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Ben Cooper & Diane Fry #6
The Dead Place
“This killing will be a model of perfection. An accomplishment to be proud of. And it could be tonight or maybe next week. But it will be soon. I promise.”
The anonymous phone calls indicate a disturbed mind with an unnatural passion for death. Cooper and Fry are hoping against hope that the caller is just a harmless crank having some sick fun. But the clues woven through his disturbing messages point to the possibility of an all-too-real crime . . . especially when a woman vanishes from an office parking garage.
But it’s the mystery surrounding an unidentified female corpse left exposed in the woods for over a year that really has the detectives worried. Whoever she might have been, the dead woman is linked to the mystery caller, whose description of his twisted death rituals matches the bizarre manner in which the body was found. And the mystery only deepens when Cooper obtains a positive I.D. and learns that the dead woman was never reported missing and that she definitely wasn’t murdered. As the killer draws them closer into his confidence, Ben and Diane learn everything about his deadly obsessions except what matters his identity and the identity of his next victim. . . .
The anonymous phone calls indicate a disturbed mind with an unnatural passion for death. Cooper and Fry are hoping against hope that the caller is just a harmless crank having some sick fun. But the clues woven through his disturbing messages point to the possibility of an all-too-real crime . . . especially when a woman vanishes from an office parking garage.
But it’s the mystery surrounding an unidentified female corpse left exposed in the woods for over a year that really has the detectives worried. Whoever she might have been, the dead woman is linked to the mystery caller, whose description of his twisted death rituals matches the bizarre manner in which the body was found. And the mystery only deepens when Cooper obtains a positive I.D. and learns that the dead woman was never reported missing and that she definitely wasn’t murdered. As the killer draws them closer into his confidence, Ben and Diane learn everything about his deadly obsessions except what matters his identity and the identity of his next victim. . . .
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
75 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Booth
55 books672 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 110 reviews
March 31, 2025
Very entertaining murder mystery. The macabre backdrop of the funeral business certainly adds to the creepy tone; while suspects for the disapperances and murders keep piling up (like corpses, so to speak).
The Jack-the-Ripper style messages that the killer sprinkles around keep the plot boiling with arcane clues. The suspects are all, well, suspicious characters, and one early person of interest guy turns out to have the nerve to be merely a clever red herring.
The fairly intimate setting in the English countryside stokes the gothic element; I doubt that even Monk Lewis ever surpasses this display of charnel houses, crypts and tombs.
The writing is easy to deal with and the requisite authorities aren't too fussy a bunch. You can't go wrong with this one--squeamish readers best just squint and skip ahead of and then, though.
The Jack-the-Ripper style messages that the killer sprinkles around keep the plot boiling with arcane clues. The suspects are all, well, suspicious characters, and one early person of interest guy turns out to have the nerve to be merely a clever red herring.
The fairly intimate setting in the English countryside stokes the gothic element; I doubt that even Monk Lewis ever surpasses this display of charnel houses, crypts and tombs.
The writing is easy to deal with and the requisite authorities aren't too fussy a bunch. You can't go wrong with this one--squeamish readers best just squint and skip ahead of and then, though.
November 16, 2008
A good, but not a great, book.
For me, the only real reason I read these books is because I simply adore the character of Det. Constable Ben Cooper. I don't know, maybe I'm just a sucker for small town English boys who like history, are polite to a fault, have a keen sense of justice, recognize their own shortcomings, and have a cat.
If I was going to have an imaginary boyfriend, Ben Cooper would be it.
That being said, the overall story is a pretty good mystery, although, for once, I guessed who the bad guy was before I reached the end, which never happens.
The book begins with Ben Cooper trying to identify some skeletal remains found in the woods and Det. Sergeant Diane Fry (a completely unlikeable and unsympathetic character, in my opinion) reading the transcript of a mysterious phone call describing a potential future murder.
Of course, as it turns out, the two cases merge later in the book. Fry has personal issues (she had a terrible childhood, boo-friggin'-hoo) that are exacerbated by the case, Cooper's frustrated by his inability to break through to Diane, and the reader gets to learn more about cremation than they ever really wanted to.
