Shades of Death: A Mystery

by Aline Templeton

Deep in a Derbyshire cave, the skeleton of an eleven-year-old girl has lain undisturbed for eighteen years. As DS Tom Ward, in charge of the investigation, uncovers the layers of deception that span all those years, he finds himself dangerously connected to unexpected and devastating developments. A subsequent and possibly related death involves a seemingly innocent and beautiful young widow, but as the stubborn policeman discovers, appearances can be deceiving. Set in the rugged and forbidding landscape of the Peak District and peopled by a cast of complex, fascinating characters, this mesmerizing psychological thriller twists and turns toward a gripping climax.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Amazon, Crime, Audiobook, British Literature, Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2002

About the author

Aline Templeton grew up in the East Neuk of Fife and was educated at St Leonards School, St Andrews and Cambridge University. She has worked in education and broadcasting and has written numerous stories and articles for national newspapers and magazines. Templeton was a bench Justice of the Peace for ten years and is a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, now living in Edinburgh. She is married with a grown up family.

She has written nine crime novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton in Britain, and has also been published in the United States and several European countries. After writing seven stand-alone books, she started a series set in Galloway and featuring DI Marjory Fleming, the first of which – Cold In The Earth – was an Ottakar's Crime Novel of the Month and an Independent Best Summer Read. The second, The Darkness and the Deep, was published in July 2006, and there are now six books in the DI Fleming series.

Reviews

[Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Entertaining. I don't understand the super harsh reviews. The threads definitely could've been connected better and discussions around neuro challenges such as Asperger's and dyslexia are quite dated, could be updated with more aware language/discussion.

[Lesley Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! A really good novel with an interesting plot and easy to read narrative. Loved the small town feel and the fact that everyone knows each other and their business - or they think they do! I liked the premise that children are often cruel, they often misunderstand things adults say and overall it was absolutely believable. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHADES OF DEATH (Police Proc-DS Tom Ward-England-Cont) – VG+
Templeton, Aline – Standalone
Hodder & Stoughton, 2001, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0340794283
First Sentence: The scary, awful screaming and howling seemed further away now, though it was had to tell because of the echoes.
*** D.S. Tom Ward doesn’t always believe in following the rules and his newest case proves life changing. The skeleton of a young girl is found in a cave 18 years after her death. Also found in the cave are remnants of ritual sacrifice. It has taken Juliette years to realize she has been completely controlled by her husband, Jay, and finds a way to escape to her father. Jay also controlled Juliette and her friends when they were young through their “Egyptian game.” Now, even though Jay is gone, he is still manipulating the group and Tom must figure out how it all relates to the young girl’s death.
*** Templeton is one of those under-appreciated authors. Everything about her books works. From the very first line, she set the scene. The characters were interesting and fully developed; I know who they were. The dialogue is perfect, the conversations flow in a natural way. The plot was interesting and complex; I could never quite anticipate where the story was going.

[Sonja · Rating 1 out of 5]

that is some reading time, I will never get back :(

[Jill Stirling · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like the series of book this author writes and though this was a new one. Very disappointed in the story and the characters.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just scraped 3 stars. It was okay, but a bit obvious who the murderer was from about halfway through. The 'evil' character of Jay was also far too convenient.

I have found it interesting to read these early novels of Templeton's though - her later Marjorie Fleming/Kelso Strang books are far superior. It's fascinating to see her finding her way through these first books.

[Jillian Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy

I always find the theme of the Egyptian gods really creepy and I love Aline Templeton's writing so this was a winner for me. The thought that how you behaved as a child impacting on your adult life is really sobering.

[Chyna Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the fact that I could not figure it out!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Ward is a young, enthusiastic detective sergeant involved the investigation of a historic murder after skeletal remains are found in a cave. Compelling mystery.

[Carlene Alexander · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was average thriller and would have been two stars. However the portrayal of autism was so poor and negative I had to mark it down

[Kaye Maltman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Really good read from Aline Templeton. Get a cup of coffee, switch off your phone and settle down to a good read.

[Diana Hockley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard one to read. I can't come to grips with animal torture and even though it's "only" a story, I hate reading about it. However, the plot had more twists and turns than I could imagine. The author did a good job of leading the reader through the secrets which were kept for twenty years.

I don't want to give a spoiler - suffice to say, I was disappointed in the final unveiling of the murderer, it was unconvincing for me, quite frankly and I didn't want the main detective, Tom, to do what he did at the end.

There, that's put the cat among the pigeons, hasn't it? :)

Not a bad read and worth the four stars I am giving it.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel. It had a nice reasonably complicated plot - ie not too outlandish not glaringly obvious. I didn't totally guess whodunnit but wasn'r surprised by the outcome either. Over all a good undemanding read, not too bloodthirsty or "gritty" - which I am always worried about with modern crime novels. I read Cold in the earth by this author a couple of months ago - which I enjoyed too, but of the two I think I liked this more.
This will now be going out on a bookcrossing ray, - for which I am still taking names. Next stop Canada for this one.

[comfort · Rating 5 out of 5]

This starts off in such a frightening scenario, it took me a few goes to get past the set-up as I was afraid I'd have nightmares.

The whole concept of 'caving" is so beyond my comfort zone I can't even read about it (initially). Little girl lost in a cave with no light.

This is the story of finding her killer 25 (or so) years later.

[Luigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual sort of read, but it got me curious. Don't usually read mysteries, but the Egyptian Osiris link caught my interest. Dissapointed on that aspect, but otherwise pretty good characterisation.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Aline's Big Marge series, so I wanted to explore her other novels. This did not disappoint, though I was surprised at the main character in the end. A gripping, complex mystery. I lost several fingernails reading this.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressive. Immediately engrossing writing that seamlessly weaves in background story for each character that is almost as interesting as the main plot.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a pretty cool book i like has it keeeps u reading to find out what happens later in the book!

[Odile Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!
It kept me guessing and wanted to know who did it.
The main characters are well written and I was interested in and cared about what will or may happen to them.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audio book. It is a reasonably complex crime story and the characters were well developed. It kept me guessing until the end as to who was behind the murder.

[Carol Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all those Stephen Booth books, I was interested to go back to the Peaks with another detective novelist. Very well done!

[Ingo]

Had this on my wishlist at Amazon.de and sorted for price low to high, this had sunk 100%, being free when I checked it.

[Laura Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining if a bit melodramatic. I enjoy Templeton's Marjory Fleming series very much.