STAND-ALONE MURDER MYSTERY, #8 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL… “MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY.”WHEN A DOG WALKER discovers a decaying corpse in Harterhow Woods it is surely just a matter of time before the police will close in upon the murderer. But despite a nationwide appeal the distinctive remains defy identification.Skelgill believes he knows the … identification.
Skelgill believes he knows the perpetrator – but his team have other ideas. As they unearth contradictory clues Skelgill becomes impatient – an arrest is made. But when the victim is finally named a new prime suspect emerges.
Skelgill is determined to prevail – but the facts don’t fit his gut feel. And yet, as they search for a vital witness it dawns on him that there may be not one but two killers at large. And one of them may be compelled to strike again.
“Great characters. Great atmospheric locale. Great plots. What’s not to like?”
Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars
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I really liked this police procedural. As the characters went through the standard procedures, the main character would follow his instincts and check out his thoughts.The was no real explanation of his processes and it was nice to follow along in the ‘experiments’ without being able to guess the outcomes. There was an excellent pulling together at the end. I liked the characters and would like to meet them again. I am so delighted to read a stand-alone. ( It is getting to be a major pet peeve when you get sucked into a series and find no particular resolution at the end of each series component) Logical but unpredictable!
In the beginning I was put off my the accent and the very English aland. However, one into the story, I became involved and was impressed that each character was fully developed and involved. The twists and turns during the investigation held my attention. The dogged sleuths eventually “got their” men. There is much description of a small part of the English countryside. However, it lent interest to the story. Very well done.
procedural, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, British-detective, twisty
Of course the mystery plot is excellent, complete with red herrings and twists, but it’s the characters and more that draw you in and make you keep picking it up to read *just a chapter or two*. But there’s also the beauty of wordplay, the descriptions of places so clear that you feel like you can see and smell clear across the Atlantic. The
publisher’s blurb is somewhat informative but there is no need for recap or spoilers here. Each DI Skelgill book is a magnet to the mystery reader!
Nicholas Camm is marvelous as narrator, but I admit that it took my American ears a couple of chapters to become comfortable with his manner of speaking.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Lucius Publishing.
I was gifted this book with the understanding that I would leave an honest review. That said this is the first book for me in the Inspector Skelgill mysteries. I really enjoyed the narration by Nicholas Camm. His voice is amazing to listen to. I did have a hard time with the style of writing. The frequent plot changes where very hard for me to keep up with. I would have given 2.5 stars if I could have but the narration for me made me up the rating to 3.
Well written,
This was my first reading of books by Bruce Beckham and it was very informative of the location and my introduction to Cumbria. I love British type mysteries, especially those of Ireland, Scotland and England. I have most of his books now in my possession & reading one at present. I recommend this series for anyone who loves this type of mystery.
Murder in the woods seemed a bit wordy. And it’s flip-flop with the suspects. It just didn’t flow that well. Tried to keep reading it. But I gave up on it and didn’t finish.
Plot was good but could never really get into the characters
Had trouble getting through the british? terms but the story was interesting as were the characters.
Slow moving.
Boring didn’t enjoy. Don’t finisb
Pretty well written—-not much substane
I enjoyed this one. The English have an ability to express themselves in such an undramatic and understated way that is refreshing and unique.
Another in the Skelgill series. Better than some, but not great.
Liked the story but not the first person tense. It felt stilted.
Writing is very stiff and a bit too Victorian British for my taste.
It was good. But I’ve read better.
The British language variance caused some problems with understanding as an American reader but the story was entertaining.
Fairly well written with decent characters and enough twists to maintain the reader’s interest.
Pretty datm good