Customer Reviews

Black Dog

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Stephen Booth is a new British author and "Black Dog" is his first novel. It is set in England, in the Peak District, an area known for hiking and overrun by tourists in the summer.

Laura Vernon, aged 15, of Moorhay Village disappears and foul play is suspected. The police launch a search, but it is a villager who turns up the first real evidence. Laura Vernon's family had only recently moved to the area and does not blend in well with their neighbors. And there seems to be something else no one is willing to talk about.

DCs Diane Fry and Ben Cooper are part of the investigating police force. Diane had only recently transferred to the district, Ben is the local boy, "Sergeant Cooper's lad", trying to live up to the shining example his father set. Both are competing for a promotion and there is more to both of them than meets the eye. The interaction between these two is what makes up most of this book's charm. Stephen Booth does a very good job here to portray two very different characters and to show how deceiving appearances can be.

This is not your usual police procedural. There is a lot more to the book than just an investigation and a criminal. The solution to the mystery is almost secondary and, to be honest, feels a bit rushed. It is the two main characters that drive the book. You get to know them very well and I would love to read more about them.

I highly recommend this book. Fans of psychological mysteries like Minette Walters' will not be disappointed.

Black Dog 5 stars (plus)

Black Dog is one of the most amazing books that I have read in a very long time.

Stephen Booth's characters come alive on the first page and only get better as you go through the book to the last page. He actually takes you through the entire story making you feel as if you are there. And the people are real.

Laura Vernon is missing. An innocent, well liked, quiet, and well mannered 15 year old girl, according to some. To others, who seemed to know her better, quite wild.

As the helicopters fly overhead, and the police look desperately for this young girl, an old man sits on a rock, at the edge of the dark woods of England's brooding Peak District, watching and listening to the activity overhead. Suddenly his black Labrador, Jess, comes running up with something in her mouth.

From this minute on you will not be able to put this book down. The object that Jess retrieves takes you into the lives of everyone in the village. Secrets are divulged that have been hidden for years. Just when you figure you have this whole story figured out, you are led down another path. And then another.

Stephen Booth has written a story that will grab you, and not let you go. The only thing bad about this book is that you don't want it to end. You want to know more about the people, their lives and what will happen to them. You will defiantly have "The black dog's on your back". And you will not want it any other way.

Susan Hartigan Riverside, California USA

I loved this book, because it gave me something that's been missing in a lot of recent Crime Novels. It has a setting that you are led into with incredible skill, one that reminds me of Sherlock Holmes novels set in the country. The second amazing part of this book, that kept me reading with such enjoyment, were the characters. Stephen Booth has created people that feel real, have unexpected flaws and strengths, and who you can't wait for the next time you meet. I am looking forward to the next book because there is real talent here.

In Stephen Booth's debut novel, we are taken to the Peak District of England. It's in this setting that a 15-year-old girl, Laura Vernon, has gone missing only to be found later, murdered. She is from a wealthy family who are new to the district, and so are known as `comers-in' by the locals, meaning they will consequently be treated as outsiders. It is because of this that the locals are not particularly helpful when questioned by the police.

The beginning of the book is very reminiscent of A Place of Execution by Val McDermid. In both books a young girl is missing from a small rural community, the locals are not particularly helpful with the police and the detectives working on the case are young with their eyes cast to furthering their career.

Mystery not only surrounds the murder of Laura Vernon, many of the integral characters in the book are harbouring secrets. The main character, DC Ben Cooper is dealing with his mother's schizophrenia, his new partner DC Diane Fry has just arrived in Edendale and has brought personal problems of her own. Laura Vernon's parents are both harbouring secrets that they are keen not to let out and Harry Dickenson, the man who found Laura, is being very close-lipped as well. Even Laura Vernon herself was leading a secret life that would have shocked her parents had they found out.

The surrounding Derbyshire countryside of the beautiful Peak District is described with exceptional clarity giving us an insight into countryside that must be simply breathtaking to behold. Although not being overly dwelt on, scene after scene is given a wonderful backdrop of the surrounding land, which gave me a strong sense of actually being there.

