Black Dog

This is a very good British police procedural (in my mind, it's a sort of cross between Reginald Hill and Peter Robinson, and is what every Elizabeth George novel wants to be), sure to appeal to ANYONE who loves that kind of mystery, because you're unlikely to find many writers able to do it better. Stephen Booth is clearly an exciting new talent.

The basic plot goes something like this: There's a missing teenage girl, smart, very attractive. Her body does, eventually, turn up, found by an old man walking his dog. Parents claim she was paragon of virtue, other mutterings say otherwise. Local policeman Ben Cooper, knows village intimately, finds himself thrust into the investigation, up against a seeming wall of secrets and lies and darkness. Add to that the friction caused by the introduction of another officer, Diane Fry, from another division, into the local force, and Cooper finds himself in a very tough case that will effect him personally as well as professionally.

It's written excellently. It's intelligent, occasionally humourous, and while the plot is not always flash-bang exciting, the style is easy to read and keeps you turning the pages (indeed, it did so to such an extent that I finished the book in a mere two days). Another remarkable aspect of the book is the atmosphere, and the description of the landscape. The Peak District, where the novel is set, takes on a very dark and sinister shroud, and seems almost to pulse beneath the story.

The characters are also good (although not excellent, just good). Especially interesting is Booth's depiction and development of the various relationships and bonds of people within the story. Cooper and Fry are beginning to take on a fascinating relationship (sexual tension almost beginning to champ at the bit). The relationship between the three elderly friends is drawn EXCELLENTLY, and is possibly even one of my favourite things about this novel. Booth exmaination of friendship and loyalty and bonds and how far we will go for our friends is excellent.

However, while this book is very good in very many ways, it is by no means perfect. To be honest, at the 400 page point, it began to feel a little drawn out, and only was saved from becoming "a little boring" by the numerous twists and turns which occur through the entire story. Still, I feel it was a little too long. Also, many things were captured very well, there was something about this book which just makes me think "well, the plot itself wasn't all that inspiring". There were aspects of it that were, certainly, but the bigger picture could be improved slightly. But, this is a first novel, so I'm sure it will be.

So, I reccomend Black Dog to all fans of the Police Procedural and crime genre. I'm certainly looking orward to reading his next book, to see how Stephen Booth develops from here.


Disappointed Despite Good Reviews   March 21, 2002
7 out of 17 found this review helpful

Although the reviews for this debut police procedural were glowing, I found myself disappointed. The author does a great job setting the scene and the local characters are believable. The dialog was also crisp and realistic. However, I could not connect with his protagonists. They both had so many hidden psychological traumas that it detracted from the main story. I found myself skimming the chapters devoted to them in favor of getting through the story! I was actually relieved when I reached the end.

I don't think I will read the follow-up.