andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
This was the second in the series of police procedural set in the Derbyshire peak district.
In book 1 we were introduced to two detective constables Ben Cooper and Diane fry. Cooper on the promotion path as the local son of a police hero is faced with competition in fry an outsider efficient but cold.
This book sees them investigating the murder of two women on the hills and one within the standing stones of the title.
A well plotted story but the best part of the book is the picture drawn of the two characters, the tension suggests that reading on will be worthwhile, although I suspect that at over 500 pages it could have lost a good chunk without spoiling the story.
In book 1 we were introduced to two detective constables Ben Cooper and Diane fry. Cooper on the promotion path as the local son of a police hero is faced with competition in fry an outsider efficient but cold.
This book sees them investigating the murder of two women on the hills and one within the standing stones of the title.
A well plotted story but the best part of the book is the picture drawn of the two characters, the tension suggests that reading on will be worthwhile, although I suspect that at over 500 pages it could have lost a good chunk without spoiling the story.
asteroidbuckle's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so I loved this book.
This is the second in a series of Constable Ben Cooper novels and my affinity for these books has been previously well-documented. However, since I started reading the series at book three, I was always a little confused about what DS Diane Fry was holding over Cooper's head. Which, of course, was finally revealed in this book.
Turns out, Cooper's inherent sense of loyalty to his family, friends, and colleagues blows up in his face. His partner, DC Todd Weenink, confides in him that he tampered with evidence in a burglary case. Add to that the fact that Cooper inadvertently comes across a piece of evidence linking Weenink to their current case (and doesn't share it), and Cooper is in potentially very hot and dangerous water.
The case is an interesting one. A young woman is found dead in the center of a Stonehenge-like set of stones known locally as the Nine Virgins (thus the title of the book). Of course, there's more to the case than meets the eye because there was also a previous victim (two, really, as it turns out). There is also a cast of interesting, real, and tragic characters that help flesh out the story, including two nearly codependent Peak Park Rangers, a womanizing police detective, a couple of vagabonds living in a decrepit van, and a desperate farmer on the verge of losing everything.
The result of the police investigation is unexpected; again, things aren't ever what they seem. But the meat of the story is the background of the two leads: DC Cooper and (Acting) DS Fry. For instance, we learn more about Cooper's almost love-hate relationship with his dad and the pressure he still feels to live up to his father's standards even after Joe Cooper's death. We also learn that Fry had had an abortion as a result of a rape-induced pregnancy. Also, the fact that she is searching for her sister is introduced.
The best part to me is the tenuous relationship between Cooper and Fry. It's very contentious, very tense, very reluctant. Cooper wants to befriend her, but he wants to hate her, too. After all, he still resents her a little for getting the promotion he'd hoped to get. Fry, on the other hand, is being driven crazy by her need to understand Cooper. She keeps finding herself asking, "What would Cooper do?" and she hates it. It's no secret their methods are completely different, as are their personalities. But they still tend to complement each other and get the job done.
Having read all the subsequent books (well, the ones available in the US, at least), it was great to be able to put some of the stuff that happens in them between Cooper & Fry in its proper context.
I very much enjoyed this book. Can't wait for the latest book to come to the States.
This is the second in a series of Constable Ben Cooper novels and my affinity for these books has been previously well-documented. However, since I started reading the series at book three, I was always a little confused about what DS Diane Fry was holding over Cooper's head. Which, of course, was finally revealed in this book.
Turns out, Cooper's inherent sense of loyalty to his family, friends, and colleagues blows up in his face. His partner, DC Todd Weenink, confides in him that he tampered with evidence in a burglary case. Add to that the fact that Cooper inadvertently comes across a piece of evidence linking Weenink to their current case (and doesn't share it), and Cooper is in potentially very hot and dangerous water.
The case is an interesting one. A young woman is found dead in the center of a Stonehenge-like set of stones known locally as the Nine Virgins (thus the title of the book). Of course, there's more to the case than meets the eye because there was also a previous victim (two, really, as it turns out). There is also a cast of interesting, real, and tragic characters that help flesh out the story, including two nearly codependent Peak Park Rangers, a womanizing police detective, a couple of vagabonds living in a decrepit van, and a desperate farmer on the verge of losing everything.
The result of the police investigation is unexpected; again, things aren't ever what they seem. But the meat of the story is the background of the two leads: DC Cooper and (Acting) DS Fry. For instance, we learn more about Cooper's almost love-hate relationship with his dad and the pressure he still feels to live up to his father's standards even after Joe Cooper's death. We also learn that Fry had had an abortion as a result of a rape-induced pregnancy. Also, the fact that she is searching for her sister is introduced.
The best part to me is the tenuous relationship between Cooper and Fry. It's very contentious, very tense, very reluctant. Cooper wants to befriend her, but he wants to hate her, too. After all, he still resents her a little for getting the promotion he'd hoped to get. Fry, on the other hand, is being driven crazy by her need to understand Cooper. She keeps finding herself asking, "What would Cooper do?" and she hates it. It's no secret their methods are completely different, as are their personalities. But they still tend to complement each other and get the job done.
Having read all the subsequent books (well, the ones available in the US, at least), it was great to be able to put some of the stuff that happens in them between Cooper & Fry in its proper context.
