Bøger af Stephen Booth

Set in and around the dark, misty canals of Lichfield, Stephen Booth's incredible first standalone novel is awash with mystery.

Det er sent efterår, og vinteren gør snart sit indtog. De bløde bakker og idylliske landskaber i the Peak District i Midtengland forsvinder i tætte tåger og iskold blæst. I et fjerntliggende hedeområde af nationalparken knejser en ring af kampesten, hvis uskyldsrene navn "De ni jomfruer" står som en kontrast til fundet af et kvindelig på stedet. Kort tid forinden blev en anden kvinde overfaldet på heden. Hun slap med livet i behold, men med et vansiret ansigt og et traume, der har fortrængt det mest. Nu er det op til kriminalpersonerne Diane Fry og Ben Cooper at løse mordgåden. En mordgåde, der viser sig til at trække lange spor tilbage til en fjern og mystisk fortid.Stephen Booth (f. 1952) er en engelsk krimiforfatter og journalist med mere end 25 års erfaring fra mediebranchen. I 2001 stoppede Stephen Booth sit journalistiske virke for i stedet at hellige sig forfatterskabet på fuld tid. Året forinden var han netop udkommet med sin første roman i Cooper-Fry-serien. Debutbogen fik en strålende modtagelse, og sidenhen er serien om kriminalassistenterne Cooper og Fry og deres ukuelige vilje til at opklare grumme mord i det naturskønne Peak Destrict i Derbyshire England.

The dramatic, gripping new Cooper & Fry crime thriller from bestseller Stephen Booth sees the stunning Peak District backdrop prove fatal for one walking partyThey knew the danger, but they went anyway..."Almost before she'd stopped breathing, a swirl of mist snaked across her legs and settled in her hair, clutching her in its chilly embrace, hiding her body from view. It would be hours before she was found."The mountain of Kinder Scout offers the most incredible views of the Peak District, but when thick fog descends there on a walking party led by enigmatic Darius Roth, this spectacular landscape is turned into a death trap that claims a life.For DI Ben Cooper however, something about the way Faith Matthew fell to her death suggests it was no accident, and he quickly discovers more than one of the hikers may have had reason to murder their companion.To make things worse, his old colleague DS Diane Fry finds herself at centre of an internal investigations storm that threatens to drag Cooper down with it.

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?

Stephen Booth returns with an evocative mystery perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.It's a new year for Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, and that means new mysteries to solve in the icy depths of a bitter winter.It isn't the easiest way to commit suicide, but the dead woman seems to have simply curled up in the freezing snow and lain there until her heart stopped. There was no one to observe her death but the foxes and the hares. Yet she is riddled with bruises. Her demise is horrifying. Is it also suspicious?When two more bodies are found, Cooper and Fry begin to wonder whether these tragedies are connected?and whether they will survive the winter . . .

For fans of Broadchurch, Louise Penny, and Peter Robinson comes a spellbinding new novel from internationally bestselling author Stephen BoothWelcome to the picturesque English village of Shawhead, where there's one road in and one road out. And on that road this morning is an abandoned vehicle...with an ominous bloodstain inside.It's a mystery. It could be a murder. Where--and who--is the driver? Whose blood has been discovered? Why are the people of Shawhead so hostile toward Detective Ben Cooper, sent in to take charge of the investigation?As Cooper peels back layers of lies and exposes dark secrets to the light, he draws ever closer to a killer hiding in plain sight. Packed with atmosphere, suspense, and surprises, The Murder Road is Stephen Booth's most unforgettable novel yet.

When it comes to murder, nothing is sacred . . .For centuries, mourners in Derbyshire have used the Corpse Bridge to cross the River Dove and reach their village burial grounds.When a developer plans to deconsecrate the land by turning it into a parking lot for his resort cottages, bodies begin to litter the road to the Corpse Bridge.Are these warnings to stay away from the sacred plots?or something much, much worse: a terrifying serial killer at work?After recuperating from a traumatic event, Detective Cooper is finally back at work, and he knows that solving the mystery of the Corpse Bridge is exactly what he needs to feel like himself again.But if Cooper can't overcome his own personal demons and focus on the case, he could put everything?and everyone?he cares about at risk . . .

Some sins won't wash away . . .A summer of endless rain in the Peak District leaves the officers of Derbyshire's criminal investigation department with a problem. They have discovered a man's body lying in shallow water, but torrential downpours have swollen the rivers and flooded the roads, making travel difficult and forensic examination impossible.And that's not all. The absence of Detective Cooper, on extended leave after an arson attack, has left a serious gap. Detective Fry is a reluctant temporary replacement, but now their makeshift team is about to be tested to the limit. The fatal events of one damp August night are likely to remain shrouded in mystery if they can't track down a car glimpsed only as a dark outline in the rain by a passerby.When the drops turn into a deluge, loyalties among the officers will be put under intolerable strain as they try to solve their toughest case yet. And that's before it emerges that Detective Cooper is not at home recuperating, but has vanished into thin air . . .

THE KILL CALL is the 9th novel in the multiple award-winning Cooper & Fry crime series, set in England's beautiful and atmospheric Peak District On a rain-swept Derbyshire moor, hounds from the local foxhunt find the body of a well-dressed man whose head has been crushed. Yet an anonymous 999 caller reports the same body lying half a mile away. Called in to investigate the discovery, E Division detectives DS Diane Fry and DC Ben Cooper become entangled in the violent world of hunting and hunt saboteurs, horse theft and a little-known sector of the meat trade. As Fry follows a complex trail of her own to unravel the shady business interests of the murder victim, Cooper realises that the answer to the case might lie deep in the past. History is everywhere around him in the Peak District landscape - particularly in the 'plague village' of Eyam, where an outbreak of Black Death has been turned into a modern-day tourist attraction. But, even as the final solution is revealed, both Fry and Cooper find themselves having to face up to the disturbing reality of the much more recent past. PRAISE FOR THE COOPER AND FRY SERIES: "Suspenseful and supremely engaging. Booth does a wonderful job." - Los Angeles Times "Simultaneously classic, contemporary and haunting." - Otto Penzler, Mysterious Bookshop, New York "Makes high summer in Derbyshire as dark and terrifying as midwinter." - Val McDermid, award-winning crime novelist "Intelligent and substantive crime fiction, rich with complex characters." - Library Journal "Booth has firmly joined the elite of Britain's top mystery writers." - Florida Sun-Sentinel "Crime fiction for the thinking man or woman, and damnably hard to put down." - January Magazine "Highly recommended - a great series!" - Seattle Mystery Books "Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are the most interesting team to arrive on the mystery scene in a long while." - Rocky Mountain News "One of our best story tellers." - Sunday Telegraph "There are few, if any, contemporary writers who do this as well as Stephen Booth." - Arena magazine "Booth delivers some of the best crime fiction in the UK." - Manchester Evening News "Booth's aim is to portray the darkness below the surface... in this he succeeds wonderfully well." - Mark Billingham, crime novelist "If you read only one new crime writer this year, he's your man." - Yorkshire Post

Originally published: London: HarperCollins, 2010.

A tense psychological crime thriller, the sequel to Stephen Booth's debut Cooper & Fry novel 'Black Dog', set in England's beautiful and atmospheric Peak District. In a remote part of the Peak District stand the Nine Virgins, a ring of stones overshadowed by a dark legend. Now, as winter closes in, a tenth figure is added to the circle - the body of Jenny Weston is discovered, her limbs arranged so she appears to be dancing. Weeks earlier another woman had been attacked on the moors. Maggie Crew was found by a local farmer's wife, severely traumatized, her face savagely cut open. Is there a maniac on the loose, knifing women at random? Unlocking the memories trapped in Maggie's mind is now a matter of utmost urgency for the detectives of Derbyshire 'E' Division. But while DS Diane Fry attempts to draw out the truth, DC Ben Cooper is left with too many lines of enquiry leading to too few answers. As they struggle to make sense of a murder that seems motiveless, it becomes clear that the moors have witnessed more bloodshed than either Ben or Diane could imagine. And there is more to come before an answer can be found... *Winner of the Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel of the Year *Finalist for the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of 2001 "An atmospheric, psychological stunner" - The Bookseller "Suspenseful and supremely engaging. Booth has done a wonderful job" - Los Angeles Times "One of our best story tellers" - Sunday Telegraph "Even more demanding, more substantial, and more knowing about the darkest recesses of the heart" - Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended - a great series!" - Seattle Mystery Bookstore "Booth truly is a master" - I Love a Mystery

On a rain-swept hillside, hounds from the local foxhunt discover the body of a well-dressed man. At that exact moment, an anonymous caller reports the same body . . . lying half a mile away.It's only the first in a series of baffling clues as Ben Cooper and Diane Fry--partners and rivals on the detective force --plunge into a case involving horses, spectacular wealth, and a mysterious "plague village" where a centuries-old outbreak of Black Death has been transformed into a modern tourist attraction.As the spring rain falls and the body count rises, Cooper and Fry's investigation twists back to the recent past. A killer lurks in the shadows there--a killer now hiding in plain sight . . .Atmospheric and ingenious, packed with suspense and secrets, The Kill Call is an unforgettable thriller from an unforgettable writer.

When nobody's home, the Savages roam ...The newspapers call them the Savages: a band of home invaders as merciless as they are stealthy. Usually they don't leave a clue--but this time, they've left a body. The first victim is found sprawled on her kitchen floor, blood soaking the terracotta tiles. Before long, another corpse is discovered, dead of fright. As the toll rises, it's up to DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry to track down the killers. But the enemy isn't who they think it is. Beneath the sinister shadow of a mountain ridge called the Devil's Edge, a twisted game is under way, a game more ruthless than the detectives can imagine.Packed with nerve-jangling suspense and moody atmosphere, this is a thriller to rival the very best of Peter Robinson and Peter James.

This atmospheric thriller is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter RobinsonA holiday weekend is ruined by a drowning in a picturesque village. The incident not only traumatizes Detective Cooper, a helpless witness to the tragedy, but leads him to become involved in the tangled lives of the victim's family.As he gets to know them, Cooper begins to suspect that one of them is harboring a secret that the whole family is desperate to cover up.Meanwhile, Detective Fry embarks on a personal journey back to her roots. As she finds herself drawn into an investigation of her own, Fry realizes there is only one person she can rely on for the help she needs.But that man is Ben Cooper, and he's back in Derbyshire, where his suspicions lead him toward a shocking discovery on the banks of another Peak District river.

Originally published in 2000 by HarperCollins in the UK, and by Scribner in the USA.

The second in the series set in the Derbyshire Peak District, Dancing with the Virgins is a tense psychological follow-up to Stephen Booth's acclaimed debut Black Dog.

The dramatic, gripping new Cooper & Fry crime thriller from bestseller Stephen Booth sees the stunning Peak District backdrop prove fatal for one walking party.

Master crime writer Stephen Booth ventures into the Peak District's dark subterranean world for a brand new, stunning and gasp-inducing Cooper & Fry thriller.

Close Reading Without Readings is a collection of essays by the renowned Shakespeare scholar Stephen Booth in which the author directs readers to the experience of reading, bringing to bear the full power of his scholarship, critical acumen, and imagination to the study of how literature works.

