Brief Description
After ten years, Guy, a drifter with a taste for deception, has returned to Coniston in Englands Lake District and professes to know what happened to the missing Emma Bestwick. DCI Hannah Scarlett, head of Cumbrias Cold Case Review Team, re-opens the old investigation, and a shocking discovery makes it clear that there is more than one mystery to solve.
Learn More about the Book
After ten years, Guy a drifter with a taste for deception has returned to Coniston in England s Lake District. Local journalist Tony di Venuto is campaigning to revive interest in the disappearance of Emma Bestwick, and Guy knows what happened to her. When Guy tips off the newspaperman that Emma will not be coming home, DCI Hannah Scarlett, head of Cumbria s Cold Case Review Team, re-opens the old investigation. Her inquiries take her to the Museum of Myth and Legend and to the remote and eerie Arsenic Labyrinth a series of stone tunnels used to remove arsenic from tin ore. Meanwhile, historian Daniel Kind is immersing himself in the work of John Ruskin, whose neighbors created the Arsenic Labyrinth. A shocking discovery made against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District in winter makes it clear to Hannah that there is more than one mystery to solve, and she turns to Daniel for help in untangling the secrets of the past ."
About the Author
Martin Edwards has published 16 crime novels and more than 50 short stories. His crime fiction has been short-listed for several awards, and in 2008 he won the CWA Short Story Dagger. He had edited 20 crime anthologies and contributed essays to many reference books and magazines. www.martinedwardsbooks.com
Review Quotes
1. "DCI Hannah Scarlett returns to crack open another cold case. Ten years after the disappearance of a local woman, Emma Bestwick, a stranger comes to the Lake District and offers up tantalizing clues that could lead to a solution to the mystery. Meanwhile, historian Daniel Kind is researching the life of John Ruskin, the nineteenth-century poet, art critic, and philosopher. As usual, Scarletts mystery and Kinds research intersect, this time at the Arsenic Labyrinth, a group of mining tunnels built by friends of Ruskin that could hold the answer to Emmas disappearance. And lets not forget the mysterious stranger: villain or concerned citizen? The Scarlett/Kind novels rely heavily on their beautiful Lake District setting, but Edwards never lets the atmosphere outshine the stories. Fans of this increasingly popular series will be in line for this one, and it should be recommended to readers of such similar British authors as Peter Robinson and Sally Spencer." David Pitt, Booklist
2. "After a newspaper article commemorating the tenth anniversary of Emma Bestwick's disappearance results in a series of anonymous phone tips, Detective Chief Inspector Hannah Scarlett, head of the Cumbria Constabulary's Cold Case Review Team, begins to question Emma's family and friends. Soon, historian Daniel Kind, researching John Ruskin's years in the Lake District, unearths information vital to the case. Edwards, author of seven Harry Devlin novels and two other Lake District mysteries (e.g., The Cipher Garden ), leads readers down a long and torturous path, handing out pieces of the puzzles and ratcheting up the suspense until the very end. Along the way, he offers tidbits about Ruskin, the history of England's Lake District, and insight into the spooky Arsenic Labyrinth, a dangerous series of tunnels in which tin ore was mined for its arsenic content. Patrons who enjoy challenging mysteries with complex characters, intricate relationships, and dangerous secrets (think Deborah Crombie, P.D. James, and Elizabeth George) will snap this one up." --Library Journal
3.
“Patrons who enjoy challenging mysteries with complex characters, intricate relationships, and dangerous secrets (think Deborah Crombie, P.D. James, and Elizabeth George) will snap this one up." --"Library Journal"
" Edwards never lets the atmosphere outshine the stories. Fans of this increasingly popular series will be in line for this one, and it should be recommended to readers of such similar British authors as Peter Robinson and Sally Spencer." -- "Booklist"
"Ambitious, nuanced and brimful of Lake Country atmosphere -- Edwards always gives top value..." -- "Kirkus Reviews" "Martin Edward's third mystery set in the Lake District of England, "The Arsenic Labyrinth", is at its best in the beautiful descriptions of the region and for creating a moody atmosphere for the characters." --" Mystery Book Review"
4.
"Patrons who enjoy challenging mysteries with complex characters, intricate relationships, and dangerous secrets (think Deborah Crombie, P.D. James, and Elizabeth George) will snap this one up." --"Library Journal"
" Edwards never lets the atmosphere outshine the stories. Fans of this increasingly popular series will be in line for this one, and it should be recommended to readers of such similar British authors as Peter Robinson and Sally Spencer." -- "Booklist"
"Ambitious, nuanced and brimful of Lake Country atmosphere -- Edwards always gives top value..." -- "Kirkus Reviews""Martin Edward's third mystery set in the Lake District of England, "The Arsenic Labyrinth," is at its best in the beautiful descriptions of the region and for creating a moody atmosphere for the characters." --" Mystery Book Review"