I very much enjoyed this book. Can't wait for the latest book to come to the States.
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting second book of a series about two police officers in the Peak District. Lots of description of the area, lots of local color and legends, and a pretty good mystery to boot.
nini_f's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the murder mystery and the twist at the end. Unfortunately I found that a lot of the characters motivations and relationships had been established in the first book, which I sadly hadn't read. This meant that I did find the repeated references to the past between Ben and Diane a bit tiresome.
nocto's review against another edition
I've put off reading this book for ages because (nonsensically) I was expecting to enjoy it a lot and also worried that it wouldn't be as good as I hoped despite numerous reports that if anything it was better than Black Dog. One of the offputting things about the book is its 500 odd pages. I don't mind a long read at all, it's more that I've read several long mysteries with filler than plot and I didn't want to be disappointed in this one.
This is a book that is well worth its length though. Booth takes what could have been a basic plot driven story and fills it with in depth characters that deserve the attention that they receive. He also does a wonderful job with the setting though this might be helped by the fact that I now know the Peak District myself and am getting to know it better all the time.
One of the things that makes this book really good for me is that despite finding that I don't really like either of Booth's lead characters I enjoy finding out about them and I want to know what happens to them in the future. Local boy Ben Cooper is trying to live up to his father's reputation in the police force and still lives on the family farm run by his brother. Incomer Diane Fry has just beaten Cooper to a promotion and is viewed with deep suspicion by most of the local coppers, in trying to keep her personal life separate from her working life she comes over as a very cold person. Both characters are completely believable though and the fact that I want to knock their heads together is a testament to Booth's realistic storytelling.
The plot is solid and contains less predictable elements that the first book in the series, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next in Cooper and Fry's world.
Oh, and I also wanted to add that Booth gets bonus marks for not falling into the trap that so many other authors seem to of calling men by their surnames and women by their first names. If anything his main characters are Ben and Fry. I got really fed up with Barry Maitland for referring to "Kathy and Brock" all the time and it's a habit that's been annoying me ever since and it's nice to see someone writing in reverse for a change.
This is a book that is well worth its length though. Booth takes what could have been a basic plot driven story and fills it with in depth characters that deserve the attention that they receive. He also does a wonderful job with the setting though this might be helped by the fact that I now know the Peak District myself and am getting to know it better all the time.
One of the things that makes this book really good for me is that despite finding that I don't really like either of Booth's lead characters I enjoy finding out about them and I want to know what happens to them in the future. Local boy Ben Cooper is trying to live up to his father's reputation in the police force and still lives on the family farm run by his brother. Incomer Diane Fry has just beaten Cooper to a promotion and is viewed with deep suspicion by most of the local coppers, in trying to keep her personal life separate from her working life she comes over as a very cold person. Both characters are completely believable though and the fact that I want to knock their heads together is a testament to Booth's realistic storytelling.
The plot is solid and contains less predictable elements that the first book in the series, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next in Cooper and Fry's world.
Oh, and I also wanted to add that Booth gets bonus marks for not falling into the trap that so many other authors seem to of calling men by their surnames and women by their first names. If anything his main characters are Ben and Fry. I got really fed up with Barry Maitland for referring to "Kathy and Brock" all the time and it's a habit that's been annoying me ever since and it's nice to see someone writing in reverse for a change.
bucherca49's review against another edition
3.0
I like the setting in the Peak District and I find both Cooper and Fry to be interesting characters.
jonathanrobert's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alisonh's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Too slow for me. I skipped a chunk in the middle.
I can’t quite get where the author is going with Cooper and Fry.
I can’t quite get where the author is going with Cooper and Fry.
catherine_t's review against another edition
4.0
When the body of a woman is found on Ringham Moor, in the middle of the stone circle known locally as the Nine Virgins, police immediately suspect a link to another recent case. Maggie Crew, a solicitor with an Edendale firm, was attacked by someone wielding a knife some weeks earlier on Ringham Moor. Acting DS Diane Fry is detailed with helping Maggie resurrect the memory of that awful day when Maggie was left disfigured.
Meanwhile, DC Ben Cooper is part of the team investigating the fresh murder. There's no shortage of suspects, but what is lacking is motive. As they work separately, Cooper and Fry turn up more secrets in this sleepy Peak District town than they ever wanted.
Though Dancing with the Virgins is most definitely a mystery, with all that entails, the underlying theme is memory and what it does to us as people. Ben is haunted by the legacy of his dead father, also a police officer; Diane keeps her memories buried as deeply as she can. And Maggie Crew's memory of the attack is central to the current investigation--just not in the way the police believe.
I really enjoyed this installment of the Cooper and Fry series, and look forward to reading more.
Meanwhile, DC Ben Cooper is part of the team investigating the fresh murder. There's no shortage of suspects, but what is lacking is motive. As they work separately, Cooper and Fry turn up more secrets in this sleepy Peak District town than they ever wanted.
Though Dancing with the Virgins is most definitely a mystery, with all that entails, the underlying theme is memory and what it does to us as people. Ben is haunted by the legacy of his dead father, also a police officer; Diane keeps her memories buried as deeply as she can. And Maggie Crew's memory of the attack is central to the current investigation--just not in the way the police believe.
I really enjoyed this installment of the Cooper and Fry series, and look forward to reading more.