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Stephen Booth
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Dead in the Dark: A Cooper & Fry Mystery (Cooper & Fry Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by Stephen Booth (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,991 ratings
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“Clever, beautifully written and superbly plotted, this is an entertaining page-turner” featuring rival detectives on the trail of a missing husband (Lancashire Evening Post).

How do you prove a murder without a body?

Ten years ago, Reece Bower was accused of killing his wife, a crime he always denied. Extensive police searches near his home in Bakewell found no trace of Annette Bower’s remains, and the case against him collapsed.

But now memories of the original investigation have been resurrected for Detective Inspector Ben Cooper—because Reece Bower himself has disappeared, and his new wife wants answers.

Cooper can’t call on the Major Crime Unit and DS Diane Fry for help unless he can prove a murder took place—impossible without a body. As his search moves into the caves and abandoned mines in the isolated depths of Lathkilldale, the question is: who would want revenge for the death of Annette Bower?

Praise for Stephen Booth:

“One of Britain’s best crime writers.” —Sunday Telegraph

“A modern master of rural noir.” —The Guardian

“Terrific. An atmospheric, psychological stunner.” —The Bookseller

“Clockwork suspense in a riveting setting.” —Booklist

“Suspenseful and supremely engaging.” —Los Angeles Times
Previous page
  1. Book 17 of 18
    Cooper & Fry Mysteries
  2. Print length
    395 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    William Morrow Paperbacks
  6. Publication date
    September 25, 2018
  7. File size
    1485 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

I love reading about these characters. I love the world in which Ben moves and I really enjoy the cases with which he is confronted. I always look forward to the next installment of this wonderful series.―For Winter Nights

Clever, beautifully written and superbly plotted, this is an entertaining page-turner with a compelling twist in the tail.―Lancashire Evening Post

The Peak District setting is as striking as ever . . . the ever-present threat of violence will get under your skin.―Real Crime

This is an enjoyable, very readable yet understated crime novel by an accomplished author.―Crime Fiction Lover

About the Author

Stephen Booth is the internationally bestselling, CWA Dagger-winning author of the acclaimed thrillers featuring Cooper and Fry. The series is in development as a TV programme. Booth lives in Nottingham.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B2TWX8J
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks (September 25, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1485 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 395 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,991 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stephen Booth

Stephen Booth

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Stephen Booth is an award winning UK crime writer, the creator of Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, who have appeared in 18 novels set in England's atmospheric Peak District. His latest novel DROWNED LIVES is a standalone historical thriller, a story of hidden family secrets among the inland waterways of South Staffordshire.

Stephen has been a Gold Dagger finalist, an Anthony Award nominee, twice winner of a Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, and twice shortlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year. DC Cooper was a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and in 2003 the Crime Writers' Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for "the author whose books have given readers the most pleasure". The Cooper & Fry novels are published all around the world, and have been translated into 16 languages. The latest title in the series is FALL DOWN DEAD. Stephen is also the author of a previous standalone crime novel TOP HARD.

A former newspaper journalist, Stephen Booth was born in the Lancashire mill town of Burnley and brought up by the sea in Blackpool. He attended Birmingham City University and worked on local newspapers in the North and Midlands of England before his first novel BLACK DOG was published in 2000. He lives in Nottinghamshire.

Visit the author's website at: http://www.stephen-booth.com

Follow Stephen Booth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenbooth

Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephenboothbooks

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
1,991 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sally Traver
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites.
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love the character of Cooper! Lots of twists and turns in this one. One minute I was sure I had the answers and the next minute it had me second guessing. Big fan of the Cooper and Fry series.
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Lenny
4.0 out of 5 stars C & F at it Again..
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2019
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Booth presents a well written procedural in his latest Cooper/Fry mystery novel. In this particular effort, it is really two separate story lines and the intersection of the protagonists is fleeting and not really significant. The focus is primarily on the Cooper case, and that is the one the reader will find most interesting. Fry is a diminished presence in "Dead in the Dark" and her obsession with Cooper is even more bizarre, given her relative success.
2 people found this helpful
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HelenH
3.0 out of 5 stars Becoming Annoying
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018
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The one thing I really liked about the book is the beginning. That prologue was really affecting, when one gets to the end of the book. If you make it there far. These latest books in the series are rapidly becoming two different books. Booth might as well make it all the Cooper Show and call it a day. He has done his job well; Diane Fry is cold, and calculating, and thoroughly unlikable. Enough already.

