An anonymous call has the entire department deeply disturbed that a death will occur unless they are bright and quick enough to unravel the clues given and hinted at by a psychotic individual. Because the caller his used a voice changer, they are not even certain of the sex of the caller, let alone any speech characteristics which might allow a starting point for their search. Soon afterward, a woman is reported missing having last been seen approaching her car in a parking garage. Is she the victim to whom the would- be killer is referring? If so, the race is on to locate the missing woman before the killer executes his proposed plan.

A woman’s body is discovered in a wooded area. From the condition of the remains it is ascertained that she has been dead for some eighteen months. General agreement is reached that the quickest way to identify the unfortunate woman is by having a forensic anthropologist do a reconstruction of the most likely facial features of the deceased and publish a likeness in the local paper. The method does indeed provide a positive identification, but the woman whose remains have been found was cremated and buried after having suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage. It appears that Hudson and Slack, the funeral directors responsible for the now identified corpse, are having management problems which may have contributed to the unfortunate mix-up of bodies.

What is remarkable about this corpse is that the anonymous caller seems to have referred to her in his call. How is this seemingly normal death related to the disturbed individual who seems to be toying with the police?

As is true of all of Stephen Booth’s novels, the reader is treated to much more than a well told tale of unique caliber. The intricacies of death are examined in many different ways. Thanatology, the scientific study of death and the phenomena and practices relating to it, is discussed starting in the origin of the word from the Greek word meaning death. The practices carried out by funeral directors and how foul play might occur within are examined giving the reader a perspective not usually encountered in a detective novel.

The Peak District plays a significant role in the story in that this is rural England where sheep farming is an important industry. Relationships have developed between residents whose families have lived in the area and customs and the manner in which people speak to each other are entirely foreign to urban dwellers. Ben Cooper’s ability to communicate with the locals is a constant source of frustration to Diane Fry, Cooper’s superior, though she must begrudgingly accept the positive result of his endeavors. Even Cooper is sometimes too verbose for the natives. Witness Tom Jarvis looking “at his dogs and then back at Cooper. Why did he need to waste words? Cooper had already wasted an entire sentence.”

The reader should be forewarned that the processes of death and cremation are described in some detail which may be offensive to some readers. The author is not insensitive or crude in his descriptions, but he is accurate and those who would rather not confront such topics might want to avoid this book

Though The Dead Place is the sixth in Stephen Booth’s popular series featuring Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, the story stands well on his own. There are occasional references to events that have taken place in earlier books, but they do not interfere with the reader’s enjoyment or understanding of this effort. However, Mr. Booth has placed enough tantalizing bits about Fry and Cooper’s relationship to entice new readers to locate copies of the previous books to fill in the gaps about these two engaging and complex characters.

--Andy Plonka