Murder in the Woods

Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates, Book 8

By: Bruce Beckham

Narrated by: Nicholas Camm

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a dog walker discovers a decaying corpse in Harterhow Woods it is surely just a matter of time before the police will close in upon the murderer. But despite a nationwide appeal the distinctive remains defy identification. Skelgill believes he knows the perpetrator - but his team have other ideas. As they unearth contradictory clues Skelgill becomes impatient - an arrest is made.

But when the victim is finally named a new prime suspect emerges. Skelgill is determined to prevail - but the facts don't fit his gut feel. And yet, as they search for a vital witness it dawns on him that there may be not one but two killers at large. And one of them may be compelled to strike again.

©2017 Bruce Beckham (P)2018 Bruce Beckham

Surprisingly good!

Up front: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review." 

With that being said, I had never heard of this series before and listened to it mainly because it was free and I like police procedural/detective/mysteries - especially of the British variety. So I had no expectations whatsoever. Hence, the title of my review: Suprisingly good. The plot was interesting: no crazy twists and turns, no elaborate drama. Just good old fashion dead bodies, creepy voyeur, creepier old men, questionable B&B, and dogs. Lots of dogs.

Personally, I found the present tense writing style a little jarring at first, but once I got accustomed to it, the story was interesting enough and I gained an appreciation for the present tense approach. The story itself was interesting, wrapped up with a lot of local color and detail.

The other difficulty has nothing to do with the book. It has to do with me popping into the story in Book 8. While having no knowledge of Books 1-7 didn't affect the plot at all of this book, it did make me curious about the relationships between the major characters in the book i.e. between DI Skelgill, DS Jones and DS Layton. So much so that I went back to see if Audible had Books 1 thru 7. Unfortunately, they don't. Their collection starts with this book - but there are Books 9 and 10, I think. I liked the book enough to purchase the Kindle version of Murder in Adland, Book 1. If I can't listen then I shall read...

As for the narrator, I really enjoyed Nicholas Camm's reading of this book so much so that while I'm reading the physical copy of Book 1, I can actually hear his voice in my head, especially when Skelgill is speaking with locals and the accents start going crazy.

Great read!

procedural, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, British-detective, twisty

Of course the mystery plot is excellent, complete with red herrings and twists, but it's the characters and more that draw you in and make you keep picking it up to read *just a chapter or two*. But there's also the beauty of wordplay, the descriptions of places so clear that you feel like you can see and smell clear across the Atlantic. The
publisher's blurb is somewhat informative but there is no need for recap or spoilers here. Each DI Skelgill book is a magnet to the mystery reader!
Nicholas Camm is marvelous as narrator, but I admit that it took my American ears a couple of chapters to become comfortable with his manner of speaking.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Lucius Publishing.

Great mystery!

Unlike many of the other reviewers, I was NIOT gifted this book in exchange for a review. Rather, this series was recommended to me by another mystery enthusiast. This was the earliest book in the series that I could find on Audible. That’s a shame because I loved listening to it. This was well-written and plotted. The characters are good and the plot had wonderfully creepy turns and twists. I also enjoyed the narration. I will definitely listen to the next in the series!

Great British Mystery!

I was pulled into this book by Bruce Beckham with its very British Inspector. I do not listen to a great many British police procedural stories, but really enjoy them. As an American, some words are different, but the story flowed well. I thought the narrator, Nicholas Camm, fit the book quite well. He added an authentic voice to the story. The book has great imagery and is a standalone listen. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I would listen to more books by this author and narrator in the future.

Great traditional detective story!

This is the 8th book in the Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates series but it stands alone. DI Skelgill is a curmudgeonly man and a hard to please boss.When the body of a dismembered woman is found in the Lake District by a woman walking her dog, DI Selgill and his team investigate. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded with descriptions and clues to sort out. I also enjoyed the role the dogs played uncovering clues. The story takes a very interesting turn at the end. I would definitively like to listen to more books in this series! I was gifted a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Detective book

I love detective books but this one was not for me. I don't know what it was about it but I couldn't really get into it as much as I would have liked.
This is not for me but others might like it more.

Inspector Skelgill

I was gifted this book with the understanding that I would leave an honest review. That said this is the first book for me in the Inspector Skelgill mysteries. I really enjoyed the narration by Nicholas Camm. His voice is amazing to listen to. I did have a hard time with the style of writing. The frequent plot changes where very hard for me to keep up with. I would have given 2.5 stars if I could have but the narration for me made me up the rating to 3.

Too English for my taste

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
I like a good detective book, but this was too English for my taste. I just could not catch the flow of the story because my mind kept going back to the words and phrases being used. Overall it was an OK story.

Ring of roses

A very British crime thriller. In the rough countryside of the Lake District, a dog walked finds the grave of a dead woman and DI Skelgill, picnicking close by, is first on the scene. He and his team first have to identify the body then track her movements to try to identify the killer. But the job becomes complicated as, increasingly, New possibilities seem to be uncovered.

This is a classic who-dum-it with clues along the way for the reader to try to solve the case first. It certainly isn't easy, with numerous characters and unexpected twists. DO Skelgill himself is an irascible man who relies as much on but instinct as evidence, usually, but this time it seems to be playing him false. The rest of his team are also slightly quirky, but nothing compared to the other protagonists. The author writes of the beauty of the area, sometimes using local patois in conversation, and he's also find of occasional illiteration, such as, 'moist mouldy smell of mulch,' which adds to the fun.

Murder in the Woods is an enjoyable murder mystery, very location dependent, and well narrated by Nicholas Camm, whose use of accents in voicing the various characters is superb. Be aware, however, that this sometimes makes what they say difficult to understand, especially for anyone who doesn't know the area. Overall, though, an excellent performance and enjoyable listen.

My thanks to the rights holder of Murder in the Woods for freely gifting me a complimentary copy, at my request, via Audiobook Boom. It was refreshingly different and I very much enjoyed the people interactions, so staid and old fashioned in many ways, as well as the odd thought processes of the DI as his sergeant conducts the more regular police procedure. I will be looking back now for early books in this series. Good fun, good read, recommended.