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The Body in the Dales
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Spoiler Discussion (Nov 2018) Value Read - The Body in the Dales, by J.R. Ellis
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I found the caving quite interesting - in my part of the world, our rock is a bit too solid (we're more interested in climbing the rocks). You would never get me down one of those pots! And I did get a good sense of the scenery, but maybe it's because I didn't get to the north much, other than Leeds, so I haven't got any memories of the area.I did get the sense that the author was trying to create a Sherlockian character, and it was up to his Watsons to catch up. From a police procedural standpoint, that's not a very good way to conduct an investigation - you would want to share what you know, so that your staff can follow up. Oldroyd as Sherlock didn't quite work for me, but I did like Carter.
I do think I might read a sequel - I think Oldroyd might improve as we get to know him.
I thought that water washing the body from its hiding place was pretty obvious right from the start. Maybe that is because I have done some minor "touristy" type spelunking and being somewhat obsessive about personal safety, I read tons about it and watched videos before I did it. That being said, I really enjoyed the character of Oldroyd a great deal. I didn't mind him withholding some things because it seemed like it was in aid of instructing his officers how to think about the crimes and problem solving. I'm not sure how I feel about the character of his sister...she came across a little preachy, although I suppose with her profession that cannot be helped. :).
I liked the idea of the passage being found and lost and then found again. I watched a video of a cave system exploration and remember a scene where they thought they were exploring something new and then found evidence of people being there before them.
There was enough good here, particularly in the setting and sense of place and in the character of Oldroyd, that I would read another in the series.
i liked the character of the sister. she was really the only one who seemed "real" to me! the others I had troubles with.If you read the next one, AngryGreyCat, I will be interested in what you think......
I think I agree with Beth - there was nothing wrong with the plot, but not in the hands of this writer. I just felt he didn't have the writing skills to pull it off. Oldroyd was supposed to be a 'character', but to me the different aspects didn't hang together to make a coherent whole. In part it was because he was too bland - he might have been better if he'd been a bit crotchety, say. Carter was completely flat, and I found him uninteresting. I also couldn't always remember who was who amongst the suspects. I agree there didn't seem any special leads to point to the Hardimans being responsible for the murders. But the other thing that struck me was that it was repeatedly emphasised how dangerous it was down the pothole, and all the discomforts of having to crawl, getting wet etc, and yet they all stood around down there while Oldroyd gave long explanations of what he'd deduced. But it was more than that - there was often an amateurishness about the writing, with one or two passages which were exceptions. I suspect these were where the author was writing about things he had personal experience of. However, I didn't think it was all bad - just not quite good enough!
I agree with you , Pauline in that it is isn't all bad. I did read it to the end! And I also agree that the characters all fell flat, especially Carter! I think the lack of character development was what made it difficult to keep all the suspects separate in the readers mind ...they all just all blended into a pile of nothingness. Your point about the cold tunnels that Oldroyd makes them stand in is like my point of leaving Carter stranded. The author didn't seem to think things through It wasn't logical behaviour
Beth wrote: "I agree with you , Pauline in that it is isn't all bad. I did read it to the end! And I also agree that the characters all fell flat, especially Carter! I think the lack of character development wa..."I felt Carter was a little hard to sympathize with, all his angst of being too old (in his late 20s) for the lifestyle his friend in London led and for pulling a coworker was a little much. I let it go because I find as I get older it sometimes find it hard to get invested in angsty younger characters. I always feel they just need a kick in the pants.
I think I liked Carter because he came in ready to immerse himself in the new place and job - he wasn't there to tell everyone how much better they did things in London. (The shoes - they turn out to be a liability in the countryside, so he buys himself some boots.)I can imagine that losing his father at a young age had him grow up a bit faster, and made a quiet life and family more attractive than his friend's lifestyle. The author might have given us a bit more backstory to that end - connected the dots a bit better.
The only character I warmed up to was Oldroyds sister! A rabble rouser within the Church! My kind of woman! Also she made some profound statements that I liked and copied to my FB page, with credit to the author of course. The sister, to me, was the only character that had any substance! I think the author would have done better to have written a mystery with her as a more important character!
There are other books in this series, aren't there? Perhaps she does have role in one of those!
Yes Pauline. I did try #3 in hopes the author improved. If anything .... well.... I gave up 3/4 way through and moved on to different author I think the author's plots have merit. But his style of writing just doesn't catch my interest
Thanks for tipping me off! I don't think I'll bother with any more, then.
Well Pauline, I hate to squash someone's interest But if you were of the same opinion of #1 then I would think you would find #2 (and it IS 2 I read, not 3) just as disappointing
Supposed to be a team effort, yet Oldroyd does solo investigating and doesn't share his findings with the team. He just expects them to come to the same conclusions. For example, he reads about the tunnels in some old book that the others didn't see.....and wonders why they haven't figured it out, as he had
And the fact that the body had been moved by water in the tunnels following heavy rains was so obvious and yet for pages and pages everyone was still questioning "how did the body get there"? Even the cavers, experienced in the tunnels, didn't twig that the new rock fall, invariably caused by water, located near the body, was a major indicator as to how the body got there!
There were little glitches in the story .... The two detectives leave harrogate together and Oldroyd leaves carter in Burnthwaite to interview people...... Does Carter walk back to harrogate?
And why would a detective wander around with a piece of evidence found near the body, in his pocket??? Surely there is a better way of handling evidence?
All the characters are flat. Carter's big decision in his first week in the new job is targeting who he will sleep with! That seems to be the extent of his detecting skills
There were kids trapped in a tunnel by heavy rain a few months back in Thailand (?). One gets more of a sense of what caving is like by reading that news story than you will in reading this book. The author fails to expose the beauty of the dales or the atmosphere in the caves, as part of this story
And then there is the conclusion ......... Steph just happens to remember a new story and Oldroyd concludes that Watson is the guilty party! Reminded me of a magician's hats and a rabbit.