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DI Skelgill Investigates #14
Murder at the Meet
STAND-ALONE MURDER MYSTERY, #14 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL... "MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY."
‘A KILLER IN OUR MIDST?’ cried a newspaper headline to commemorate the disappearance of Mary Wilson. It is two decades since Britain’s first mass DNA sweep failed to incriminate a single local male. Mary was listed merely as a missing person.
Now archaeologists have unearthed human remains in Cummacatta Wood. The forensics match – age, sex, fragments of clothing... and dental records. But the murder hunt has only just begun when an outsider, a convicted serial offender confesses to the crime.
DI Skelgill is unconvinced. Into the fabric of this tightly knit community are woven ancient alliances, intrigues, and enmities. Where his predecessors failed, he is compelled to unravel the prophetic headline – for he believes the killer is still at large.
"Great characters. Great atmospheric locale. Great plots. What's not to like?"
Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars
‘A KILLER IN OUR MIDST?’ cried a newspaper headline to commemorate the disappearance of Mary Wilson. It is two decades since Britain’s first mass DNA sweep failed to incriminate a single local male. Mary was listed merely as a missing person.
Now archaeologists have unearthed human remains in Cummacatta Wood. The forensics match – age, sex, fragments of clothing... and dental records. But the murder hunt has only just begun when an outsider, a convicted serial offender confesses to the crime.
DI Skelgill is unconvinced. Into the fabric of this tightly knit community are woven ancient alliances, intrigues, and enmities. Where his predecessors failed, he is compelled to unravel the prophetic headline – for he believes the killer is still at large.
"Great characters. Great atmospheric locale. Great plots. What's not to like?"
Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars
- GenresMystery
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2020
332 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Beckham
89 books462 followersBRUCE BECKHAM brings a lifelong love of the outdoors to the contemporary crime novel. An award-winning, Amazon best-selling writer and member of the UK Society of Authors, he pens fiendish plots, vivid wild scenes and compelling dramas.
His series 'Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates' now extends to 24 standalone murder mysteries and 8 boxsets, and sells across five continents, from Japan and India to Brazil and the United States of America. Over one million copies have been downloaded worldwide.
Murder at Blind Beck (#25) was released in May 2025 and can be ordered at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK2XQ46Z
You are welcome to contact Bruce directly through the Goodreads message system or via his publisher, at this address: lucius-ebooks@live.com
To sign up for his monthly newsletter please click the website link above, or send a friend request or click 'follow' - to receive updates of free Kindle downloads and Goodreads giveaways.
His series 'Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates' now extends to 24 standalone murder mysteries and 8 boxsets, and sells across five continents, from Japan and India to Brazil and the United States of America. Over one million copies have been downloaded worldwide.
Murder at Blind Beck (#25) was released in May 2025 and can be ordered at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK2XQ46Z
You are welcome to contact Bruce directly through the Goodreads message system or via his publisher, at this address: lucius-ebooks@live.com
To sign up for his monthly newsletter please click the website link above, or send a friend request or click 'follow' - to receive updates of free Kindle downloads and Goodreads giveaways.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 10, 2021
Great read as are all of his books. Love the fishing, lake, hiking stories, and his use of local dialects. Great plot, characters, and locales. I want to visit these areas the next time I will visit England.
November 15, 2021
My latest in this excellent series.
Skelgill is called upon to investigate when remains are identified as those of a girl who went missing 20 years before. Her disappearance had coincided with the annual Shepherds' Meet. This was the Meet where a younger Skelgill had not only won but also smashed the record for the Fell Race. Fortunately it is a day he remembers well and there are others mementos of the day still around the village and in peoples memories.
This is another story of village life and the well observed Lake District countryside. There is little time for fishing during this investigation and as he is outmaneuvered by D I Smart for the assistance of DS Jones, Skelgill is quite free of the usual distractions.