The old Corpse Bridge is the route taken for centuries by mourners from villages on the western fringes of Derbyshire to a burial ground across the River Dove, now absorbed into the landscaped parkland of a stately home. When Earl Manby, the landowner, announces plans to deconsecrate the burial ground to turn it into a car park for his holiday cottages, bodies begin to appear once again on the road to the Corpse Bridge. Is there a connection with the Earl's plans? Or worse, is there a terrifying serial killer at work? Back in his job after the traumatic events of previous months, Detective Sergeant Ben Cooper knows that he must unravel the mystery of the Corpse Bridge if he's going to be able to move on with his life. As the pressure builds, Ben doesn't know who he can trust and, when the case reaches breaking point, he has to make a call that could put everything - and everyone - at risk...

A summer of endless rain in the Peak District leaves the officers of Derbyshire's CID with a problem. They have discovered a man's body lying in shallow water, but torrential rain has swollen the rivers and flooded the roads, making travel difficult and forensic examination impossible. And that's not all. The absence of DS Ben Cooper, on extended leave after an arson attack, has left a serious gap. DS Diane Fry is a reluctant temporary replacement, but now their makeshift team is about to be tested to the limit. The fatal events of one damp August night are likely to remain shrouded in mystery if they can't track down a car glimpsed only as a dark outline in the rain by a passer-by.As the rain turns into a deluge, loyalties among the officers will be put under intolerable strain as they try to solve their toughest case yet. And that's before it emerges that Ben Cooper is not at home, but has vanished into thin air...Packed with atmosphere, suspense and danger, bestseller Stephen Booth's exceptional new Cooper and Fry thriller is a masterclass in British crime writing.

Brutal acts of firestarting have ravaged the Peak District, and now a new wave of moorland infernos sweeps across the national park. For DS Ben Cooper, the blazes are best left to the firefighters, even with the arsonists still at large.But when an intruder breaks into an abandoned pub, Cooper is on the case - and he swiftly unearths a pair of grim surprises. The first is evidence of a years-old double homicide. And the second is a corpse, newly dead...What links the three deaths? Where are the missing bodies? Who is responsible - and how do the raging fires fit in? For Cooper and his rival DI Diane Fry, it's the most twisted investigation of their lives... and with an ingenious killer pulling the strings, it could also be their last.Drenched in atmosphere and danger, Stephen Booth's relentless new thriller builds to a shock finale that will catch even the most seasoned suspense readers off guard.

In the heart of summer, in the dead of night, something wakes you. The house is quiet. The children are sleeping. The kitchen is empty. Except for the body on the floor. A series of brutal home invasions is terrorizing the Peak District. Until now, the burglars haven't left a clue. This time, they've left a corpse. But as the death toll rises, two intrepid cops begin to suspect that the robberies - and the murders - are not what they seem. Beneath the scorching summer sun, a dangerous game is in play . . . and a merciless killer is hiding in plain sight. Packed with twists, suspense, and danger, The Devil's Edge is a gripping thriller to rival the very best of Peter Robinson and Peter James.PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BOOTH'A modern master' Guardian'Wonderful' Daily Mail'One of our best storytellers' Sunday Telegraph

'This is crime writing of the highest quality'Daily MailSteeped in the atmosphere of the stunning Peak District, Secrets of Death is master crime writer Stephen Booth's most daring and clever Cooper & Fry thriller yet.A beautiful place to die . . . Residents of the Peak District are used to tourists descending on its soaring hills and brooding valleys. However, this summer brings a different kind of visitor to the idyllic landscape, leaving behind bodies and secrets. A series of suicides throughout the Peaks throws Detective Inspector Ben Cooper and his team in Derbyshire's E Division into a race against time to find a connection to these seemingly random acts - with no way of predicting where the next body will turn up. Meanwhile, in Nottingham Detective Sergeant Diane Fry finds a key witness has vanished... But what are the mysterious Secrets of Death? And is there one victim whose fate wasn't suicide at all?'Makes high summer as terrifying as midwinter'Val McDermid'A modern master'Guardian'A first rate mysterySunday Telegraph'Ingenious Plotting and richly atmospheric'Reginald Hill