A Death to Record: A Mystery - Hardcover

Tope, Rebecca

3.87

314 ratings by Goodreads

9780312302603: A Death to Record: A Mystery

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312302606 ISBN 13: 9780312302603

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2003

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When the body of herdsman Sean O’Farrell was discovered in one of the farm buildings, Detective Sergeant Den Cooper is more than happy to cast one of the local farmers, Gordon Hillcock, in the role of chief suspect. After all, it is a well-known fact that there was no love lost between Gordon and the victim. And besides, Den has a little grudge of his own – Gordon is currently dating Den’s ex-fiancee Lilah and was actually the reason she dumped him only a few short months before their wedding.

However, Den did not plan on Lilah’s determination to protect her new lover. How far will she go to make sure that Den directs his suspicions elsewhere?

From the author of A Dirty Death comes another wonderful tale of muck, mayhem, and murder set in the deceptively idyllic English countryside. With a richly textured plot and a memorable cast of eccentric characters, Tope draws us into all the drama and complexities of small-town life where nothing is quite what it seems.

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From the Back Cover:

Praise for A Dirty Death:

"In Rebecca Tope's tale, the daily life of a working farm is more than just background, and the complexity of its inhabitants reveals more than the mechanics of the plot: richly textured people moving in a real countryside, a side of England rarely seen even by its own people." - Laurie R King, author of Night Work and O Jerusalem

"This assured, densely textured novel, set in rural England, hardly seems a debut effort...Tope takes what appears to be a list of stock characters and imbues them with fresh definition. And shrewdly, she offers neither a clever police detective nor a bumbling one...the police stay mostly in the background while Tope's large and memorable cast play out their parts with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy." - Publishers Weekly

"An absorbing first novel...A deftly written, thoroughly entertaining story that will have discerning readers eagerly hoping for a sequel."- Kirkus Reviews

"The village mystery, long a staple of the genre, takes on a new life in the hands of a talented first-time novelist...Tope weaves all of these lives into a comfortable but compelling tale, providing yet another demonstration of how satisfying the basic conventions of a formula mystery can be in the hands of a talented writer...A stellar debut by an author to watch." – Booklist

About the Author:

Rebecca Tope grew up on a Devon farm and has had a variety of jobs. Among other things, she has worked as an antenatal instructor, a relationship counselor, undertaker’s assistant, and milk recorder. Since 1992, she has been sole proprietor of Praxis Books, a small press which has produced a number of popular titles, including The Poet’s Kit and By Way of Beachy Head. She lives in Herefordshire and is the author of A Dirty Death, Dark Undertakings, and Grave Concerns.

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