Ben Copperfield is the star of this crime fiction set in the beautiful British countryside. While BAD BLOOD is so far a standalone, the comments about the backstory make it feel like the second in a series to me, so perhaps Ben was a minor character in a different series. He gets straight to work helping a woman named Sarah whose horsebox has gone off the road, with two valuable horses panicking.
Sarah's husband, Neville Manning, is a wealthy, self-made businessman and is concerned about the family firm through squabbles and lack of a direct heir. Neville is an ill man now, and he makes it worth Ben’s while, as a freelance journalist, to discover if he does have an heir after all. A possible grandchild from his deceased son would solve some problems, but would, of course, create more, especially with the remainder of the family. His manager Max Crowther brooks no nonsense and controls all correspondence.
Back to Ben, whose relationship is going through a rocky patch. He never really wanted to commit, but his girlfriend Lisa is tired of him constantly working and goes to stay with her mother. Ben is left with his loyal dog Mouse and an otherwise empty cottage in Dorset. That being the case, he might as well go off on a wild goose chase after a talented singer lass who may or may not be findable and may or may not have a teenage child. This trail leads to the northern counties of England, rugged scenery, roadside inns, and traveller camps. The bright patch for our hero is that Ben’s younger brother Mikey Copperfield, who has a slight intellectual disability but is gifted with animals, is an upcoming race jockey in the area. So we are back to horses.
The characterisation is splendid and varied, and little Mouse is just as well drawn as any of the humans. She’s on almost every page, and Ben has to take time to consider her welfare and security. Author Lyndon Stacey is a dedicated animal lover and has created another series about police dog handlers. BAD BLOOD is the first of her books I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. Between prejudice, family feuds, revenge, racing crime, and what happens when big money is at stake, this is a thriller full of action, violence, and veiled tensions. There’s also love and loyalty, and time to admire scenery. I find it a wonderful introduction to Lyndon Stacey and her crime fiction.
Dark secrets are revealed when investigative journalist and horse expert Ben Copperfield is hired to find the long-lost heir of a dying millionaire in this gripping murder mystery.
When freelance journalist Ben Copperfield hands his business card to a woman whose runaway horse he's helped recapture, he couldn't possibly predict the events that are triggered by this simple gesture . . .
For the woman is the wife of none other than multi-millionaire horse owner and businessman Neville Manning. Manning has everything money could buy, but money can't solve his current problem. He's dying - and after the tragic death of his only child, there's no one he's willing to leave his business to. Manning has just one hope left: a grandchild, whose mother's name he doesn't even know. Ben has a reputation for solving impossible problems, and Manning's convinced he'll be able to track the child down.
With the odds stacked against him, Ben accepts the challenge and sets out to find this mystery grandchild. But little does he know that the trail to finding Manning's heir is paved with murder, intrigue and revenge . . . and it won't just be finding the heir to Manning's fortune that's the problem, it'll be keeping the child alive long enough to claim it.
With its mix of horses, dogs and fast-paced action, Bad Blood is a great choice for readers of Dick and Felix Francis, John Francome and Richard Laws, and is the perfect escape from day-to-day life.
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