A thorough, and thoroughly ghoulish, primer on death rituals.While
DS Diane Fry tries to puzzle out the identity of the anonymous
caller cryptically suggesting that he'll murder unless she stops
him, DC Ben Cooper has two tasks: discover who shot Graceless, Tom
Jarvis's hound, and put a name to the pile of female bones found in
the woods at Ravensdale. Facial reconstruction leads to the
identification of Audrey Steele, but Ms. Steele was supposedly
cremated 18 months ago, the funeral handled by the venerable firm
of Hudson and Slack. If she wasn't in the casket, who was? The
trail to the answer will wend past the Eden Valley Crematorium -
and include much discussion of decomposition rates, body fluids and
the comparative weight of male and female final ashes, with
gruesome historical insights provided by a haughty thanatology
professor - before settling down to outbuildings on Alder Hall, an
unoccupied estate up for sale. Arson will impede the investigation,
and more bodies will pile up before Fry and Cooper's original cases
collide in a bang-up finish.Fry and Cooper (One Last Breath, 2006,
etc.) are not the most companionable characters to spend time with,
and their author's penchant for lecturing rather than storytelling
is another turnoff. Fans of real-life body-snatchers Burke and
Hare, however, may find some refreshing moments here. (Kirkus
Reviews)
Bones where there should be none and a chilling warning of an
imminent killing challenge Detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry in
their sixth novel. "This death will be a model of perfection. The
details will be precise, the conception immaculate, the execution
flawless..." When a caller taunts the police with talk of a 'dead
place' and the threat of an imminent killing, most think it's a
sick hoax. But Detective Diane Fry is sure there's a murderer at
work. And when the voice calmly invites them to meet the 'flesh
eater', Fry fears it may be too late. Meanwhile, her colleague DC
Ben Cooper is investigating Derbyshire's first case of body
snatching, entering the macabre world of those whose lives revolve
around the deceased and their disposal. But does an obsession with
death make for a killer? And what horrors will greet them when they
finally find the dead place?
General
Imprint: |
HarperCollinsPublishers
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Cooper and Fry Crime Series, Book 6 |
Release date: |
December 2005 |
Authors: |
Stephen Booth
|
Dimensions: |
178 x 111 x 37mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Mass Market
|
Pages: |
597 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-00-717208-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Genre fiction >
Crime & mystery >
General
|
LSN: |
0-00-717208-7 |
Barcode: |
9780007172085 |
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