Scared to Live

The novels that inspired the Channel 5 TV series COOPER AND FRY, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)

A dark psychological thriller featuring Diane Fry and Ben Cooper, in which a small community is ripped apart by arson and murder.

‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric’ – Reginald Hill.

An assassination in the night – an open window and three bullets from the darkness – the victim a harmless middle-aged woman. But can she really be quite as innocent as she seems? The death of Rose Shepherd swarms with questions – unlike the deaths of a woman and her two children in a house fire. A tragedy, yes, but an everyday one.

Then DS Fry discovers a link between the two cases, a link that crosses the borders between nations, between right and wrong, between madness and sanity. She and Ben Cooper discover why some people are scared to live – and others are fated to die…

Praise for the Cooper and Fry series

‘Stephen Booth’s Black Dog sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let you go. A dark star may be born!’ Reginald Hill

‘In this atmospheric debut, Stephen Booth makes high summer in Derbyshire as dark and terrifying as midwinter’ Val McDermid

Reviews

Praise for ‘Scared to Live’:

‘It’s easy to see why Stephen Booth’s novels are so popular. The awesome scenery is an ideal background for a murder or two; he has developed his two principal characters into rounded personalities and he always gives them an intriguing mystery to investigate.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘A modern master of rural noir.’ Guardian

‘Booth’s aim is to portray the darkness that lies below the surface… in this he succeeds wonderfully well.’ Mark Billingham, Daily Mail

‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric.’ Reginald Hill

Praise for Stephen Booth:

‘Stephen Booth creates a fine sense of place and atmosphere … the unguessable solution to the crime comes as a real surprise.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘The complex relationship between [Cooper and Fry] is excellently drawn, and is combined with an intriguing plot and a real sense of place: Stephen Booth is an author to keep an eye on.’ Evening Standard

'A leading light of British crime writing.' Guardian

‘In this atmospheric debut, Stephen Booth makes high summer in Derbyshire as dark and terrifying as midwinter.’ Val McDermid

‘’Black Dog’ sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go … A dark star may be born!’ Reginald Hill

About the author

Stephen Booth was born in the Lancashire mill town of Burnley and has remained rooted to the Pennines during his career as a newspaper journalist. He lives with his wife Lesley in a former Georgian dower house in Nottinghamshire and his interests include folklore, the Internet and walking in the hills of the Peak District. ‘Scared to Live’ is the seventh in the series featuring Derbyshire detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry.