Book Review: Blood on the Tongue

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Blood on the Tongue     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Stephen Booth
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Psychological Suspense   Police Procedural
Series: Ben Cooper / Diane Fry # 3
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Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, colleages in a rural British police department, return in the third entry in a continuing series of police procedurals. They share a rather prickly relationship which often interferes with their efforts to work together productively.

A series of seemingly unconnected murders has occurred, people disappear, a young woman arrives from Canada to search for information on her grandfather who died as as RAF aviator in WWII, a local tightly knit Polish community hides secrets of its own, an eccentric book store owner may be involved in illegal activity (or not), one or perhaps two infants have gone missing, and the plight of several elderly residents of the area is complicated by the police as they investigate. Booth has an excellent ability to portray these elderly residents, and the images of their life circumstances enhance the "feel" of the book.

Gradually it becomes clear that all events center around a rocky area where WWII aircraft crashed over 60 years ago. Very tightly plotted, a characteristic of all books in this series. By now, I am familiar with Booth's ability to work significant small details into the action, and I pay close attention to every twist and turn in the story. Nevertheless, I reach the final pages thumping my forehead as I begin to understand what everything means. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Woodstock - RAM

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