An English Murder

Jacket Description/Flap: When the bodies of the Cowpers, a reclusive middle-aged couple, are discovered brutally slaughtered -- and their teenage daughter goes missing -- the tiny village of Nether Bowston reels in shock. And as the townspeople mull over the first murder in a century, everyone is asking the same question: Where is Gemma Cowper? Just down the road from the murder scene, Alison Akenside divides her time between cultivating her roses and reporting for the "Rutland Record. Like Gemma, Alison grew up in the village -- and knows what it's like for a young girl whose dreams are far grander than her prospects. Alison searches for inside information on the murder, hoping finally to sell a story to a national newspaper. But as the case leads her into the darkest corners of this bucolic town, she realizes that not everything is what it seems. And soon Alison, like the rest of Nether Bowston, will discover what really went on behind the tightly drawn curtains of the Cowper home -- and find out if Gemma is the victim of a madman ... or something much worse. Review Quotes: "Gripping."-- "Chicago Sun-Times "This is cozy noir, original, unpredictable, and almost certain to please the reader in search of something different."-- "The San Diego Union-Tribune "Spellbinding."-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Superbly readable and beautifully put together."-- "The Independent on SundayReview Quotes: "Gripping."-- "Chicago Sun-Times" "This is cozy noir, original, unpredictable, and almost certain to please the reader in search of something different."-- "The San Diego Union-Tribune" "Spellbinding."-- "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review) "Superbly readable and beautifully put together."-- "The Independent on Sunday"Review Quotes: "Gripping."-- "Chicago Sun-Times""This is cozy noir, original, unpredictable, and almost certain to please the reader in search of something different."-- "The San Diego Union-Tribune""Spellbinding."-- "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)"Superbly readable and beautifully put together."-- "The Independent on Sunday"Publisher Marketing: When the bodies of the Cowpers, a reclusive middle-aged couple, are discovered brutally slaughtered -- and their teenage daughter goes missing -- the tiny village of Nether Bowston reels in shock. And as the townspeople mull over the first murder in a century, everyone is asking the same question: Where is Gemma Cowper? Just down the road from the murder scene, Alison Akenside divides her time between cultivating her roses and reporting for the "Rutland Record." Like Gemma, Alison grew up in the village -- and knows what it's like for a young girl whose dreams are far grander than her prospects. Alison searches for inside information on the murder, hoping finally to sell a story to a national newspaper. But as the case leads her into the darkest corners of this bucolic town, she realizes that not everything is what it seems. And soon Alison, like the rest of Nether Bowston, will discover what really went on behind the tightly drawn curtains of the Cowper home -- and find out if Gemma is the victim of a madman ... or something much worse. Review Citations:

Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2000 pg. 338 (EAN 9780786707577, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 04/17/2000 pg. 56 (EAN 9780786707577, Hardcover)

Booklist 05/01/2000 pg. 1616 (EAN 9780786707577, Hardcover)

New York Times 05/21/2000 pg. 32 (EAN 9780786707577, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Doughty, Louise Louise Doughty is the author of the novels Crazy Paving, Dance with Me, Honey-Dew, Fires in the Dark, and Stone Cradle, as well as the nonfiction book A Novel in a Year, based on her popular newspaper column. She has written plays for radio and has worked widely as a critic, broadcasting regularly for BBC Radio 4. She lives in London.