One Last Breath (Cooper & Fry 5)

Author/Guide: Stephen Booth

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: An ancient cave system deep beneath the Peak District is the perfect setting for buried secrets and a murder of revenge…

ISBN: 978-0007172047
Genre: Crime, Mystery

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What you need to know before your trail

Tourists flock to the ancient caves buried deep underneath the Peak District. Close to the town of Castleton, the site is a popular one for holidays and nice walks. But it is also a good place for a man on the run to hide.

Fourteen years ago Mansell Quinn was jailed for murdering his mistress but has now escaped and is on the run. Then his ex-wife is found dead, DC Cooper and his tough boss DS Fry suspect it is only a matter of time before another victim is found. And Ben Cooper is also on the man’s list since he is the son of Quinn’s arresting officer.

As they hunt for the hunted is this a case of a deranged killer or a man who was wrongly convicted?

Locations

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Travel Guide

Castleton

Castleton and its underground network of caves and caverns is an amazing and fascinating place to explore but it is a one where secrets are buried and a man on the run can hide…

Mansell Quinn is angry – angry at being locked up for a murder he says he didn’t commit – and now he’s the main suspect in a recent murder, one which could well lead to others since the first is his ex-wife. The murder of his mistress all those years ago still haunts him and the valley community. The people of Castleton are afraid that now he is on the loose and could well be looking for them.

Ben Cooper is afraid that he could be next but he is determined to get to the truth. Something doesn’t quire ring true about the first murder.

The setting here draws you deep into the heart of the Peak District – aside you may not have seen before – the ruins of a nearby castle and the secret underground caverns make this a wet and damp atmosphere and one which appears to mirror the buried secrets and ruined lives of the people of the area. Having a murderer on the loose bent on revenge is a dark premise on a bleak setting.

‘Apart from the shrimps there isn’t much natural life in a cafe like this,’ he said. ‘But it’s amazing how things can find a way to survive.’

The subsequent manhunt puts Ben in some very difficult positions. Not to mention the return of Dian’e sister Angie who may be leading a double life. Twists and dead ends like the caves.

He’d heard about cave breathing – the movement of air in and out of the cave

Claustrophobic, dark, eerie and a real thrill to see a fantastic tourist attraction given such a unique spin. The real life death of Neil Moss, an explorer in 1958 again adds a unique and poignant touch to the whole novel.