And the sister can go away, too.
6 people found this helpful
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ninamarina
5.0 out of 5 stars Another good Cooper & Fry story
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2019
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I have enjoyed every single Cooper & Fry police procedural story and this one was no exception. I love the characters and the wonderful descriptions of the countryside and villages in which the books are set. It makes me want to visit the area to stand where the characters 'stood!' I almost finished this book in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down.
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legacydude
4.0 out of 5 stars One of his best
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2018
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Good plot, with a great twist. Like Cooper, I thought I had the mystery figured out and solved...but no! There's plenty to like here, with more in depth details of life, customs, and landscape of the Peak district.

Still not enough Fry, so just one star shy (of five). C&F fans rejoice, this book is indeed a winner.
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Christine Ostby
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2018
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My husband and I like Stephen Booth and enjoyed this book. We agree with the readers who don't like the Fry character. She adds nothing to the enjoyment of the series and is actually quite irritating. I wish Mr. Booth (and all authors) would not leave unresolved issues at the conclusion of their books. I'm going to buy the next book, so they don't need a cliff hanger to entice me to find out what happened. I don't like to wait a year or more to find out what the heck happened.
One person found this helpful
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LagunaLady
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as his others
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019
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I have read quite a few of Booth’s books, and I didn’t really enjoy this one as much as the others. It gets bogged down in details about the local geography and culture that I had a hard time getting into. I had to constantly check a dictionary which I find distracting. I know that in real life, cases aren’t simple or solved in a vacuum, but the plot seemed a bit confusing at times.

I would recommend reading some of his earlier books instead. Black Dog is excellent. Start at the beginning and work your way forward chronologically. He really is generally a great mystery writer!
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A lot going on.
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2019
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Two missing people, a murdered man, and slave trafficking. Cooper has his hands full in one part of the district and Fry in another. One of the missing disappeared 10 years ago. The just a week ago, and there was a connection between the two people. There was a lot of extraneous verbiage that I could have done without. Just cut to the chase and solve the crimes.
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Top reviews from other countries

Abhishek Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.
Reviewed in India on October 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is by far one of the best book i have read from the author which has a good plot and good characters and the pace of the book never slow down. Recommended.
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smokey
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Peak District mystery.
Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Ben and Diane together but on different cases. We will have to wait to see what happens when she gets promoted. The author really knows and understands his environment.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Très bon
Reviewed in France on April 11, 2019
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Excellent
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🐭 Miki101.Micha
4.0 out of 5 stars Finally a new book in the series about DI Ben Cooper & DS Diane Fry, that...
Reviewed in Italy on July 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
.. is not totally boring or which is permanently resuming the personal frictions between the two main protagonists.
Ben Cooper is new as a Detective Inspector and his district is a bit difficult to define. Since the higher echelons divided the Shires in a new way. Once Ben could go upstairs and see his "Boss" Detective Superintendent Hazel Branagh - a woman with her head on her shoulders and an open ear for her Detectives. Now she is miles away, and who are the co-operators in Ben's Division - that is not very clear. But he has only a "Missing Person" case to solve. But this one has a lot of history attached. It was DSI Branagh who wanted to see the now missing Reece Bower in jail for the murder of his wife, 10 years ago. But there was a sure sighting after the time of disappearance and Reece got free. No body - no trial. Now he is missing, too. And his new partner and her little son want solutions of the type - where's Daddy, where's Hubby? And not only them - but the daughter of his first marriage, now 18 years old and her aunt - the sister of Reece's still missing wife, too...
DS Diane Fry has a murder case at her hands - a lone Pole stabbed to death. The Poles are not very well seen in Great Britain any more after the Brexit vote. But many of them are well integrated and this one seemed to be an inconspicuous individual. But there is always more behind the simple facts in a book written by Stephen Booth. This time Ben and his merry gang are helping DS Fry to solve her crime. And the long-time missing Mrs Reece Bower will be brought back from the dark into the light. Finally...
This newest mystery in the series - Nr 17 - rolls generally very well. Ben has finally cast his eyes on a woman - after the tragedy it was really time. And DS Diane Fry has always secrets delivered by her sister. But only drop by drop. That is a bit annoying - in every new book there are dark hints from Angie. When will the readers learn a bit more about it? The finding of the final abode of Mr. Bower will bring several big surprises.
OK - not a perfect read, but really good enough for me to buy the next book, too.
One person found this helpful
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P.D
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
From the moment I started to read this book I didn't want to put it down. I don't know the Peak District well but with family in both Sheffield & Manchester I have driven the roads across the Pennines many times & have visited many of the places mentioned in the Cooper & Fry books; as a result I find I can really picture the landscape described. I like the character of Ben Cooper & I like the various members of his team. Diane Fry I would like to give a good shake to, to make her take a look at how she treats others. But the books wouldn't be the same if she changed. After 17 books Stephen Booth has made me 'care' about his characters. I would recommend all the Cooper & Fry books, read in order to get to know the characters & how they interact.
7 people found this helpful
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