of a cyclist called Jenny Weston is found dead up on the moors in the Peak District, at an ancient site called the Nine Virgins. Ben becomes part of the investigation team, a small team from his division due to cut-backs and a shortage of manpower and initially, they feel like they are looking for a needle in a haystack, as there is no real forensic evidence and no real motive. If it is a random killing, they feel they are going to be in real trouble trying to find the killer. Eventually, after some digging deep and some good old fashioned police detecting, they start to find suspects and motives, but Bens instincts are telling him they are not what they are looking for. Another woman has been previously attacked in the area and left with some devastating knife injuries to her face, some weeks prior to the murder, but she has no memory of what happened. Diane Fry is assigned to her to try and trigger some memories to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her attack. The police feel the attacks are linked in some way and must act quickly to solve this case before another woman dies. Diane and Ben cross paths once again and their relationship is as frosty as ever. Diane has had a tragic past, which accounts for her characters flaws and her hostility towards Ben, who is a really likable guy. It is also clear, that she has secret feelings for him, which she does not want to admit to herself. It's a big book, over 500 pages, but they turn quickly in a story you just want to keep reading. There is some great humour in the dialogue, some real laugh-out-loud lines, that is always welcome in some serious subject matter, that never belittles or detracts from the sadness or tragedy of the characters lives. This was a really great book and my advice would be to read them in order, starting with "Black Dog" and the best thing is, they keep you guessing until the very end.
January 10, 2021
Okay, now I know how to pronounce Weenink, it "Vainink". I pronounced it correctly to myself for the rest of the book. I'm not even making fun, I appreciate being told how to pronounce names properly. Wouldn't it be ironic if I was still pronouncing it wrong?
So, as to the murders, well, okay. Creepy. Like Ben Cooper, if I understand the character, I wanted to understand and save every person and animal. Like Diane Fry, as I understood her,I wanted to be tough as nails and beat the shit out of every miscreant threatening individual. Like Mark Roper, I wanted to pick up every piece of trash left in the environment and keep people from wrecking things. Unlike the Ranger Owen...well, I guess you just have to read it. None of my statements gives you any clue as to killer. Just saying.
As for birth parents and adopted children reuniting, my opinion, causes more trouble, don't bother just accept the birthright you have been handed even if it isn't what you were born to. Speaking for myself as adopted individual.
As for dog fighting, hell no, save the Pitties.
So, as to the murders, well, okay. Creepy. Like Ben Cooper, if I understand the character, I wanted to understand and save every person and animal. Like Diane Fry, as I understood her,I wanted to be tough as nails and beat the shit out of every miscreant threatening individual. Like Mark Roper, I wanted to pick up every piece of trash left in the environment and keep people from wrecking things. Unlike the Ranger Owen...well, I guess you just have to read it. None of my statements gives you any clue as to killer. Just saying.
As for birth parents and adopted children reuniting, my opinion, causes more trouble, don't bother just accept the birthright you have been handed even if it isn't what you were born to. Speaking for myself as adopted individual.
As for dog fighting, hell no, save the Pitties.
January 20, 2013
Local Detective Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry clash and work together to solve several murders and violent attacks, as well as a disappearance on the moors. Booth paints a detailed picture of a small English town in tourist country where the regular townsfolk and it's "protectors" are not all they seem. The investigation starts off horribly with little to go on, but determination on the part of the police mixed with some luck and tips eventually fleshes out the more seemly details of regular folk turned bad due to unfortunate circumstances.
This is the second Stephen Booth tale of coppers Ben Cooper and Diane Fry that I have read and now I would like to find the Booth novel Black Dog that starts off the series.
This is the second Stephen Booth tale of coppers Ben Cooper and Diane Fry that I have read and now I would like to find the Booth novel Black Dog that starts off the series.
July 20, 2012
Second in the series and you know what you are going to get.... great use of location, good characterisation and plenty of mystery.
A ranger finds a young woman murdered at a group of stones, known as the dancing virgins. The body has been left as though sacraficed.
Cue investigations with Fry and cooper - still both getting at each other.
More attacks happen.
The story is as complicated (adopted kids, lesbianism, crusties) as the first and equally as inlikely but the plus factors make a cracking read.
A ranger finds a young woman murdered at a group of stones, known as the dancing virgins. The body has been left as though sacraficed.
Cue investigations with Fry and cooper - still both getting at each other.
More attacks happen.
The story is as complicated (adopted kids, lesbianism, crusties) as the first and equally as inlikely but the plus factors make a cracking read.
