Okay, so I loved this book.

This is the second in a series of Constable Ben Cooper novels and my affinity for these books has been previously well-documented. However, since I started reading the series at book three, I was always a little confused about what DS Diane Fry was holding over Cooper's head. Which, of course, was finally revealed in this book.

Turns out, Cooper's inherent sense of loyalty to his family, friends, and colleagues blows up in his face. His partner, DC Todd Weenink, confides in him that he tampered with evidence in a burglary case. Add to that the fact that Cooper inadvertently comes across a piece of evidence linking Weenink to their current case (and doesn't share it), and Cooper is in potentially very hot and dangerous water.

The case is an interesting one. A young woman is found dead in the center of a Stonehenge-like set of stones known locally as the Nine Virgins (thus the title of the book). Of course, there's more to the case than meets the eye because there was also a previous victim (two, really, as it turns out). There is also a cast of interesting, real, and tragic characters that help flesh out the story, including two nearly codependent Peak Park Rangers, a womanizing police detective, a couple of vagabonds living in a decrepit van, and a desperate farmer on the verge of losing everything.

The result of the police investigation is unexpected; again, things aren't ever what they seem. But the meat of the story is the background of the two leads: DC Cooper and (Acting) DS Fry. For instance, we learn more about Cooper's almost love-hate relationship with his dad and the pressure he still feels to live up to his father's standards even after Joe Cooper's death. We also learn that Fry had had an abortion as a result of a rape-induced pregnancy. Also, the fact that she is searching for her sister is introduced.

The best part to me is the tenuous relationship between Cooper and Fry. It's very contentious, very tense, very reluctant. Cooper wants to befriend her, but he wants to hate her, too. After all, he still resents her a little for getting the promotion he'd hoped to get. Fry, on the other hand, is being driven crazy by her need to understand Cooper. She keeps finding herself asking, "What would Cooper do?" and she hates it. It's no secret their methods are completely different, as are their personalities. But they still tend to complement each other and get the job done.

Having read all the subsequent books (well, the ones available in the US, at least), it was great to be able to put some of the stuff that happens in them between Cooper & Fry in its proper context.

I very much enjoyed this book. Can't wait for the latest book to come to the States.