LYING DEAD by Aline Templeton

This is my second DI Marjory Fleming story in a series I'll certainly continue. Fleming is a farmer's wife, mother of two, daughter of elderly parents, and dedicated cop. She's so human that I sometimes half believe she's real rather than a fictional character.

A few of Templeton's characters are not so real, but then they'll surprise me by stepping away from stereotype to show another side. This is a very clever author who I suspect has done a lot of "people watching" in her life. (One of my favorite activities.)

In this story the homicide detectives have some sort of office problem. One of the problems is DC Jon Kingsley. He's new to the town and overly ambitious. He's quite sharp so it's hard to criticize him. He can be charming and entertaining, but he is obviously the main source of friction keeping his colleagues out of sorts.

Marjory needs to do something about the situation but she has too much on her plate at the moment. Her father has Alzheimer's; her mother insists on caring for him at home but it's too much for her.

Also there are leftover issues from the foot and mouth epidemic of Cold in the Earth that land a family who lost everything in the cottage on the Fleming farm. Marjory's husband Bill has kindly offered it to them along with a job for the husband. Unfortunately the wife despises Marjory, blaming her for everything because as a cop she was obliged to enforce killing infected herds.

In the middle of all this strife a woman's body is discovered on a wooded hillside. The investigation leads them to an inlet resort area where wealthy people have summer cottages. Their hard drinking and many affairs apparently are common knowledge in the area. The marina is co-owned by a newly rich scrap dealer from Glasgow with questionable background and a local ex-farmer, Niall Murdoch, who has a wandering eye and anger issues.

We also get a bit about sheep herding trials for dogs and their trainers. This aside is interesting and insightful.

Excellent plot with enough twists to keep the reader off balance. I really liked this one.

Recommended eBook
Source: Publisher through Partners in Crime Book Tours (  )

    flagbjmitch | Feb 5, 2014 | edit |