May 15, 2014
Stephen Booth writes in a style which uses exaggerated setting descriptions. At times this wears thin. However, his ability to immerse the reader into the minds of the characters, so that you both love and dislike them simultaneously, makes up for this over descriptive style. Trying to achieve atmosphere by using description can be good, but is a fatal literary error when it interferes with the flow of the plot.
Read
March 15, 2021Dc Ben Cooper and Ds Dian Fry, two very diverse characters complement each other well as they struggle to find any leads on two cases: an attack on a woman and the murder of another which take place in a remote part of the peak district. Could they be connected?
A gripping mystery from start to finish!
A gripping mystery from start to finish!
July 8, 2008
Please try this if you like British mysteries. Perhaps if more people read this series, they will publish it over here, and I won't have to track down used British editions anymore. Although, they do look classy on my bookshelf.
May 7, 2014
Another great story
0I have become a dedicated fan of stephen booth and can hardly wait to begin another of his mysteries. I am always surprised by the outcome of these complicated story lines.
0I have become a dedicated fan of stephen booth and can hardly wait to begin another of his mysteries. I am always surprised by the outcome of these complicated story lines.
May 18, 2015
bloomin' outstanding!!! :-)
December 13, 2021
Good stuff from an old mate of mine.
September 9, 2017
Book Description
The second in the series set in the Derbyshire Peak District, Dancing with the Virgins is a tense psychological follow-up to Stephen Booth's acclaimed debut Black Dog. 'The body of the woman sprawled obscenely among the stones... She looked like a dead woman, dancing.' The ring of cairns known as the Nine Virgins has stood on the windswept moors of Derbyshire for centuries. Now, as winter closes in, a tenth figure is added - a body - and a modern tragedy is added to the dark legend that surrounds the stones. There's no shortage of suspects, each with their own guilty secret, but what DS Fry and DC Cooper lack is any kind of motive. As they search separately for answers, it seems the reasons for the strange behavior of the moor's inhabitants may lie somewhere in the past, in a terrible crime yet to be discovered...
My Review
I love Stephen Booth's writing. His great sense of place (Derbyshire's Peak District) and vivid descriptions make me feel like I am right there as I read his books. The complex plotting unfolds with lots of twists and turns that makes the book hard to put down. His strong character development, even for the minor characters, is what keeps me reading his books. The tension between Cooper and Fry is really heating up and I can't wait to see if a relationship is in store for them. I am now looking forward to reading the 3rd book in the series very shortly. I would highly recommend this series to those who love excellent writing and vivid descriptions with their murder mysteries.
The second in the series set in the Derbyshire Peak District, Dancing with the Virgins is a tense psychological follow-up to Stephen Booth's acclaimed debut Black Dog. 'The body of the woman sprawled obscenely among the stones... She looked like a dead woman, dancing.' The ring of cairns known as the Nine Virgins has stood on the windswept moors of Derbyshire for centuries. Now, as winter closes in, a tenth figure is added - a body - and a modern tragedy is added to the dark legend that surrounds the stones. There's no shortage of suspects, each with their own guilty secret, but what DS Fry and DC Cooper lack is any kind of motive. As they search separately for answers, it seems the reasons for the strange behavior of the moor's inhabitants may lie somewhere in the past, in a terrible crime yet to be discovered...
My Review
I love Stephen Booth's writing. His great sense of place (Derbyshire's Peak District) and vivid descriptions make me feel like I am right there as I read his books. The complex plotting unfolds with lots of twists and turns that makes the book hard to put down. His strong character development, even for the minor characters, is what keeps me reading his books. The tension between Cooper and Fry is really heating up and I can't wait to see if a relationship is in store for them. I am now looking forward to reading the 3rd book in the series very shortly. I would highly recommend this series to those who love excellent writing and vivid descriptions with their murder mysteries.
September 14, 2013
The Nine Virgins, a historical prehistoric ring of stones in northern England, is where a dead woman is found. Her body is arranged as a woman who is dancing. Was she killed by the same person who brutally maimed another woman in a nearby area? Detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are part of the team assigned to the case and search for clues to the crimes as well as determine how they are linked to this mysterious area. As usual, they also battle their own inner demons and have the usual run-ins with the local population and their own team members.
This book by Stephen Booth had some interesting twists and the variety of characters made it somewhat compelling, but it just did not grab me as much as some other British mysteries have.
This book by Stephen Booth had some interesting twists and the variety of characters made it somewhat compelling, but it just did not grab me as much as some other British mysteries have.
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