This crime story is second in a series set in the rugged
Peak District of Derbyshire, where history moves slowly and
traditions linger. The police are called to the scene of a
sudden death, discovered by a hillwalker. Someone has
placed a young woman's body amid a circle of stones known
locally as the Nine Virgins. The victim appears to be
DANCING WITH THE VIRGINS.
A disused quarry is near the site, and a few people live in
the vicinity, in stone cottages or temporary homes.
Detective Sergeant Diane Fry visits them along with
Detective Constable Ben Cooper, who had been hoping for
promotion until Fry was posted from a city district over
the head of the local man. The two are still uneasy about
the situation. The clannish Derby folks are more inclined
to talk to one of their own and Cooper also knows all the
roads and tracks in the area. Not only the quarry has
closed - farming the unforgiving countryside is getting
harder every year and auctions are selling off livestock
and equipment.
The victim worked as a supervisor in an insurance call
centre, and had taken a week's holiday to explore the Peak
District National Park. Another woman is found,
distraught, after she was attacked on the moor and her face
was damaged. Is there a link between the two attacks, or is
there a personal motive at work in each case?
The police procedural is brought to life with splendid
feeling for this rural location. We can feel the constant
wind and hear the drips of water on rock. Time taken and
difficult access routes make travelling to question
possible witnesses a lengthy task, but on the other hand,
the locals notice strangers.
A comparable series is Peter Robinson's DCI Banks crime
series set in Swaledale, but Banks is an import from
London, whereas Cooper has the benefit of local knowledge
and connections to help him fit into the community. Start
reading Stephen Booth and you'll want to return to the
Peaks, so it's just as well that this is a reissue and
there are several more books available in the Fry and
Cooper series, including cave exploration, farming and
small town-dwelling among their topics. DANCING WITH THE
VIRGINS is an excellent and unusual crime story that
exposes the heart of northern England.
A tense psychological thriller, the sequel to Stephen
Booth's stunning debut BLACK DOG, featuring young Derbyshire
police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry.
In a remote part of England's Peak District stand the Nine
Virgins, a ring of stones overshadowed by a dark legend.
Now, as winter closes in, a tenth figure is added to the
circle - the body of Jenny Weston is discovered, her limbs
arranged so she appears to be dancing.
Weeks earlier another woman had been attacked on the moors.
Maggie Crew was found by a local farmer's wife, severely
traumatized, her face savagely cut open. Is there a maniac
on the loose, knifing women at random?
Unlocking the memories trapped in Maggie's mind is now a
matter of utmost urgency for the detectives of Derbyshire
'E' Division. But while DS Diane Fry attempts to draw out
the truth, DC Ben Cooper is left with too many lines of
enquiry leading to too few answers.
As they struggle to make sense of a murder that seems
motiveless, it becomes clear that the moors have witnessed
more bloodshed than either Ben or Diane could imagine. And
there is more to come before an answer can be found...
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