Blind to the Bones [Paperback]

Stephen Booth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2004

A death in the family-from-hell bring Detectives Fry and Cooper to a remote and unfriendly rural community in their fourth psychological thriller. 'And as it grew dark, Withens became almost entirely silent. Except for the screaming.' A small village in the Peak District, Withens is troubled by theft and vandalism, mostly generated by local family-from-hell, the Oxleys. Now it is the focus of a murder investigation -- a man's body has been found on the bleak moors nearby, and the man is an Oxley. To crack the case, DC Ben Cooper must break open the delinquent clan. His boss, DS Diane Fry, is also in Withens. Grim new evidence has turned up in the case of a missing student but her parents refuse to believe she could be dead. The darkness in Withens's heart is growing. And things are only going to get nastier!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Family troubles of all shapes and surprises keep the cops hopping and the tension high in English novelist Stephen Booth's fourth Ben Cooper/Diane Fry mystery, Blind to the Bones.

The most affecting of this novel's three plot lines concerns the disappearance of university student Emma Renshaw, who was last seen more than two years ago while on her way home to Derbyshire. Unable to accept that their daughter isn't merely late on the train, that she's more than likely dead, Howard and Sarah Renshaw have gone to extraordinary lengths to find her, consulting psychics and "bombarding the police with theories and suggestions, pleas and demands"--all for naught. But then, suddenly, Emma's blood-stained mobile phone is found, and the Renshaws' faith seems finally to be rewarded. Or is this just another opportunity for disappointment? Meanwhile, Detective Constable Cooper--posted temporarily (he hopes) to a rural crime squad--is investigating burglaries around the depressed old village of Withens, when the battered corpse of one of Emma's ex-housemates turns up on the nearby moors, his face blackened with theatrical make-up and stolen goods left behind in his car. Inquiries lead Cooper to a clannish local family with a history of trouble-making, and put him in the sights of a shadowy group called the Border Rats.

Booth's ability over the course of a story to transform some of his least suspicious players into the most devious (or vice-versa) and his appreciative portrayal of England's scenic Peak District both make for engrossing fiction. Blind to the Bones's subtlest but most intriguing element, though, may be its third plot thread, which finds Detective Sergeant Fry's long-lost, heroin-addicted sister turning up in Edendale, where she tries to enlist Cooper's help in convincing the hard-edged Diane to stop looking for her, once and for all. This track answers several questions about DS Fry's past while raising more--and promising new levels of character development in future installments of this series. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in a damp English village on the midland moors, Booth's fourth suspense novel is a moody, meandering tale, bringing back the two police protagonists of Blood on the Tongue and Dancing with the Virgins. Det. Constable Ben Cooper has just been transferred to a rural beat when he finds himself up to his handcuffs in the gruesome murder of a young man, Neil Granger. Meanwhile, his former superior, Det. Sgt. Diane Fry, is investigating the two-year-old disappearance of 19-year-old Emma Renshaw. The cases are almost certainly related-Emma and Neil both grew up in the Peak District village of Withens and were housemates in the Black Country, an urban area just west of Birmingham-but clues linking them are scarce. As Fry and Cooper pursue their separate investigations, Emma's distraught and unbalanced parents prove a hindrance, and a family of petty criminals further hamper progress. An accidental shooting, the discovery of a second corpse, a possible link to a burglary ring and a suspicious land development deal add more complications. Bogged down in this plethora of subplots, Fry and Cooper are also plagued by personal troubles. Fry's own sister has been missing for 15 years, and Cooper has information about her that he doesn't know whether to share. Though the two detectives wrestle with their feelings for each other, their conflicted relationship produces few sparks. Short on suspense and long on melodrama, this is a tepid effort from a much-praised writer of sophisticated crime fiction.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb (April 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007130678
• ISBN-13: 978-0007130672
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Booth is an award winning British crime writer, the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in eleven novels set in England's beautiful and atmospheric Peak District. Stephen has been a Gold Dagger finalist, an Anthony Award nominee, twice winner of a Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, and twice shortlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year. DC Cooper was a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and in 2003 the Crime Writers' Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for "the author whose books have given readers the most pleasure". The Cooper & Fry series is published all around the world, and has been translated into 15 languages. The latest title is THE DEVIL'S EDGE.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Town Mysteries, November 20, 2003

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind to the Bones: A Crime Novel (Hardcover)

Murder once again visits the Peak District of Derbyshire near Edendale in the 4th book of this terrific series. The members of the Derbyshire Constabulary, E Division are called on to work the case, although Ben Cooper has been loaned out to the Rural Crimes Team and Diane Fry is investigating a 2-year-old missing persons case, separating the duelling coppers.

