Bruce and Bennett Mystery Series by Valerie Laws
Bruce and Bennett Mystery #1
The Rotting Spot
Valerie Laws
Someone's getting away with murder... and they'll do anything to keep it that way. The skull hunter's rotting spot hides a secret, while the families on the sea-lashed Northumbrian headland hide several more. When Lucy Seaton goes missing, her friend Erica Bruce is convinced there's a link to the disappearance of Lucy's cousin years before. At first, Inspector Will Bennett's sceptical of Erica's homeopathy and love of William Blake's prophecies, so she begins her own investigation, contending with Lucy's steely mother and religious aunt - and the doubtful assistance of excess-loving Stacey. Winner of a Northern Writer's Award, shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize. PRAISE FOR THE ROTTING SPOT:'A darkly intriguing debut.' Val McDermid 'A fresh and talented new voice in crime-writing,... takes the established form of the rural detective novel, but brings it bang up to date. And all within the framework of a well-structured plot.' Ann Cleeves (Creator of TV's Vera and Shetland) 'Opens with a bang...and interweaves a suspenseful story with graphic extracts from the Skull Hunter's blog. As Erica crosses paths with DI Will Bennett, he of the blue, blue eyes, and skeletons rattle loudly in closets, Laws brings her locations vibrantly to life.' Daneet Steffens, Time Out London. Review'A darkly intriguing debut.' Val McDermid'A fresh and talented new voice in crime-writing,... takes the established form of the rural detective novel, but brings it bang up to date. And all within the framework of a well-structured plot.' Ann Cleeves (Creator of TV's Vera and Shetland)'Opens with a bang...and interweaves a suspenseful story with graphic extracts from the Skull Hunter's blog. As Erica crosses paths with DI Will Bennett, he of the blue, blue eyes, and skeletons rattle loudly in closets, Laws brings her locations vibrantly to life.' Daneet Steffens,* Time Out London. *From the AuthorThis is my first crime novel, now on Kindle. My twelve published books include crime and comedy fiction, prize-winning poetry, plays, and best-selling language books. Erica Bruce, my homeopath detective, is young, driven, and complex, and she meets and works uneasily with gorgeous Detective Inspector Will Bennett, who is skeptical of her ideas. My poetry has recently been about pathology and the science of dying, researched through residencies with science institutes, and my interest in pathology informs my crime fiction. This is the first of the series, the second is now on Kindle. It's set on the beautiful Northumberland coast where I grew up, though there are some larger than life characters roaming the bars of the less scenic coastal areas too! The skull collecting theme is based on a time when I lived in Wales and skull collecting was all the rage. We had a rotting spot to rot down our skulls, hence the title. I still have some of them. They are looking at me now!
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