Oh, and throw in the usual head-butting between Cooper and Fry, a little comic relief from Det. Constable Gavin Murfin, and a rather lame red herring for good measure, and that about wraps it up.
All in all, Booth's Cooper/Fry series is enjoyable, even if the plots are rather implausible at times. This installment was no exception to that. Although, Booth's little details about the local geography are interesting and make me wish I could go there myself, if the places really exist.
I have to admit, though, that I tend to skim past the parts that center around Diane Fry since I dislike her so much. Which of course means about half of each of the books. I keep hoping she'll become less irritating with each subsequent book, but it hasn't happened yet.
Maybe next time.
For me, the only real reason I read these books is because I simply adore the character of Det. Constable Ben Cooper. I don't know, maybe I'm just a sucker for small town English boys who like history, are polite to a fault, have a keen sense of justice, recognize their own shortcomings, and have a cat.
If I was going to have an imaginary boyfriend, Ben Cooper would be it.
That being said, the overall story is a pretty good mystery, although, for once, I guessed who the bad guy was before I reached the end, which never happens.
The book begins with Ben Cooper trying to identify some skeletal remains found in the woods and Det. Sergeant Diane Fry (a completely unlikeable and unsympathetic character, in my opinion) reading the transcript of a mysterious phone call describing a potential future murder.
Of course, as it turns out, the two cases merge later in the book. Fry has personal issues (she had a terrible childhood, boo-friggin'-hoo) that are exacerbated by the case, Cooper's frustrated by his inability to break through to Diane, and the reader gets to learn more about cremation than they ever really wanted to.
Oh, and throw in the usual head-butting between Cooper and Fry, a little comic relief from Det. Constable Gavin Murfin, and a rather lame red herring for good measure, and that about wraps it up.
All in all, Booth's Cooper/Fry series is enjoyable, even if the plots are rather implausible at times. This installment was no exception to that. Although, Booth's little details about the local geography are interesting and make me wish I could go there myself, if the places really exist.
I have to admit, though, that I tend to skim past the parts that center around Diane Fry since I dislike her so much. Which of course means about half of each of the books. I keep hoping she'll become less irritating with each subsequent book, but it hasn't happened yet.
Maybe next time.
February 17, 2021
Very good but a bit too much about death and funeral procedures.
January 2, 2015
Poor old Ben Cooper has to investigate the death of a woman who is found on the moors decomposing. Inconveniently the records tell us she died in hospital and was buried 18 months earlier!
This is another Cooper and Fry book with a solid mystery, good atmospherics and plenty of red herrings along the way. Diane Fry appears considerably more grouchy in this one and Ben has to put up with her moaning. She needs something to cheer up her life - dont know if Mr Booth is planning on that at all!
This is another Cooper and Fry book with a solid mystery, good atmospherics and plenty of red herrings along the way. Diane Fry appears considerably more grouchy in this one and Ben has to put up with her moaning. She needs something to cheer up her life - dont know if Mr Booth is planning on that at all!
May 18, 2016
Sjätte delen i serien om Ben Cooper och Diane Fry blir ingen besvikelse. Alla ingredienser för en intressant historia finns här. Märk väl: intressant. Inte spännande. Det här är ingen rafflande deckare och den som gillar action göre sig icke besvär. Läs mer på min blogg
October 19, 2019
Terrible mystery book. The foreshadowing was so obvious. It's 600 pages long and I figured out who the killer was on page 19.
February 7, 2018
One of the things I like about Stephen Booth's mysteries is that I always end up learning a lot about some subject that impacts the case—underground cave systems, or Morris dancing, or what-have-you. This time, the subject is death, which would seem to be a given in any murder investigation, but this one gets down to death's nitty gritty. I gleaned some nifty details about modern embalming and cremation as well as ancient burial customs. (I also learned that Churchill's parrot lived to be 105 years old. Whaddya know?)