The local townsfolk are wonderfully portrayed with the standouts being the three old friends, Harry, Sam and Wilford who amuse each other and the reader with their wry observations of the police to one another. The mood of the story lifts each time one of these men is involved and at times, stole each scene they were involved in.

The length of this review is testament to my enjoyment of this book. I'm usually a 3-paragraph per review man. A quick overview and my impressions usually suffice. This book moved me more than most and my feeling of satisfaction has been reflected here. I strongly recommend you read this book, if you're after a terrific police procedural I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The police task force searches on foot and via helicopter for the missing teenager, Laura Vernon. While most folks hope that Laura traveled to London, Detective Constable Ben Cooper expects to find a corpse in the nearby woods. Ben's expectations are met when matter of fact, almost bored, retired miner Harry Dickinson shows him the bloody trainer. Just beyond the sneaker in an overgrowth Ben finds the body.

Ben and his new partner, outsider Diane Fry, begin making inquiries. Their short list includes the enigmatic Harry, the victim's parents especially her father, and some of the hired help. As they close in on the truth, the case forces Ben and Diane, attracted to one another even as they compete for the same promotion, to look back into their own demons.

Readers who enjoy plenty of non-stop action or a highly constructed complex puzzler will not want to try BLACK DOG. However, fans who enjoy the deliberately slow husking away of layers of psychological protection and hidden lives that leave bare the inner most essence of the key characters will fully enjoy this tale. The psychological suspense crowd will warmly receive author Stephen Booth's debut novel.

Harriet Klausner

A body has been found in the Peak District in Northern England. It's the body of 15-year-old Laura Vernon. The only daughter of Graham and his wife, Charlotte Vernon. They're a rather odd couple, who live a life of luxury above the Village, in a big white house they call the Mount. They cause more questions in the investigation than they can answer. Add to that, Laura's rather angry and aggressive brother, Daniel, and you have the makings of a super exciting book, called Black Dog.

Ben Cooper is investigating Laura's murder when Detective Constable Diane Fry joins his team. Dealing with family problems of his own, and trying to make rank, the last thing Ben needs to deal with is this odd woman. Diane's out to prove herself, and holding back plenty of secrets of her own. Ben has no choice, they have to work together, he knows all the areas they have to investigate, and all the people they have to talk to, and Diane is new to the area.

While talking to retired miner, Harry Dickinson, who finds the body of Laura, while walking his black Labrador dog, on his property, Ben and Diane realize that Harry seems to be mocking them. This is only the beginning of a strange investigation that causes more suspicion in the people of the village than they care to deal with. Moving around the village, and talking to people Ben has known his whole life, leads him to question himself about whether he's ever really known them at all. It seems to him that the villagers are holding back secrets. He's at a loss as to what is going on, and where the few answers he has will lead him.

Black Dog is a really magnificent book! Mr. Booth sure knows how to tell a story. He delves so deeply into each character that you find yourself really getting to know, and care about, them. The scenic descriptions are beautifully written, and make you feel apart of the story.

I loved every minute of Black Dog, and enjoyed the ride around all the twist and turns that Mr. Booth took me. I had no idea who committed the murder of Laura Vernon, nor did I know why. Any author who can write such an in depth book, that holds your attention straight through, and doesn't let you see what's going to happen next, deserves big kudos'! Stephen Booth has definitely achieved this with Black Dog, and I can't wait to read more from this truly gifted author.

From the moment Detective Constable Ben Cooper finds young Laura Vernon's lifeless body his life goes steadily downhill. It doesn't help matters that the new woman on the force is somehow stepping in to fill his shoes and taking over the case. Diane Fry is ambitious, tough and just recovery from her own tragic set of circumstances. A woman alone, and unable to understand the needs of family and friendships as they apply to the small town she's now living in. But Diane learns that she can't go this one alone. As an outsider, she can't discount Ben Coopers expertise in the area and the people. This is Ben's hometown, the people are his people, and those of his father before him. Regardless of the pressure this puts on Ben, there's no escaping this fact. Village suspicions, family secrets, and loyalty forged in the fires of lifelong friendships blend together in a masters stroke in this wonderful mystery that spans such a range of human emotions as to leave you gasping as you learn who really killed Laura Vernon and why. The answers will surprise you as will the ending to this incredible mystery.

