Downbeat, but great
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A tourist advert for the Peak District of Derbyshire this aint! It's cold, it's wet, it's bleak mid winter and the natives are unfriendly and uncooperative. Detectives Fry and Cooper have two unidentified skeletons on their hands at a deserted farm in the middle of nowhere. Slowly they piece together a tale of crime and violence coupled with superstition and "The Old Religion". Meanwhile the body count starts to rise. To add to their misery, they've a new boss who is out to stamp her authority on the local force.
One gets the impression that maybe this is a bit more like how real police work goes, albeit condensed into a relatively few days. But don't get me wrong, despite the downbeat tone of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to picking up more of Stephen Booth's novels in this series.
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Much better than expected
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I enjoyed "Dying to Sin" quite as much as the other books.
Having read the earlier adverse criticisms, I was put off buying Booth's latest novel. However, because I have read and enjoyed all the previous Fry and Cooper stories, I ordered it from my public library just to see for myself. The adverse comments are, I must suppose, valid opinons of those who made them but I, for one, would like to register a very favourable reception. The development is slow, particularly in the middle section, but that would be the nature of such an investigation and is typical of Booth's novels. I was fascinated by the detail.
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Wonderful Settings
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Another book by Stephen Booth that transports the reader into the landscape of the Peak District in England. While reading, I could picture myself at the various locations even though I have never actually been there. The author manages to stimulate my imagination well. The atmosphere of the book is perfect for a british mystery story which makes Booth's books such a pleasure to read. The story itself might not be the best in the series, but of course, this is personal preference. A who-dunnit with the modern issue of immigration workers in a rural setting. The ending does not bring a huge surprise and we are somehow left dangling as to the future of the main character. I like to read this series because of its overall feel and the quite interesting relationship among the two main characters who are so different from each other. I am looking forward to the next book.
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A Slow and Flat Read
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Dying to Sin is contemporary with the theme of people working in the UK from EU countries and the references made to Bernard Matthews in East Anglia and the recent serial murder case in Ipswich. This gives a strong contrast to the featured old deeper rooted beliefs and superstitions of the past.
The landscape is also well drawn and sets a strong atmosphere.
However, apart from Fry and Cooper and their continuing tenuous relationship, the other characters are so thin it is difficult to connect with them.
The plot drags along, lacking in any suspense, humour or pace. It felt a bit of an effort to finish the book and the question mark over whether the Fry/Cooper relationship will continue may be a timely one.
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Disappointing
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Unfortunately this book was a disappointment. The story fails to build any suspense or interest, and the dialogue is made highly tedious by the author's research being delivered in lecture form. Everything is made so painfully literal. Other books in this series have been so much better.
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