Book Review: Black Dog

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Black Dog     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Stephen Booth
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Psychological Suspense   Police Procedural
Series: Ben Cooper / Diane Fry # 1
Scribner, Oct 2000, $24.00, 320 pp.

The police task force searches on foot and via helicopter for the missing teenager, Laura Vernon. While most folks hope that Laura traveled to London, Detective Constable Ben Cooper expects to find a corpse in the nearby woods. Ben’s expectations are met when matter of fact, almost bored, retired miner Harry Dickinson shows him the bloody trainer. Just beyond the sneaker in an overgrowth Ben finds the body.

Ben and his new partner, outsider Diane Fry, begin making inquiries. Their short list includes the enigmatic Harry, the victim’s parents especially her father, and some of the hired help. As they close in on the truth, the case forces Ben and Diane, attracted to one another even as they compete for the same promotion, to look back into their own demons.

Readers who enjoy plenty of non-stop action or a highly constructed complex puzzler will not want to try BLACK DOG. However, fans who enjoy the deliberately slow husking away of layers of psychological protection and hidden lives that leave bare the inner most essence of the key characters will fully enjoy this tale. The psychological suspense crowd will warmly receive author Stephen Booth’s debut novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner