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.