Stephen Booth has created a very taut psychological thriller in his first novel, Black Dog; thereby establishing himself as an exciting new British mystery writer. This book is a dark mystery with many dark secrets--both of the parents of a murdered girl and the inhabitants of Peak District where they live.

Black Dog is the story of Detective Constable Ben Cooper, an English policeman who constantly worries that he will never equal his hero father. Diane Fry, an ambitious outsider, becomes his new partner, and they proceed to investigate the murder of a 15-year-old girl. Her parents, though, pose an obstacle. They are outsiders to the community and really do not seem anxious about finding the murderer of their daughter.

Ah, but then there is the old man and his black dog who found the body. He is closed mouth giving the impression he may know more. But does he? What is the real story. It is up Ben Cooper to find out.

This book is a great first mystery from Stephen Booth, and I look forward to reading more from him.

Whether or not one thinks BLACK DOG is the most amazing book ever written or a run-of-the-mill mystery will undoubtedly be tied to one's perspective and prior reading experience. I have read mostly British mysteries (ALL of Sayers, Christie, James, Dexter, Ellis, Allingham, Walters, Hall, Hill, Robinson, etc.) as well as a few American writers (Cornwall, Evanovich). For me, although BLACK DOG is well written, it is a run-of-the-mill British mystery -- great for grabbing in an airport book store to while away the hours standing in the security lines or seated on airplanes. I would not place Booth in the top tier of recently "arrived" British mystery writers (i.e. Minette Walters) as some have. However, like Jill McGowan he shows promise of surviving the long haul without becoming a super star.

Booth's character development is comparable to Reginald Hill's (medium), although Ben Cooper is more akin to Peter Pasco than Dalziel. Ben Cooper has a future, but I don't find Diane Fry appealing. I think Booth would have done better to spend more time in Cooper's head and less in Fry's. Rare is the writer who can inspire a protagonist of the opposite sex. P.D. James succeeded with Adam Dalglish, but Dalglish is older like James, and older men and women tend to think more alike than not. Life simply wears one down around the edges and narrows the differences.

Booth's forensics events are familiar, particularly if you are a fan of Patricia Cornwell, who did a masterful job of explaining the progression of the decomposition of the human body in BODY FARM. I suppose every mystery/crime writer has to resort to forensics these days, but it gets tiresome to read about flies and maggots over and over. Booth is not gratuitous, however, and his descriptions of the material events surrounding the death of Laura Vernon are necessary to futher his storyline.

Anglophiles love the perspective that only Brits can share about their lives. BLACK DOG takes place in what appears to be an English village in or near Derbyshire in Central England. Most Americans who travel to England don't see the life Booth describes--old established connections of the family members and friends; the varous types of housing, streets, and pathways; and other aspects of daily living such as the importance of dogs, manure, and pub life. The ancectdotal bits are wonderful. I never understood the significance of the Black Dog before I read Booth's book, and now, maybe I do.

Stephen Booth's first novel, Black Dog, reminded me of two of my favorite mystery novelists, P.D. James (Adam Dagliesh) and Martha Grimes (her early Richard Jury/Melrose Plant books).

Like Adam Dagliesh and Richard Jury, Ben Cooper is a complex human being who uses his intuition to solve crimes. He feels for the people involved in a criminal investigation and is an immediately likeable character. You want to see him succeed.

Ben's foil is Diane Fry, a brittle, ambitious, by-the-book female officer, who not knowing how to love, only aspires to succeed. Diane needs to learn to get in touch with her emotions and deal with her past. You sense that just maybe Ben is the man to teach her.

Also, like the aformentioned British crime novelists, Booth uses the small details of the day-to-day lives of the people involved in and on the periphery of the crime. And, a dastardly crime it is, too. But, as with a masterwork painting, Booth adds the layers with a fine hand, blending in the details, so that in the end you have a photorealistic look at the whole scene. What may have seemed extraneous detail becomes clear with the very satisfying conclusion. It's an "aha" moment.

As a reader, I can only hope that Mr. Booth is writing the next in this series. I would like to see what happens next to Ben and Diane, to see how they grow as partners and people.