But here's the problem: for a book so steeped in death, it's probably the least compelling and somehow least dark of Booth's books so far. There's no forward momentum, no sense of imminent danger. Black Dog and Dancing With the Virgins, his first two titles, are so dense and dark and twisty. I hope he's not losing his touch. I'll continue the series for now, but hope for a return to the deft plotting that made me a fan.
But here's the problem: for a book so steeped in death, it's probably the least compelling and somehow least dark of Booth's books so far. There's no forward momentum, no sense of imminent danger. Black Dog and Dancing With the Virgins, his first two titles, are so dense and dark and twisty. I hope he's not losing his touch. I'll continue the series for now, but hope for a return to the deft plotting that made me a fan.
April 17, 2017
This got one star, only because there's nothing lower. If you want a book that tells you way, way too much about what happens when a body decays after death, then I guess this is your book. But, for me, wanting to read a good, English mystery...UGH. Every chapter has an excerpt from a killer's death diary, about how the body decays and deteriorates; and the rest of the chapter, about finding him, is almost worse.
June 23, 2017
An enjoyable read although the subject is death, dying and decay. Remains of a woman's body are found on a remote Derbyshire hillside and this leads Cooper and Fry on a trail that leads them to more death through a trail of dubious academic experts and corrupt funeral directors. Fry still seems to be trying to put Cooper down all the time and then appears jealous of his new love interest.
Criticism, the book is over long.
Criticism, the book is over long.
July 26, 2024
I praise every single book a person has written. This book talks a lot about death and decomposition processes and that I find interesting. Besides, setting up a plot is not easy and neither is creating characters.
I expected more of the story however and I didn’t find myself hooked on it. Hopefully other books of the series are more thrilling.
I expected more of the story however and I didn’t find myself hooked on it. Hopefully other books of the series are more thrilling.
November 8, 2024
I wanted to like the characters but didn’t. Both Diane Fry the Brummie raised in care and the Derbyshire lad Ben Cooper were busy in their own heads very few real connections with the world. Bens character saw the good in people but it wasn’t enough. As another review said read this and you’ll learn far more than you want about the processes after death. Embalming doesn’t sound nice. Sewing up mouths. The idea of limestone removing the flesh did appeal more, some how. But as it’s not an option, bury a tree a top of me and let me nurture it.
August 31, 2021
I enjoy this series so much, because of how important a part the environment, and the local people and lore play into the mysteries.
December 30, 2022
I love this series and I'm happy that I still have a lot to go!
April 7, 2021
Thrilling
June 25, 2022
Engrossing, if at times gruesome, read from Stephen Booth in his Peak District series of crime novels.
March 25, 2014
Originally posted here: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot....
The last time I was this addicted to a book series was Harry Potter, and considering the Potter-fanatic that I am, that's saying something. The thing I love the most about these Cooper and Fry books, which may be classified as police procedural, is that they are all about the characters. Like Stephen King, Booth manages to dive right into people's minds and build true to life characters. You don't always like them nor agree with them, especially not Diane Fry, but that's what makes them click. Ben Cooper is, of course, easy to be fond of, it's great to be inside his mind, read his thoughts and his instincts and how he feels for the victims. But even with Fry, he makes a good partnership (okay, it's not good, more like challenging), and together they're unlike your usual awkward-tension-turns-to-love pairs.
The Dead Place, not surprisingly, is about death. It's about the morbid fascination that so many people seem to have with dying, the book is also about the history of death or death in history, sarcophagi and cremation and all that. The Dead Place, on a more positive note, is about dealing with loss and facing death on a personal and professional front. It takes you to grieving families in various stages of shock and denial, and at the same time, gives you a glimpse into the coolly detached workings of a funeral home. Death is a part of life and in The Dead Place, Booth gives it an emotional depth rarely achieved in murder mysteries.
The thing that makes The Dead Place work, above all, is the atmosphere. The picturesque imagery of the northern English countryside is rich with detail. You just know he knows what he's writing about, and you find yourself right there inside the books. It's the unique combination of a swift plot with brooding, often meandering writing, quite unlike the usual action packed thrillers out there, that makes The Dead Place so special.
I would recommend this book to anyone who (as the dedication of the book goes) has ever had to deal with death.
The last time I was this addicted to a book series was Harry Potter, and considering the Potter-fanatic that I am, that's saying something. The thing I love the most about these Cooper and Fry books, which may be classified as police procedural, is that they are all about the characters. Like Stephen King, Booth manages to dive right into people's minds and build true to life characters. You don't always like them nor agree with them, especially not Diane Fry, but that's what makes them click. Ben Cooper is, of course, easy to be fond of, it's great to be inside his mind, read his thoughts and his instincts and how he feels for the victims. But even with Fry, he makes a good partnership (okay, it's not good, more like challenging), and together they're unlike your usual awkward-tension-turns-to-love pairs.
The Dead Place, not surprisingly, is about death. It's about the morbid fascination that so many people seem to have with dying, the book is also about the history of death or death in history, sarcophagi and cremation and all that. The Dead Place, on a more positive note, is about dealing with loss and facing death on a personal and professional front. It takes you to grieving families in various stages of shock and denial, and at the same time, gives you a glimpse into the coolly detached workings of a funeral home. Death is a part of life and in The Dead Place, Booth gives it an emotional depth rarely achieved in murder mysteries.
The thing that makes The Dead Place work, above all, is the atmosphere. The picturesque imagery of the northern English countryside is rich with detail. You just know he knows what he's writing about, and you find yourself right there inside the books. It's the unique combination of a swift plot with brooding, often meandering writing, quite unlike the usual action packed thrillers out there, that makes The Dead Place so special.
I would recommend this book to anyone who (as the dedication of the book goes) has ever had to deal with death.
February 17, 2012
My latest read in the Cooper/Fry series by Stephen Booth and so far, I have loved this series. This one however, was the weakest link. I think he is still doing great work on the characters stories and the relationship between Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, but the plot here was not as good as previous books. The dialogue was once again peppered with some great wit and humor, I particularly love the Gavin Murfin character. His love of food is legendary and hilarious. This story was centered on the discovery of a body or the remains of one rather, that is difficult to identify as it seems it has been left to the elements for a year and a half and identification is nearly impossible. However, Ben is persistent as always and has a computer reconstruction made up and works hard on trying to find out to the victim is. He eventually gets a lead that will confirm with the help of dental I.D., who the lady was. Now, in conjunction with this, there are a series of notes and phone calls being made suggesting a murder is about to take place and one may have already happened and Diane is taking it very seriously. When the two cases start to cross paths, Ben is suddenly being lead around in circles trying to find out the common factors and what links it all together. It gets a bit complex as far as I am concerned and meanders all over the place, with no clear purpose. Maybe Mr. Booth had a deadline to meet or his publishers wanted a book pretty pronto as part of his publishing deal, who knows, it just felt to me he was stuck for a good plot. I do love him despite this and really hope he gets back on track with his next book. There is also the question of what is going on with Diane's sister, Angie, this is a question that a few books in remains unanswered. Just about to start the next one, so fingers crossed it gets better than this one.
February 2, 2016
The Dead Place is a Cooper and Fry mystery by Stephen Booth. I liked the first two books in this series, but have missed several.
Creepy anonymous phone calls to the police, a morbid fascination with death, a funeral home full of suspects, a professor specializing in death rituals, plenty of detail about what happens to the body following death, more than enough about preparing a body for viewing at a funeral home. I'm glad, my husband and I have chosen cremation. (Although, I despise the term "cremains.")
Favorite parts: nods to Cold Comfort Farm, Inspector Morse, and Midsommer Murders; Gavin Murfin's character.
Overall, the book didn't work as well for me as did Black Dog and Dancing with the Virgins. Fortunately, Booth let Cooper take the lead in this one, because Fry comes off so flat and snarky. She isn't a likable character to begin with (and deliberately so), but at least in the first two books she was interesting. Booth does seem to be preparing for some changes in Fry, but she remains an annoying cipher in this book.
The first two books in this series were quite good, and I have missed books 3, 4, and 5--so I am not going to let my disappointment in this one deter me from reading more Cooper & Fry.
Harper/Collins (purchased ebook)
Mystery, police procedural. 2014. Print length: 608 pages.
Creepy anonymous phone calls to the police, a morbid fascination with death, a funeral home full of suspects, a professor specializing in death rituals, plenty of detail about what happens to the body following death, more than enough about preparing a body for viewing at a funeral home. I'm glad, my husband and I have chosen cremation. (Although, I despise the term "cremains.")
Favorite parts: nods to Cold Comfort Farm, Inspector Morse, and Midsommer Murders; Gavin Murfin's character.
Overall, the book didn't work as well for me as did Black Dog and Dancing with the Virgins. Fortunately, Booth let Cooper take the lead in this one, because Fry comes off so flat and snarky. She isn't a likable character to begin with (and deliberately so), but at least in the first two books she was interesting. Booth does seem to be preparing for some changes in Fry, but she remains an annoying cipher in this book.
The first two books in this series were quite good, and I have missed books 3, 4, and 5--so I am not going to let my disappointment in this one deter me from reading more Cooper & Fry.
Harper/Collins (purchased ebook)
Mystery, police procedural. 2014. Print length: 608 pages.
December 27, 2019
I am a little surprised to say I liked "The Dead Place," because there are lots of passages describing human decomposition in a fair amount of detail, and I am not a fan of mysteries that get too graphic in their descriptions of murders. What distinguishes this book from graphic murder mysteries its reflection on death. The book seems to want to say that death separates the person from the physical body, so that what decomposes is not the person you knew. Cooper spends a lot of time reflecting on death, and, more specifically, on the death of his mother.
There are multiple plot lines with multiple characters (note to self: keep a running glossary of characters the next time I read a Cooper & Fry novel). Cooper and Fry's relationship continues to be interesting. Cooper goes on a date. Fry seems to be jealous. They mainly occupy separate spaces in this novel until the end of the book. Cooper observes that while we know so little about death, most people know even less about love.
There are multiple plot lines with multiple characters (note to self: keep a running glossary of characters the next time I read a Cooper & Fry novel). Cooper and Fry's relationship continues to be interesting. Cooper goes on a date. Fry seems to be jealous. They mainly occupy separate spaces in this novel until the end of the book. Cooper observes that while we know so little about death, most people know even less about love.
July 11, 2010
If you're in the mood to learn arcane details about funeral rituals and what happens to the body after death, read this book. If your hair stands on end at the idea, stay away. Another strong entry in the Fry/Cooper series, this book has everything you expect from Booth--an intricate plot, mordant humor and tense exchanges between Diane Fry and Ben Cooper. I like Booth's writing because it is descriptive and takes the time necessary to build up a picture of place, detail by detail. I also think he's good with dialog. I recommend him to readers who like Elizabeth George or P.D. James. If you're more a thriller reader (a la James Patterson) you may find his pacing too slow for your taste.
April 2, 2022
As with previous books in the series, I enjoyed this one a lot. I get tired of Fry’s cynic approaches to life, but overall a great descriptive mystery.
Being familiar with what goes on in a mortuary lab (never worked in one, but oversaw one in an academic setting), I could recall vividly the details described in this book. Those details along with my experience reinforced my aversion to the whole preparation of bodies for internment or cremation. I also espouse the view that death is really a problem for many people whether presented in fiction or nonfiction. I thought that the processes that the author describes accurately represent our current views on death and the disposal of the body.
Please read this book - learn lots and enjoy!
Being familiar with what goes on in a mortuary lab (never worked in one, but oversaw one in an academic setting), I could recall vividly the details described in this book. Those details along with my experience reinforced my aversion to the whole preparation of bodies for internment or cremation. I also espouse the view that death is really a problem for many people whether presented in fiction or nonfiction. I thought that the processes that the author describes accurately represent our current views on death and the disposal of the body.
Please read this book - learn lots and enjoy!
March 27, 2008
Booth continues to write thrillers that are riveting without being grisly. His greatest strengths continue to be characters that you genuinely care about and a vivid Derbyshire landscape that is practically a character in its own right. I was a bit worried he was losing his edge in "One Last Breath," the book before this one, but "The Dead Place" is just as good as the earlier ones that got me hooked on him and his characters.
