A dark and powerful novel by a writer of great skill. It's almost May Day, and on the desolate moors of Dark Peak, the villagers of Withens are dying. One has been battered to death and left for the crows to find; another chose the wrong time to call on a neighbour. And one has been dead for two years -- though not everyone will believe it. DC Ben Cooper's attempts to solve the killings come up against an impenetrable barrier in the shape of the Oxley family. Descendants of tunnel-builders, they stick to their own area like the sheep on the hillsides, passing on secret knowledge through generations and guarding their traditions from the likes of Cooper. Stephen Booth enjoys walking the hills of the Peak District, in which his crime novels are set, and the sense of place is palpable. Blind to the Bones is the follow-up to his psychological thrillers, Blood on the Tongue, Dancing with the Virgins, (which was short listed for the 2001 Gold Dagger Awards), and Black Dog. Its an impressive body of work from an accomplished writer.