I wonder if we should be worried about Skelgill's diet. Scones with the inevitable cream and jam seems to have replaced the far healthier 'full cumberland' fry up and the roadside burger van.
I wonder if the author is about to add the Bowder Scone to his other recipes.
Skelgill is called upon to investigate when remains are identified as those of a girl who went missing 20 years before. Her disappearance had coincided with the annual Shepherds' Meet. This was the Meet where a younger Skelgill had not only won but also smashed the record for the Fell Race. Fortunately it is a day he remembers well and there are others mementos of the day still around the village and in peoples memories.
This is another story of village life and the well observed Lake District countryside. There is little time for fishing during this investigation and as he is outmaneuvered by D I Smart for the assistance of DS Jones, Skelgill is quite free of the usual distractions.
I wonder if we should be worried about Skelgill's diet. Scones with the inevitable cream and jam seems to have replaced the far healthier 'full cumberland' fry up and the roadside burger van.
I wonder if the author is about to add the Bowder Scone to his other recipes.
May 3, 2021
This 14th book of the Skelgill series challenges the team to solve a cold case when bones are found in a cave. The year Skelgill won the fells race a young woman went missing. It is mostly Skelgill and Leyton as Jones is assigned to Manchester with the stooge we love to hate.
This book opens with a glossary of the Cumbrian dialect used more heavily in this book than some of the others. Things are a bit slow going, but that irksome journalist provides them with important clue from American dude who had visited the area.
Kindle Unlimited
This book opens with a glossary of the Cumbrian dialect used more heavily in this book than some of the others. Things are a bit slow going, but that irksome journalist provides them with important clue from American dude who had visited the area.
Kindle Unlimited
January 15, 2020
Young Mother Missing for 20 Years Found Murdered
Intelligent, amusing writings of murder and mayhem in beautiful surroundings of mountains, lakes, woodlands of northern England. Detective Skelgill and his Sgts. investigating a 20 year old missing person case after a body is found in a cave. It is established that the remains was the missing young mother and she had been murdered. The village is not not talking much and truths are going untold. Detectives trudge in rain, mud and cold drinking hot tea at every stop along the
way. Talking to a few handful of people a couple of times but truth only discovered by writings on the wall and a Fell runners announcement of record breaking time write-up. I love Bruce Beckham writings and suggest his books to all who like weekend books of mystery. I have read detective mysteries for 30 years and suggest young and old alike will enjoy his writing style.
I love the way
Intelligent, amusing writings of murder and mayhem in beautiful surroundings of mountains, lakes, woodlands of northern England. Detective Skelgill and his Sgts. investigating a 20 year old missing person case after a body is found in a cave. It is established that the remains was the missing young mother and she had been murdered. The village is not not talking much and truths are going untold. Detectives trudge in rain, mud and cold drinking hot tea at every stop along the
way. Talking to a few handful of people a couple of times but truth only discovered by writings on the wall and a Fell runners announcement of record breaking time write-up. I love Bruce Beckham writings and suggest his books to all who like weekend books of mystery. I have read detective mysteries for 30 years and suggest young and old alike will enjoy his writing style.
I love the way
April 4, 2020
The First, but Not the Last
This is the first book in the Skelgill mystery series that I have read but it went be the last. It took me a little longer to read then most but that is because I had to familiarize with the local colloquialisms. I believe that as these words and phrases become more familiar, my reading fluency will return to normal.
This is a cold case. Treated as a run-away spouse, little had been done to find Mary. Then, 22 years later, a group of college students stumble upon a set of remains, just meters from where Mary was last seen,while conducting a small anthropological site. Can you solve a case where a quarter of the witnesses are gone? Or is the psycho in prison, who confesses really the killer?
This is the first book in the Skelgill mystery series that I have read but it went be the last. It took me a little longer to read then most but that is because I had to familiarize with the local colloquialisms. I believe that as these words and phrases become more familiar, my reading fluency will return to normal.
