The Sting of Death

Drew Slocombe #3

by Rebecca Tope

The sleuths from Rebecca Tope's two mystery series - Detective Sergeant Den Cooper and undertaker/amateur Detective Drew Slocombe - team up to solve a series of mysterious killings in the quiet rural area of East Devon where they both now live. It's a clever mystery set in a picturesque English farm that is only pretty on the surface.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Rebecca Tope is best known as the author of over twenty crime novels. She has also recently produced the e-book entitled 'The Indifference of Tumbleweed'. She has every intention of continuing with the murder stories, as well as a variety of other kinds of fiction.

She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.

She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.

Reviews

[Grey853 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to say I was very disappointed in this book. I like the Cotswold series that Tope does, but this is very different. While I like Drew Slocombe as a character, he's not really the primary focus of the book! The point of view is all over the place. One of the main characters who put me off the most was Roma. She's a bizarre person who really, really annoyed me. She actually comes across as disturbed on many counts.

When Roma's estranged daughter goes missing, Drew is asked by his wife's cousin to find her. Then about halfway through the book the daughter shows up at her mother's house, obviously bruised and battered, but Roma is attacking her, not believing a word of it. Of course, that could be because the daughter is saying the cousin kidnapped her and tied her up, but she managed to escape. I mean, wouldn't the normal first response be to take care of the woman and call the police? Nope, not here. Roma, her own mother, thinks she's making it all up.

I didn't understand a lot of the behaviors for many of the peole, the excuses people made for Roma, or how everything got twisted around on other people.

I guess I like my mysteries a little bit more straightforward and I do really insist on liking the main characters just a little bit. If this had just been about Drew and his family, fine, but this had way, way too much Roma, who as far as I'm concerned was one of the worst mothers I've ever read about.

[Amanda Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book would have been 4 stars if it weren’t for so many characters! You know a book has too many characters when they have a character list at the start of the book describing who is who! And who each person is related to and how the characters know each other. It was a good story but just too many characters to follow.

[Hailstones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another little bit of escapism with a book based on areas I know well. I left my copy of this book in Okehampton Police Station once I had finished reading it as the police who work there say it's more exciting in books than in reality. The reminder of the 2001 horrors in the area with the foot and mouth disease always makes me very upset, I remember the fires burning and smoke on the horizons as I drove throughout the area for work.
This little tale is based on this awful period of farming history being just one reason for the events that took place. Affairs, death, budding romances, jealousy and all the usual are packed in this story and it is another good little story. To do any of R Tope's series justice, I think it best to break them up and to come back to them. I missed episode 3 which would have enlightened me as to what happened to Den and his Jersey cow farmer girlfriend.
I like the author's inclusion of strong-minded characters and in this one, Roma Millan is my favourite. At first I thought she was older but towards the end of the book I surmised she's only in her 50s. Having been sacked for slapping a child in her school she changed her life to become a country dwelling, bee-keeping, wasp-killing, interesting woman. I like the way we had no idea who did what until very late as, if anyone else agrees, I had all sorts of theories going through my mind about it all. Good little read, particularly for anyone from the West Country.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drew Slocombe, an undertaker, makes friends with Roma, an older woman whose niece Penn is also the cousin of his wife, Karen. When Penn reports that Roma's estranged daughter Justine is missing, Drew tells the police, in the person of Den Cooper, who is burned out and waiting for a change. Each man, and also Drew's assistant Maggs (who is attracted to Den) look for Justine, who may have been kidnapped. Then Justine's landlords, the Rentons, discover that their young daughter is missing. Obviously, this is a much-tangled tale, though Tope manages to make sense out of her various characters. Too bad that all of them, other than the detectives, are so unpleasant.

[Dajuroka Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a reasonable read. Not too taxing though the complexity of the character cast was a constant challenge. There are over a dozen names to keep track of and while the author has set out to intentionally confound the reader to reflect the chaos the police are trying to come to grips with. It is interesting, initially, but after a while impacts on the story's flow. A family chart might have been helpful. Some nice images of the country are interspersed like rest stops on a freeway so you can catch your breath reflecting on whose who and whodunnit. Will need to read some more of her work but hopefully the chaos of this one is not thematic of her others. Let's see.

[Simran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was nothing special. Some details were overlooked which bugged me. For instance, in the end when Den and Maggs look at each other, where did Maggs even come from? She wasn’t even at Roma’s house to begin with. Anyway, the book was overall okay, thus the 3 star rating (honestly, more like a 2.5-2.7). Incredibly predictable. It didn’t get too interesting until about half way through the novel, and I found it to be a bit frustrating at times dealing with Roma & Justine’s character and how unlikable Roma could be (even when the author would put her in a “good” light). It was a quick read though. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to someone, but also wouldn’t advise them against it.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting point of view - not your average murder mystery.
Something nagging at me - why this title? Bees were not really part of the main thread, nor had any of the main characters died from bee stings...
I would definitely read another in this series - funny the things I come across at a book sale!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got to the end and felt like I was missing some explanation of events.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very clever mystery melding two characters from separate series.

Initially, I felt it wasn’t going to work but it is a slow burner and well worth persevering.

However, the more cynical may feel the plot is too contrived and in places, really stretches credulity.

Overall. I enjoyed it even though it was clear from the start you did it it was only the why that was a puzzl

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Drew and Den are looking for Justine who is missing she suddenly turns up with an elaborate story of being kidnapped, however in the meantime the 3 year old child she was supposedly looking after is also missing. There are a lot of characters and the story is a bit complex, but I managed it quite quickly on my plane journey.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble relating/understanding the characters. The story line was good.

[JenniferB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although the plot was pretty ridiculous. Nice to see development of main characters.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tricky plot, a game attempt to make the foot and mouth crisis of 2001 the backdrop to a serious mystery, a few interesting characters…

But despite being a page-turner it’s all bit of a fail, with people doing unconvincing things at key moments and plenty of naff dialogue. Almost none of the main characters (the ones we are presumably supposed to be sympathising with, in the absence of a single detective, as this is more of an ensemble piece and not a traditional whodunnit) seem committed to the action.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, lots of twists, very enjoyable