Old Cold Bones

Inspector Walter Darriteau #8

by David Carter

Corley Crabb is almost thirty. He lives alone in a tiny flat and has few friends. He’s a trainee accountant working for a dull company. His mother is dead and he and his father hate each other with a passion and don’t communicate. On a blazing English summer afternoon Corley vanishes without trace. It’s a sad fact but no one seems that interested, except maybe Sandy Goldy. She’s a concerned work-colleague and reports the matter to the local Chester Police. But they don’t appear that interested either, saying “He’ll reappear in a few days, you’ll see”, a comment that Inspector Walter Darriteau overhears. There’s something in the girl’s tone that triggers levers deep within Walter’s brain, and he needs to know more. “Old Cold Bones” is the eighth Walter Darriteau novel, and like the others, is a standalone story in a series. It’s a chunky fast-paced book that will keep you turning pages. There’s evil in all of us and “Old Cold Bones” explores where that evil comes from, how it’s nurtured, and where it can go. It’s there for sure, lying dormant... even in you.

573 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2020

About the author

I have been writing for longer than I care to remember, both fiction and non fiction, and started out by writing business articles and columns.

The reason I write is because I enjoy it. It is as simple as that. If other people happen to enjoy the results then that is a huge buzz, and a great encouragement to write some more!!

At the moment I am concentrating on my Chester based detective, Inspector Walter Darriteau, (see The Murder Diaries and The Sound of Sirens) and my philandering man, Gringo Greene - (see The Life and Loves of Gringo Greene) though the truth is that, like many other writers, I always have several projects under way at any one time.

Thank you for visiting my page and I hope you like at least some of my stuff.

Have fun,

David C.

Reviews

[Judith Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you met Inspector Walter Darriteau? He is not your usual run-of-the-mill inspectors such as we have come to expect from crime writers.  Darriteau is large, overweight and plods along, but gets there in the end.

The book is set in Chester, a provincial, walled-city in Cheshire in the UK, close to the border with Wales. It is important to know this because this is not crime in a major city like London or Glasgow; but in a smaller, quieter place.

Darriteau and his offsider Karen Greenwood have been successful in solving several cases of late but now Greenwood is on holiday and he is paired with the unknown Olivia Van der Byl.

Initially, we meet Madeleine Moreno, a woman of charm, seemingly unlimited financial resources, and also unknown magical powers. She does also have a penchant for houses with wells in the garden. We learn of her background but not before Corley Crabb a young accountant gets dragged into her net and is later reported missing.

Subsequently, Darriteau hears from his informer that a major ‘bust’ is about to happen, but has no indication of where and when.

And then to round off his workload, a genuine Ming vase was sold recently by a local auction house, but the owner of the auction house and the money raised from the sale, are both missing.

The author goes into very clear detail about the villains and their plots but perhaps for some it is a little too much detail. We are used to face-paced stories with our protagonist/detectives reaching a conclusion fairly soon. What we are probably not so used to is three stories running parallel and in such depth, and a plodding, overweight inspector.

The characters are well-drawn and are believable in their fallibility. It has been said that they are all worthy adversaries for this detective and his crew.

I recommend this book if you like a slower-paced novel. It’s easy and entertaining reading.

If you read and enjoy this book, there are seven earlier novels in the series.

Note -  I was given a copy of the book to read by the author and in return have written this review.

[blueyed_cntry_girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long book but what do you expect when you have three major crimes being investigated by one main guy and his team? Well written with lots of descriptions and information. I liked how all major questions were answered by the end of the book. Has some weird characters but made the story better. My first time reading this author.

I received this as an arc and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Poppy Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I found the pattern of swapping between the three stories every chapter really exciting and I couldn't tell how it was all going to connect for ages! Looking forward to the next one, although I'm increasingly noticing typos and unfinished sentences in the prose, which is a bit annoying.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter and his team have a lot on their plate: a missing man, a lot of money missing from an auction house and whispers of a huge job going down. Lots of back stories and a couple of twists. An excellent book.