The Word Association
 

Stephen Booth

Stephen Booth Stephen Booth is a former newspaper journalist. Born in Lancashire, he was educated at Arnold School and Birmingham City University before beginning a career in journalism which lasted 27 years. He is the author of a series of crime thrillers featuring two young Derbyshire police detectives, DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, all set in England's Peak District. The books have won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and are translated into 15 languages. Stephen has been shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for best crime novel, and has twice been a finalist for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year Award. In 2003, the CWA presented him with the Dagger in the Library Award for "the author whose books have given readers most pleasure." In the USA, Stephen has won two Barry awards for Best British Crime Novel, and was nominated for an Anthony Award for best first mystery. DC Cooper has also been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author.

For more information visit www.stephen-booth.com

Latest book: ALREADY DEAD

Stephen Booth - The Devil's Edge It's a wet summer in the Peak District, and the officers of Derbyshire's E Division have a problem. A body is discovered lying in shallow water after torrential rain has swollen the rivers and flooded the roads, making travel difficult and forensic examination impossible.

And that's not their only trouble. The loss of Detective Sergeant Ben Cooper, on extended leave since a traumatic incident in an arson attack, has left a serious gap in E Division's resources. With DS Diane Fry a reluctant temporary replacement, and DC Gavin Murfin a disruptive influence with his retirement and a Caribbean cruise beckoning, it's no wonder that young DCs Luke Irvine and Becky Hurst are feeling rebellious.

But their makeshift team is about to be tested to the limit. The fatal events of one damp August night are likely to stay shrouded in mystery if they can’t track down a car glimpsed only as a dark outline in the rain. And then there's the victim... could he really have nothing in his life to suggest a motive for murder? Did some unknown connection lead to Glen Turner being found naked and drowned in a stream? Or was this just some random killing?

As the rain turns into a deluge and shuts more of Derbyshire's byways, loyalties among the officers of E Division will be put under strain. Because some of them have an even bigger question pressing on their minds right now – where on earth is Ben Cooper?

DEAD AND BURIED

As moorland fires sweep across the Peak District national park, hundreds of firefighters and rangers battle to prevent flames reaching a remote inn, once a famous landmark but now abandoned and boarded up as it waits for a buyer.

The question for Detective Sergeant Ben Cooper and Edendale police is whether the blaze was started deliberately, just one of a series of random acts of arson which have destroyed dozens of square miles of heather moorland. But, as smoke is driven closer to the inn, more questions are raised by the traces revealed under vegetation left charred by the fire. At first, they seem to be largely of interest to archaeologists. But a grim find is about to be made which is of much more recent origin. As a result, an inquiry is re-opened into the fate of two tourists who disappeared in a snowstorm one Christmas, bringing Detective Sergeant Diane Fry back to Edendale from her posting with the Major Crime Unit.

Even without Fry's presence, Ben Cooper already has plenty on his mind, with enforced changes at E Division putting pressure on his team, and complications in his private life. Now, through the smoke of moorland fires, he gets a glimpse of an incident from his past which takes on a disturbing new significance. And there are people close to him who would prefer that he didn't remember the past too clearly.

Bibliography:

Black Dog (HarperCollins 2000), US edition by Scribner, foreign language editions in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden. Dancing with the Virgins (HarperCollins 2001), US edition by Scribner, foreign language editions in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden. Blood on the Tongue (HarperCollins 2002), US edition by Scribner, foreign language editions in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden. Blind to the Bones (HarperCollins 2003), US edition by Scribner, foreign language editions in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden. One Last Breath (HarperCollins 2005), US edition by Bantam, foreign language editions in Finland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden. The Dead Place (HarperCollins 2006), US edition by Bantam, foreign language editions in Finland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Sweden. Scared to Live (HarperCollins 2007), US edition by Bantam, foreign language editions in Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Sweden. Dying to Sin (HarperCollins 2007), foreign language editions in Germany, Portugal, Sweden. The Kill Call (HarperCollins 2009), foreign language editions in Portugal, Sweden. Lost River (HarperCollins 2010), foreign language editions in Sweden and Finland. The Devil's Edge (Little, Brown 2011), foreign language edition in Sweden. Dead and Buried (Little, Brown 2012), foreign language edition in Sweden. Already Dead (Little, Brown 2013), foreign language edition in Sweden.