This is a cold case. Treated as a run-away spouse, little had been done to find Mary. Then, 22 years later, a group of college students stumble upon a set of remains, just meters from where Mary was last seen,while conducting a small anthropological site. Can you solve a case where a quarter of the witnesses are gone? Or is the psycho in prison, who confesses really the killer?
May 6, 2020
This is the first book in the Skegill mystery series. You have a young mother who goes missing over 20 years ago. Everyone says she ran away. This makes for a different storyline here of Detective Skegill in the Woodlands of Northern England, who is now reopening this 20 year old case as a body is found in the cave. You have such beautiful descriptions of the countryside, with the lakes and mountains. The writing is perfect to give you the feel of the area along with the cold case. The author goes into such beautiful detail. The characters are believable and interesting. This book has a surprise ending. I think you all will enjoy this. I recommend this book.
March 17, 2022
One of His Best
The more of these you read, the richer the whole picture gets. Brilliant prose with crisp, clever imagery you can just place yourself in, great, colorful sense of place, rich characterizations, sparkling dialogue and a plot that gets more convoluted in the telling. I would like to taste a bowder scone! The author is wonderful at placing tiny clues that in an amazing combination of intuitive hits, mass fact overload, the sparking mental interplay between Skelgill, Jones and Leyton, serendipity and sheer hard graft solves the crime. DS Leyton makes some key contributions in turning the tide this time. Great story telling, great mystery writing!!!
The more of these you read, the richer the whole picture gets. Brilliant prose with crisp, clever imagery you can just place yourself in, great, colorful sense of place, rich characterizations, sparkling dialogue and a plot that gets more convoluted in the telling. I would like to taste a bowder scone! The author is wonderful at placing tiny clues that in an amazing combination of intuitive hits, mass fact overload, the sparking mental interplay between Skelgill, Jones and Leyton, serendipity and sheer hard graft solves the crime. DS Leyton makes some key contributions in turning the tide this time. Great story telling, great mystery writing!!!
January 20, 2020
Terrific!
D I Skellgill, a policeman in Cumbria, is a maverick in his methods but great at getting results. He and his team are investigating the occurrences of 22 years ago when a woman went missing. Her skeleton has been found and autopsy determined she was murdered. They need to start all over but memories have faded, people are not helpful,and many involved are gone. Intricate plot with many detours finally leads to a successful solution. Great adventure!
D I Skellgill, a policeman in Cumbria, is a maverick in his methods but great at getting results. He and his team are investigating the occurrences of 22 years ago when a woman went missing. Her skeleton has been found and autopsy determined she was murdered. They need to start all over but memories have faded, people are not helpful,and many involved are gone. Intricate plot with many detours finally leads to a successful solution. Great adventure!
November 23, 2021
I really do appreciate the details of the region brought out by the author. DI Skelgill is a fit character, running/or walking up and down the hills and rough terrain daily, or fishing in the various lakes-that-might-not-be-lakes. In this one, he reflects back on the year that he won the yearly race, when one of the villagers goes missing. It's twenty years later and her body is discovered. Through good detective work, the killer is discovered.
January 14, 2020
Long Story
Enjoyed all of his books. But this one seemed to go on forever but ending not only surprised me but realized all the twists and turns built ending. His vivid descriptions of the harsh but beautiful land and the characters shaped by same is the reason will look forward to next book.
Enjoyed all of his books. But this one seemed to go on forever but ending not only surprised me but realized all the twists and turns built ending. His vivid descriptions of the harsh but beautiful land and the characters shaped by same is the reason will look forward to next book.
January 18, 2020
I have read all of this series of books and enjoyed them all. Number 14 had a good plot ,although I felt it got a tad tedious somewhere in the middle. There was little progress and was a tad slows However it went on to a good finish.
I find myself getting irritable with him. He comes across as an elderly curmudgeon not a young guy in his thirties. Obsessed with his damn fishing while his most important catch (Jones) us liable to drift. Off. Get a move on man.
