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myrdyr's review
4.0
3.65/5 stars. While I really like the series, this latest offering has to be one of the weakest books in it. There was too little action and too much description. I actually felt my eyes glazing over during some of the historical details, of which there were many. This has never been an issue for me in the past with Booth, so I am not sure what has changed. Also, I find the relationship between Fry and Cooper to be artificial and contrived at this point. There is no longer any meaningful reason for their interactions, so I wish Booth would either cut Fry loose and focus on Cooper or come up with a story line that makes sense of their continued involvement.
bucherca49's review
2.0
I have read this entire series in order and have mostly loved it, but with the last two novels I feel as though the series has run out of steam. The component parts were all there--the crime(s), Ben Cooper's personal life and family issues, the difficult relationship between Cooper and Fry, the Peak District--but they did not seem to hang together. I lost interest in both mysteries (Cooper's and Fry's) and even lost interest in the descriptions of the Peak District. And why are we told in detail what Cooper has for dinner when he goes out on a date? Why is a bomb dropped about his sister-in-law that is left hanging? I am sorry to see this series devolve in this way.
bibliotechied's review
5.0
Unlike other crime series with two police protagonists, Booth writes about a "team" which is not a team. This is the 17th book of the Cooper and Fry series but Cooper and Fry no longer work together and Booth skilfully works the crimes that each is working into a satisfying and cohesive whole. This is a novel which examines the changes in British society from the miners' strike and Thatcher's era to Polish immigration and Brexit.
fluffcloudy's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
markdudley's review
An enjoyable read with just a little too much and too obvious politicising for me.
lisabreads's review
4.0
Many thanks to Harper Collins Canada for an early e-copy of Dead in the Dark for review.
Dead in the Dark is the 17th book in the Cooper and Fry series. They are not in the same division anymore but they do have some story overlap. I kind of miss them working together because Ben Cooper’s nice manner and incredible local knowledge was such a good foil to Diane Fry’s street smart tough guy attitude. I am not sure I’d recommend this one as a stand-alone. With 16 books worth of personal and professional history between them, not everything can be rehashed or brought up. In fact, some things are mentioned throughout the book but no explanations attached so that would be frustrating to read if you haven’t read most of the series.
Dead in the Dark was pretty standard fare for this series though. All the novels are set in the Peak District and this is no exception. The atmosphere and history of the region is never skimmed over and that is my favourite part. Ben Cooper’s character was born and raised in the area and his cases are always infused with his love and respect for the history. In Dead in the Dark, he is now in charge of a more rural division but they have a rash of arsons, a string of robberies, and a missing person to deal with. Diane Fry and moved to a major crime unit and her story follows the death of a Polish man in an anti-immigrant area and some human trafficking cases.
This book has a lot going on but also keeps to the usual Cooper and Fry police procedural formula. Nothing super new but it’s jam packed with modern topics as well as Peak District history, community policing and family and personal drama.
Releases September 25, 2018
Dead in the Dark is the 17th book in the Cooper and Fry series. They are not in the same division anymore but they do have some story overlap. I kind of miss them working together because Ben Cooper’s nice manner and incredible local knowledge was such a good foil to Diane Fry’s street smart tough guy attitude. I am not sure I’d recommend this one as a stand-alone. With 16 books worth of personal and professional history between them, not everything can be rehashed or brought up. In fact, some things are mentioned throughout the book but no explanations attached so that would be frustrating to read if you haven’t read most of the series.
Dead in the Dark was pretty standard fare for this series though. All the novels are set in the Peak District and this is no exception. The atmosphere and history of the region is never skimmed over and that is my favourite part. Ben Cooper’s character was born and raised in the area and his cases are always infused with his love and respect for the history. In Dead in the Dark, he is now in charge of a more rural division but they have a rash of arsons, a string of robberies, and a missing person to deal with. Diane Fry and moved to a major crime unit and her story follows the death of a Polish man in an anti-immigrant area and some human trafficking cases.
This book has a lot going on but also keeps to the usual Cooper and Fry police procedural formula. Nothing super new but it’s jam packed with modern topics as well as Peak District history, community policing and family and personal drama.
Releases September 25, 2018
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