Fall Down Dead

 by Stephen Booth

This book was recommended for its strong sense of scenery and it certainly did that.  The main setting is Kinder Scout in the Peak District.  The area is a rugged but popular hiking area with many challenges including peat bogs that will suck you in to the knees and steep cliffs.

The book opens with what appears to be and open and shut murder case, a husband has stabbed his wife and admits to doing it.  At the end of the book this isn't really settled, it could possibly be the couple's son.

However, the majority of the book is about the death of a woman, who falls, or has been pushed over the cliff during a fog.  The woman was part of a group that annually hiked the area in tribute to the relatives of the hike organizer's ancestors who did the hike in protest years before.  The group should have turned back when the fog came in but they kept going until they were disorientated.  Then one of the group hurts his ankle, the woman who ends up dead agrees to stay with him while the others split up and go seeking a cell signal or assistance,

The police then have a dozed potential suspects, the members of the hiking group, one of which is the woman's brother.

While this is going on a former colleague of the local police, a woman from another detachment is being investigated by professional standards.  The case seems very weak and you have to wonder why they would bother.  Her sister used to be a drug addict and associated with some very bad people but eventually became a police informant.  It almost seems that they are trying to set this officer up but not sure why... perhaps they thinks she knows something about other crooked cops.  The police officer confides in the policeman who is investigating the death on the cliff.  He goes in to see the investigators and vouches for her and that seems to get her off the hook.

Eventually we find out that a woman the police least suspect killed the woman because she thought there was a romantic relationship between the woman and the group leader (the murderer is in love with the group leader).  The group leader is murdered and his wife is shocked to learn his company is on the verge of bankruptcy.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery but the police intrigue was a bit weak.  The rest of the story was okay.