Boy in the Well

DI Westphall #2

by Douglas Lindsay

DI WESTPHALL.
No ordinary detective.
No ordinary investigations.

A twisting new crime series set in the Scottish Highlands. For fans of Stephen King, Christopher Brookmyre and John Connolly.

'A dark and satisfying mystery . . . This one comes thoroughly recommended' James Oswald

The body of a young boy is discovered at the bottom of a well that has been sealed for two hundred years. Yet the corpse is only days old . . .

No one comes forward to identify #Boy9, and DI Ben Westphall's only suspects are the farmers on whose land the well sits. They certainly seem as though they have something to hide. But it might not be what he thinks.

Soon, similarities from an old crime emerge and Westphall must look to the past to piece together the dark and twisted events taking place in the present.

********

PRAISE FOR THE DI WESTPHALL SERIES

'A breathe of fresh air in this genre. A great series you will be pleased you've found'

'Characters past, present, dead and alive weave in and out of the escalating plot. Eventually, the pieces fit together. The story is an excellent read'

'This story is so clever and definitely not what I was expecting, it had me reading late into the night. I could not put it down'

'It's a wonderfully written, immersive and engaging read, which has a distinctive haunting, ominous atmosphere that underpins everything, and there are copious twists and turns making it very satisfying'

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Procedural

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2019

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy in the Well
By Douglas Lindsay
This is a good mystery based in Scotland. A young boy about 9-10 years old is found in a well that is opened for the first time in about 200 years. The thing is, the boy was murdered about 48 hours previously. It was found when the owners opened the well, which they had been discussing for months.
The book has lots of mysteries, good characters, situations, and I definitely want more of these books!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating mix of historical context and the modern terror of crimes against children. All wrapped up in an unique take on crime fiction, the second in this brilliant series by Douglas Lindsay.
DI Ben Westphall is the lead detective in this police procedural set in Dingwall near Inverness and just to be sure the pin finds its mark, in Scotland.
Westphall acts as the guide through the novel but he is such an interesting and engaging character our time spent with him is a joy. The story from his perspective interesting and involved. He struggles with his romantic relationships, but here it is revealed he has a twinkle in his eyes and a killer smile. This pleases him but he does not seem to be able to organise these disarming qualities and he kind of falls into bed rather than with and romantic notions and planning.
My favourite example in this outing is the lady he meets in a traffic jam. Their conversation is quite intense and reflects mutual attraction. However, is it just his remembering of the encounter his own way? Some may question even if it is a true memory at all.
So Ben narrates this story of a dead boy found down a disused well that no-one can identify, no-one is missing and perhaps has links with the old Clearances. A true mystery that shows the frustrations trying to move an investigation forward.
I like that he speaks honestly about needing to be seen to be making progress when nothing fits and no build up of evidence is leading to an arrest. He resists making an arrest to save face and keep seniors off his back.
I like too that he makes mistakes and chastises himself where others would bury those errors and preen themselves and seek the praise of others.
My favourite character in this novel aside from Ben is Dr Sanderson, the former police pathologist in Inverness. Some of the best scenes are between Ben and him which also goes a long way to revealing why Westphall is a great character and a breathe of fresh air in this genre.
A great series you will be pleased you’ve found.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember my first encounter with Douglas Lindsay's books, specifically the superb Pereira & Bain series, and it's an experience that I will never forget. I rarely get this excited about a book or an author but reading Boy in the Well was just as fiercely compelling and utterly captivating as his previous novels. This is the second in the DI Westphall series and whilst some crime fiction glamourises police work Lindsay crafts a realistic plot with a raw, real, gritty and authentic portrayal of the investigation of crime. Set in the sparse, stunning Scottish Highlands, it gripped me almost immediately and continued to hold me hostage until the wee small hours.

The mystery they are trying to solve has ties to the past and surrounds an unidentified boy found at the bottom of a well. From then on the police are completely baffled as it seems impossible that he could've been found there. It's narrated solely by Ben Westphall who is an intelligent, intriguing character with more than a few flaws and the unique ability to see his own mistakes and learn from them; that is indeed rare in the crime world. He recognises police work as often being slow and steady but gets frustrated at a lack of observable results. It quickly turns into a complex mystery with chilling connotations and a dark, creepy atmosphere.

This is a clever, twisty procedural with a touch of the supernatural. And that conclusion! Many thanks to Mulholland Books for an ARC.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars maybe
Nope, I should not have finished this morose book but it is frigidly cold - deep freeze immobilizing me. I don't even wish to describe the book for others. Now I need to get Amazon to stop pushing Westphall books on me.
$1.99 - so it could have been worse?

[Mirhanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but really could've used some editing. Too much extraneous crap. I should note than I haven't read any others of this series and it was perfectly understandable, so it feels like a standalone novel.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Boy in the Well, the second novel to feature DI Ben Westphall, set on Scotland’s Black Isle peninsula.

Westphall and the team are called out when the body of a nine year old boy is found in a disused well which has remained sealed for hundreds of years and, yet, the body is fresh. Who is he and how did he get there are the team’s initial questions but as enquiries continue they find links to older crimes.

I enjoyed Boy in the Well which is an unusual police procedural with some good twists, a genuine mystery and a possible hint of the supernatural. I say possible as Westphall talks to the dead and I guess it’s up to the reader to decide if these encounters are real, if he’s mentally unbalanced or more mundanely, if it’s his way of sorting out the facts and clarifying his thoughts. Who knows? I went with the latter option which allowed me to read the novel more as a mystery as otherwise I would have found it impossible to believe.

The mystery surrounding #Boy9 as he comes to be known is a genuine puzzle and had me hooked from start to finish as I was desperate to know who he was and how he got there. These physical questions are answered at the end of the novel but much of the mechanics of it and the finer detail remain fuzzy. I like my solutions to be fully boxed and tied up in a nice bow so that was a bit frustrating but, on the other hand, it offers a touch of realism to all the talking to the dead. I also loved the twists which are clever and keep the reader distracted. No, I’m not going to say what they are but they’re good. I also loved the sharp commentary on the internet’s inane take on events which seems realistic unfortunately.

The novel is narrated in the first person by Ben Westphall so the reader gets a keen insight into his thinking. It is a difficult case, not least because #Boy9 is unidentified, and he makes mistakes but no one can doubt his determination and tenacity. Personally I don’t think that the talking to the dead thing adds anything to the narrative, in fact it detracts from a good crime novel, but other readers may find it fascinating.

Boy in the Well is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing plot and very slow-paced. Didn't deliver as much as it promised.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating crime novel with a wonderful cast of characters and more than a touch of mystery. I hope to read more of DI Westphall.

[Amy Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started really well, was hooked, but then felt like it was going round in circles repeating itself. Gave up

[Pgchuis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really slow and went round in circles for ages, with Ben conversing with dead people far too much. The resolution to the mystery of the boy in the well was both convoluted and utterly ridiculous.

[Nicola Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The investigation threw up some interesting storylines, but I found the actual crime itself just way too far fetched once it was revealed.

[Jen Bailey Bergen (tryjen) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is incredible - just so beautifully constructed. If you can, listen to he Audible version, for Angus King imparts the perfect sort of narrative umami which takes an already outstanding read into levels nearing perfection.

[Jim Birchall · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 1st DI Westphall novel. Certainly won't be my last.
When a detective speaks to the dead it should be easy to find killers, apparently not in this instance. Twisting and turning up and around the Scottish Highlands it had me completely fooled. Well worth the effort reading 👍🏻

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting

[Grace Boyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolute SNOOZE FEST. 30 chapters in until i finally got some sense of mystery and suspense. the bulk of the book is just dialogue, descriptions and a whole load of characters.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I read Song of the Dead, the first in this series and I've been itching for the author to provide me with a follow up and I have to say that the long wait was worth it.
As I mentioned in my review for that book, I'm a bit of a fan of this author and have been since the Barney Thomson books which I started reading in 2011! I've read most of his other books too but it's always nice to reconnect with a character that I took to from the off, in this case, DI Ben Westphall.
In his previous outing he went to Estonia but here, he manages to stay closer to home. Good thing too as he's not a fan of travel! Here, he is called to the site of a well on a farm. A well that has recently been opened after having been sealed shut for 200 years. A well that contains the body of a young boy, only a matter of days deceased. With no visible means for the body having got in, suspicion falls to those who opened it. But is it as simple as that? Especially when the identity of the boy proves tricky, well, impossible. Delving deeper, Westphall's interest falls on a story from the past about a similar boy. A story that has a chilling parallel. And then the body goes missing... Another in replacement...
Westphall is not like most cops in books. He's single, no addictions, no troubled past to really speak of. But he does just have this one thing, but I'll leave you to find that out. He narrates the story himself so you really get into his head and almost feel first hand his frustration at getting nowhere with the case and, at the same time, trying to keep things to himself rather than get too far ahead and make a mockery of what could subsequently turn out to be a dead end. He's not a rush to judgement kinda guy and he's human so he makes mistakes along the way. He's definitely a very interesting character and it was lovely getting to know him again (been a few years, I'd not had chance to re-read book one which I would have like to have done). The ride he takes us on eventually is a bit of a wild one, and rather intricately and expertly plotted. And when he does figure it all out, well, what an ending! One which left me wholly satisfied.
All in all a worthy follow up book to a series that I hope will continue. Maybe just not leave it three years next time eh?! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Diane Schultz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thoroughly a mess

I thoroughly enjoyed his barbershop scenes from the time of COVID, but this novel is still a thorough mess and I can only allow that he must have been a young and ambitious author at the time. He definitely knows how to write and evoke scenes, he just had no idea what he wanted the novel to be about, and it jumps all over and is thoroughly dissatisfying at the end. Although i did have high hope, knowing that there are a few authors who could have done something crazy like this and then tired it nearly in a bow without a deus ex machina. I won't spoil it by offering a different resolution, but really, I think it needs one. Hopefully the other series with Monk is more advanced in its craft.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the north east of Scotland this is a police procedural with a touch of the supernatural as the main character, Detective Inspector Westphall, seems to see visions of dead people and be able to talk to them. It's a readable story but I don't think that the plot really made sense. I do not plan to read any more of this author's books but if you just want a readable mystery story and are not too bothered about whether it makes sense this is probably worth a go.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

DI Westfall is an unusual person, previously an undercover agent, and now in the police - he sees dead people, and has conversations with them. Sometimes he can't tell if he's awake or dreaming when this happens. Other times, he's all too aware of where he is and what he's doing. The story starts with the discovery of a 9 year old boy, dead at the bottom of a well. No one claims him, in spite of media coverage. Two days after the body is autopsied, the body decomposes as though it has been there for 200 years. Westfall's investigation takes him back and forth between the owners of the property, who opened the well and found the body, to old records that show the wells were sealed after a noble family drove all the people from the land. There is a story that one of the noble's son's was murdered - his heart cut out - and the body left on his porch, 200 years ago. It turns out that the boy found has had exactly the same method of murder done to him. Twists and turns lead to council members and coroners and women who lost their children to a very odd conspiracy. I was surprised by the ending, and the guilty persons were not at all whom I suspected. Good read.

[Cheryl]

I am really enjoying this series. This is the second installment and the author continues to reveal and explore the quirks of the main character DI Westphall. He is not a stereo-typical detective and I'm enjoying him immensely. I'm not sure that I enjoyed the plot quite as well in this novel as in the first of the series (Song of the Dead). I wasn't completely convinced that the motivations of the villians were sufficient to result in their crimes and it was difficult to understand why they did what they did, but ultimately the book was good enough to forgive that flaw. Also, the author somehow makes me feel like I am in Scotland with his characters. For the low cost of the this book it was a bargain indeed!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second DI Westphall book. I apparently have a secret liking for slightly morose Scottish detectives.

The Boy in the Well started out a little slowly for me, but built to quite a good climax. The body of an unknown boy is found in a well. Nobody knows who he is. Nobody is missing a child. It's not immediately clear HOW he got into a sealed well.

After that, it gets complicated. :) And the fact that DI Westphall sometimes seems to see dead people doesn't always help.

There's a subtle humor here, and a hint of uncanniness. I didn't see the ending coming, so props to the author for keeping the resolution a surprise (at least to me.)

[Lacer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in an interesting crime series set in Scotland about a detective who can see ghosts. In this one a body is found in a well that had not been opened for 200 years, thing is, the body, that of a boy, looks like he’d been killed recently. I thought the scenes with the ghosts were quite poignant but this isn’t my most favourite detective series, and although I will inevitably one day read the third book, I’m not going to rush.

Warning though, this book does contain references to police and others putting pressure to people’s necks, not kneeling but similar. I hope that in the future, that is going to be something missing from crime stories.

[William Emslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you get if you cross Agatha Christie with M Night Shyamalan? Well, this. Except it's not the young boy who sees dead people but the detective investigating his murder.

Weird stuff. This is the sort of murder/thriller/horror novel I'd have relished as an adolescent but as a middle-aged reader it didn't really work for me.

Well written, deliciously dark, with a crafty plot: I still found it compelling, albeit unconvincing and mildly ludicrous. But full marks to Mr Lindsay for originality and I'm sure there are many who will love it.

[Louise Muddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprising. A supernatural whiff to a police procedural. A Holmesian style locked room set up. Very well paced and I wanted to read on to discover what happened hence finishing it in 4 days. No violence anď gore like in McDermid so a great relief. Ultimately the victims weren't important the perpetrators were. Some unbelievable business with an historical murder spoilt it for me. How has Lindsay written so many books? Not sure I'll read any more but I will recommend him to friends with more appetite for police crime than me.

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the DI Westphall series. The writing is still monotonous and the characters are still as boring as they were in the first book in this series. But this one doesn’t have such a convoluted plot going for it. The only thing that was a surprise was the main villain. That seemed to come out of the blue and made it a three-star book (as opposed to a 2.5 star one). I purchased one more book in this series, and so I’ll read that one, but if the writing/characterization doesn’t improve, I won’t be reading any more.

[Alex Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 - Good.

This 2nd book in the DI Ben Westphall series is another spooky, atmospheric and tense read.

The story isSlow burning, mysterious and somewhat moody and melancholic much like it’s protagonist.

With a supernatural back story bubbling away as well as the crime to be solved, this series is quite intriguing and until the end of the book I was set for a 4 star score but I found the ending a bit sudden and a bit of a let down after what was a slow moving and well built mystery. Nevertheless I am invested enough in Westphall now and will continue on with the next book.

[Alan McCord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting book in the Westphall series. The plot here is a compelling one: a nine-year-old boy found in the bottom of a well that was sealed off over 200 years ago. The investigation unfolds to introduce a number of characters, each one clearly defined. Again Westphall encounters supernatural events along the way to solving this crime. My only complaint about the book is the lengthy exposition at its conclusion, explaining most of the twists and turns of the plot. Some things are best left unexplained. A quick and worthwhile, if gory, read.

[Joyce Rigg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this book at Chapter 15 so I cannot honestly say I have read it. The story, if there is one, seems to be about a rather bumbling country plod trying to justify a dead body being 200 years old. Perhaps this is supposed to be a story of the supernatural, which would explain why I am not enjoying it, or maybe it is meant to be a murder mystery, in which case it needs to move along. Sadly, as I hate not finishing a book, there are too many other books waiting for me.

[Meredith Whitford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never read any of Douglas Lindsay's books before this one, but he's now on my list of authors to read more of. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and the earlier one I followed it with -- excellent writing, some laugh out loud jokes, some more subtle humour. There's a bit of talking to the dead -- or is Westphall imagining that, or using it as a way to think through the mystery he's investigating? Is something supernatural going on, and if so will it be believable? Well, not really supernatural, and perhaps the solution does strain credulity a little, but it was worth it, and I think it did work in the end. A really enjoyable book.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bewildering plot

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this rather bizarre story. It involved a fair degree of savagery linked with a supernatural motif. The area is known to me so I can identify with the latter point. It’s well written and you have to read on to reach the denouement.