Black Dog (Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, Book 1)
A neat little psychological thriller in the Barbara Vine tradition,  debut novelist Stephen Booth's smart, spare suspense story introduces Detective  Constable Ben Cooper, an up-and-coming English policeman who fears he'll never  be able to fill the shoes of his father, a police sergeant who died a hero's  death on the job in Ben's own precinct. Diane Fry, Ben's new partner, is an  ambitious woman who's just been transferred to the Edendale force. She's jealous  of Ben's familiarity with the locals, who won't tell her anything but treat Ben  like a beloved son. The pair is teamed up to investigate the brutal murder of a  15-year-old girl whose parents, like Fry, are outsiders. The old man who finds  Laura Vernon's body is an enigmatic, close-mouthed man who obviously knows more  than he's telling, but even Ben can't budge Harry Dickinson from his  determination to keep the real story of what happened in the dark woods of  England's brooding Peak District to himself. Laura's father is anxious to pin  the crime on a local boy who may have had sexual designs on her and who's  conveniently gone missing. But the search for the killer turns up the dark  secrets of the Vernons as well as a number of other suspects who keep Ben and  Diane guessing until the last page of this well-written, carefully paced, and  deeply atmospheric novel. A strong first showing from a writer worth watching,  with a protagonist who'd be good company in a return engagement.--Jane  Adams--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.