The story centres around the tiny hamlet of Withens leading both Cooper and Fry there on their separate investigations. The murder victim is a young local man named Neil Granger. Granger is part of a large family that makes up the majority of the residents of Withens. It's Ben's job to interview the residents but like so many isolated close-knit communities they are particularly suspicious of outsiders, and this lot are especially suspicious when it comes to the police. Ben can't help but think they are hiding something but doesn't know what.

Meanwhile, there is one old couple in Withens, the Renshaws, who are more than happy to talk. The problem is, the only topic of conversation is their daughter Emma, who went missing 2 years ago. The Renshaws talk of Emma in the present tense, expecting her to walk through their door at any moment, much to Diane Fry's bemusement.

Because of Ben Cooper's secondment to the Rural Crimes Team, Diane has had to use the ever hungry and source of numerous lighter moments, Gavin Murfin. Murfin is taking an increasingly prominent role as the series progresses and is a nice counterpoint to Fry's more dour by the book attitude.

This series is getting stronger and stronger with each new book and the characters of Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are developing nicely. If you're after an exceedingly enjoyable police procedural, I strongly recommend this one. In my opinion, this is the best of the series so far.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping suspense, October 1, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind to the Bones: A Crime Novel (Hardcover)

Two years ago, Birmingham student Emma Renshaw went to catch the train to visit her parents in Withens. However, somewhere en route she disappeared without a clue as to what happened to her. Though most people assume she is dead, her frenzied parents fervently believe she is alive and will come home soon. They live life as if Emma is attending school, keeping her room the way she left it and buy her holiday gifts, and maintain her car.

However, murder occurs on the Dark Peak moors near Withens leading to Detective Diane Fry wanting to reopen the cold case of Emma. Meanwhile Diane's peer, Detective Ben Cooper investigates the apparent murder of Neil Oxley, a roommate of Emma's who is also from Withens. The two cases seem to connect, but both detectives struggle with dysfunctional families as the Renshaws refuse to accept their daughter is most likely dead and the Oxleys reject talking to authorities preferring to hide their secrets inside their clandestine clan.

This is an exhilarating believable English police procedural that should provide Stephen Booth with a host of new fans. The story line is fun to follow as the two cops struggle independently with non-cooperating people before their inquiries converge. Following the link, they run into even more disagreeable souls. Readers will take great pleasure in the latest Fry-Cooper novel and search for previous books starring these powerful detectives (see BLOOD ON THE TONGUE).

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars needs pruning badly--to about half as long, October 17, 2007

By 

David W. Straight (knoxville, tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind to the Bones (Mass Market Paperback)

Not many mysteries/police procedurals can sustain 580+ pages: this is definitely not one of the exceptions. Name of the Rose, for example, runs 600 pages. But with that book there's much more than just a mystery--you're being taken to a very unfamiliar world. There's just too much in Blind to the Bones that really does not need to be present--it doesn't add to the story in any way unless what you want is a book that will carry you through a very long plane trip and then you can leave it behind somewhere.

I found here that I wasn't really engaging with any of the characters--there was not anyone I emphasized with. Some books can make up for shortcomings with a sense of an unusual place or setting, so that problems with character development or dialogue can be at least in part overcome by the setting, such as an interesting historical location. But the locations here are not memorable or very interesting. There are too many threads in the book--some are meaningful, some go nowhere--it's not easy to keep track of them.

Some books I want to reread within a year or two, others I may want to reread--e.g. a book about sailing in the Outer Hebrides. These I keep. Other books I'm pretty sure I will not want to reread, and unfortunately Blind to the Bones will thus be given to my local library.