December 27, 2012
Amazing story, and impossible to put down. All you have to do is see Stephen Booth's name on a book, and you know it's going to be a five-star experience. I don't want to give the plot away; suffice to say, read it. You will love it.
May 5, 2020
Nice comfy read a slipper and pipe sort of book, love the area its set in with lots of places I am familiar with and local stories and anecdotes.
Read
August 21, 2017Since the books in this series can stand alone (except for the personal details about the main character's life, which I am not particularly interested in), I have not bothered looking for and reading them in the right order.
My two-cent for just this book: I liked the plot in overall, however I did find it a bit too length-y, the details were unnecessarily stretched out abit. I also saw that there were many people, down in the review section, saying that this book has too much details about what happens to body after death -- the body prep for funeral procedure, stages of decompostions, but I thought those were the essence of this book. I loved learning about those details. I had always wondered how do the undertakers preps the body (especially someone who had horrible accident). This helped me realize that in a way undertakers are medical students; they have to know about microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy on top of that have skills of a surgeons, painters and sculptors. How cool is that! If that doesn't sound facinating I dunno what does. Anyway back to book, Constable Cooper is still adorable and DS Fry is still annoying. The relationship between those two is ugh, I feel like they are going to end up together one minute and next Fry goes and ruins that thought for me.
I also thought it was a self-reflecting book in a way. The talk about death, whether it is accepting the death of loved ones or coming in terms with your own death down the road, it makes you think, "well, where do I stand on the spectrum of accepting this natural phenomena?" Are you avoiding thinking about it or constantly worrying about it? I thought Booth showed this using Gavin, he was constantly worrying about his tenure before then later thought of just enjoying the life as it come. And I think that is how we should be living as well. Live in the moment, take in every precious seconds of our "borrowed" time here on earth --things that are happening inside us and around us -- without constanly worrying about our past or future. I had heard the quote "You only hate what you don't understand." before, so I don't like using the word hate anymore. Cooper says it in this book as well "It's the unknown we're most frightened of, the things we don't understand. And more than anything else in the world, death is the great unknown." Isn't that true though? Not just in regards to death, also people around us? People that we think we hate? If we take a step back and think "wait why do i hate this person?", usually it is not because they did us wrong but because we dont understand why they did what they did.
Another quote that hit me hard was this: "We know so little about death. But the fact is, most of us know even less about love." Why can we not say what is on my mind honestly? World would be a better place if we could only express our love toward others openly, does not have to be romantic love but also friendship, parental, strangers too, instead of hiding it inside us. I mean c'mon how times have you thought someone's dress, shoes, hair or whatever looked good but never voiced it out? I know i have had those moments hundreds of times! "Would it kill me to say it out loud? No! So why didn't I?" A question I have. asked myself hundreds of times too. All I can say is it's a work in progress for now, I don't blurt of every single time, I have started to voice them out little by little. Let us spread the love, people, not hate! :)
Overall, good read. Enjoyed it!
My two-cent for just this book: I liked the plot in overall, however I did find it a bit too length-y, the details were unnecessarily stretched out abit. I also saw that there were many people, down in the review section, saying that this book has too much details about what happens to body after death -- the body prep for funeral procedure, stages of decompostions, but I thought those were the essence of this book. I loved learning about those details. I had always wondered how do the undertakers preps the body (especially someone who had horrible accident). This helped me realize that in a way undertakers are medical students; they have to know about microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy on top of that have skills of a surgeons, painters and sculptors. How cool is that! If that doesn't sound facinating I dunno what does. Anyway back to book, Constable Cooper is still adorable and DS Fry is still annoying. The relationship between those two is ugh, I feel like they are going to end up together one minute and next Fry goes and ruins that thought for me.
I also thought it was a self-reflecting book in a way. The talk about death, whether it is accepting the death of loved ones or coming in terms with your own death down the road, it makes you think, "well, where do I stand on the spectrum of accepting this natural phenomena?" Are you avoiding thinking about it or constantly worrying about it? I thought Booth showed this using Gavin, he was constantly worrying about his tenure before then later thought of just enjoying the life as it come. And I think that is how we should be living as well. Live in the moment, take in every precious seconds of our "borrowed" time here on earth --things that are happening inside us and around us -- without constanly worrying about our past or future. I had heard the quote "You only hate what you don't understand." before, so I don't like using the word hate anymore. Cooper says it in this book as well "It's the unknown we're most frightened of, the things we don't understand. And more than anything else in the world, death is the great unknown." Isn't that true though? Not just in regards to death, also people around us? People that we think we hate? If we take a step back and think "wait why do i hate this person?", usually it is not because they did us wrong but because we dont understand why they did what they did.
Another quote that hit me hard was this: "We know so little about death. But the fact is, most of us know even less about love." Why can we not say what is on my mind honestly? World would be a better place if we could only express our love toward others openly, does not have to be romantic love but also friendship, parental, strangers too, instead of hiding it inside us. I mean c'mon how times have you thought someone's dress, shoes, hair or whatever looked good but never voiced it out? I know i have had those moments hundreds of times! "Would it kill me to say it out loud? No! So why didn't I?" A question I have. asked myself hundreds of times too. All I can say is it's a work in progress for now, I don't blurt of every single time, I have started to voice them out little by little. Let us spread the love, people, not hate! :)
Overall, good read. Enjoyed it!
March 9, 2018
Too creepy for me. Too much reveling in rolling around in the icky stuff. I don't need my mysteries cozy, though I like those too, but this novel had a creepy vibe that made me skip through a bunch of stuff I just didnt need to know. The only good point for me was that several characters, including Cooper, finally call Fry on her incessant, uncalled for snottiness to civilians and coworkers. Not that I expect her behavior to change much in the next book(s), but at least I'm not left wondering why no one ever tells her she's being a total jerk. No one answered her rudeness in kind, but at least they put her in her place, nicely. (Horrifying note - hint that Ben might find Fry attractive in some way. Ick.)
September 23, 2025
I’d probably give the book a 3.5 if I could. It was a fun read though it took a while to hook me. I though the culprit was pretty obvious and figured it out fairly early but it was still interesting to keep up with all the story beats regardless.
This felt like reading an episode of ncis with the way the humor, story beats, and pacing are written. It was a little edgy but that’s expected from a book about death so it’s mostly fine. All the stuff with Sandra was a complete waste of time though and felt pretty pointless. Kind of what I mean when I say it feels like an episode of tv because it felt like a random b or c plot you would see in these type of shows. This book probably could’ve been a good bit shorter.
This felt like reading an episode of ncis with the way the humor, story beats, and pacing are written. It was a little edgy but that’s expected from a book about death so it’s mostly fine. All the stuff with Sandra was a complete waste of time though and felt pretty pointless. Kind of what I mean when I say it feels like an episode of tv because it felt like a random b or c plot you would see in these type of shows. This book probably could’ve been a good bit shorter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2023
First book I have read by Stephen Booth. For me, I struggled to understand the theme of the story. Seemed to be a mismatch of stories originally involving DC Cooper and DS Fry. However, as the book progressed, the stories seemed to pull together to provide the final outcome. Coopers character I liked, hard working, not discouraged when things didn't go as he expected. Fry is a different kettle of fish, moody, irascible, frustrated, and she doesn't come across well. I will try another Fry & Cooper story to see if it is just as the author is new to me and I don't know the characters.
December 31, 2017
I enjoyed the beginning of the book but then the pace of the book feels like a meander through an investigation and lacks real drama. I also feel the author could have developed the relationship between the two main characters Ben Cooper & Diane Fry much more. I have not read any of the other books in the series which may have been a disadvantage.
May 31, 2023
Lots of musings on death and dying. Complicated relationship between the two protagonists, refreshingly this isn't just a lead detective and a side kick scenario. Unfortunately, Frye is so bitter it is difficult to understand why Cooper feels for her. Perhaps her situation is better outlined in other books. The final solution is interesting.
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