I find myself getting irritable with him. He comes across as an elderly curmudgeon not a young guy in his thirties. Obsessed with his damn fishing while his most important catch (Jones) us liable to drift. Off. Get a move on man.
January 24, 2020
loved the book and the character, however the author mentioned " a famous image of an exhausted Sir David Bannister" Surely this should be Sir Roger Bannister the the image being of him after the first 4 minute mile. This was a glaring mistake. But I still enjoyed the book and the wonderful descriptions of the lake district
February 3, 2020
Not fast but satisfying
This is my second BEckham book. They seem to move at great leisurely pace right.up to the last chapter when everything comes together. This one had a particularly satisfying end. If you're looking for rapid action, you won't find it here. But it was a.worthwhile.read.
This is my second BEckham book. They seem to move at great leisurely pace right.up to the last chapter when everything comes together. This one had a particularly satisfying end. If you're looking for rapid action, you won't find it here. But it was a.worthwhile.read.
February 12, 2023
I’m reading these out of order and this was a good read - better than the last one I read, which was well ahead of this one in the series. The strength lies in being taken into the heart of an investigation, into the mind of the team as we, and they, work methodically through the investigation process. Nail-biting at times, I was thoroughly engaged .
October 3, 2025
A body is found in a cave which is identified as a young woman who disappeared over 20 years ago. At the time, the males in the village were asked to submit DNA samples to eliminate them from the investigation. Skelgill and his team interview many of the locals who were around then, and finally a tip from an unlikely source helps them to solve the case.
February 4, 2020
A great whodunnit!
I have been hooked since Book 1, it is another great who dunnit with DI Skelgil. Keep up the good works Mr. Beckham. This is another great story with very imaginative prose, thank you.
I have been hooked since Book 1, it is another great who dunnit with DI Skelgil. Keep up the good works Mr. Beckham. This is another great story with very imaginative prose, thank you.
April 6, 2020
This book has some issues which keep it from being more interesting. It is completely flat with no high points at all. The author tends to use both arcane words (stuff that you need a dictionary to decipher) and regional dialect.
February 27, 2021
Brilliant
A great series with interesting characters and twists galore. The interplay within the team is believable and entertaining especially the rivalry between Skelgill and Smart
A great series with interesting characters and twists galore. The interplay within the team is believable and entertaining especially the rivalry between Skelgill and Smart
October 2, 2023
I do love this series
This series has a depth that isn't apparent until you're reading the story. The vocabulary is very stimulate and intelligent. The charachters are likable with decent back stories. Good reads.
This series has a depth that isn't apparent until you're reading the story. The vocabulary is very stimulate and intelligent. The charachters are likable with decent back stories. Good reads.
October 18, 2025
This story was good entertainmen, but not riveting or a page turner. I liked the difference in words used in thos story though. This is a cold murder mystery that goes back 20 yrs, started by the discovery of a body near a dig site. Narration was alright done by virtual voice.
January 25, 2020
Murder at the Meet
Another great read, by Bruce, love all the characters also gives a good insight to areas around the Lake District, will look forward to the next book
Another great read, by Bruce, love all the characters also gives a good insight to areas around the Lake District, will look forward to the next book
March 9, 2020
Love this series
I look forward to each new book ... I feel like I know the characters and the landscape and the fishing!
I look forward to each new book ... I feel like I know the characters and the landscape and the fishing!
Want to read
April 6, 2020I just downloaded it today didn't see I was a winner. Thanks
Pat Hughes
Pat Hughes
November 2, 2023
Who killed Mary Wilson and why??? He did it!!! I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
November 15, 2023
Skelgill is a singular detective who seems to be always hungry and frequently wishing he was fishing rather than investigating murders. This one took place 20 years ago in the Lake District, in an area he's familiar with. I got this ebook for free from Bruce Beckham. I thank him for it. I enjoyed it immensely.
February 7, 2021
This is the best DI Skelgill mystery yet.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews