The first book in the DI Meg Dalton series, The Devil's Dice, was a great crime thriller combining classic murder mystery elements with a vividly realised Derbyshire setting and a dash of local legend. This sequel gives us another clever mystery (I won't give away any secrets, I will just say that I totally did not see the end coming at all - but looking back, yes, all the clues were there!) with a great Derbyshire Gothic feel. It builds on the first book by developing the characters further - we get a real sense of how Meg has grown and changed, and how her relationships with her colleagues, her family and her friends are growing and changing too.
My favourite character was, weirdly enough, probably Meg's obnoxious colleague Craig - he's terrible in many ways, but he has hidden depths and some (barely) redeeming qualities. His clashes with Meg provide some welcome moments of humour, and there's a scene involving him and a dog which made me laugh out loud even as I was on the edge of my seat.
The book touches on real-world issues such as the ethics around transplants, surgery, and assisted dying, without ever feeling glib or preachy. The questions it raises are both thorny and realistic, with no simple answers, and the dilemmas the characters face feel very real. Every character's point of view (even the murderer's) felt believable and at least a little bit sympathetic. The plot is fast-paced and exciting and kept me turning the pages - but what will really stay with me is the character moments. And the creepy statues.
Another great mystery from Roz Watkins - looking forward to DI Meg Dalton #3!