Limestone Cowboy

by Stuart Pawson

Book Overview

The sun is shining in Heckley, and DI Charlie Priest is wisecracking his way through the daily routine. Work is, if not quite relaxed, at least stress free. The biggest case on the books? A petty... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0749083603
• ISBN13: 9780749083601
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Allison & Busby
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.4" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Another Novel in the DI Charle Priest Series

Stuart Pawson had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in the village of Fairburn, in Yorkshire only about four or five miles from where I live myself. A place I regularly visit to look at the bird sanctuary there with all the water birds and a welcome pint in the Bay Horse. DI Charlie Priest is good at his job and he knows it. A typical Yorkshireman in his thinking. while things are quiet on the job fron the finally has time to concentrate on his love life. But his new girlfriend is keeping a secret from him . . . Stuart Pawson writes a good detective story, straightforward down to earth, gritty and extremely readable. None of the frills or sensationalism that may crime writers like to employ in their books. Just a good, well thought out plot and believable characters.

Another Gem

Pawson gets better and better. For Inspector Morse and Inspector Frost fans....add this one to your list.

A downright fun read

This is a fun read from start to finish. There are some difficult and sober elements in it that keep it from being an irritatingly glib romp, but this book is populated by humans who are witty and like to have fun and the one-liners do fly. The basic premise is that this is a series (which I haven't read - started with this one unawares) about a Yorkshire detective named Charlie Priest and his compatriots and environs. Life for these folks is pretty good and the crimes aren't too heinous, e.g., thefts of ladies' undergarments from the wash lines. But suddenly comes a food tampering case in the local grocery that threatens to get serious and sets the good constabulary of Heckley (of course!) on a collision course with the national press and unwanted official attention. All of this is threaded through an awkward courtship for Charlie and Rosie, his geology teacher (if you haven't sussed it already, Charlie is a bit of a rural Renaissance Man - also paints and writes). She suddenly and apparently loses interest when she finds out that her student is a copper. What keeps this book from being a bit too twee for words is that it is written in a clean, breezy style and makes no attempt at heavy social commentary, yet succeeds by not trying. These are likeable people and I look forward to recouping the series and figuring out where it all started.

A Delicious Mystery Not to be Missed

Things are looking up for Yorkshire DI Charlie Priest. His last murder case has been solved and the main case on his menu now is a petty thief stealing underwear from the clotheslines of unsuspecting housewives. And Charlie has another reason to be cheerful, with everything fairly quiet at work, he can concentrate on his latest flame, Rosie, the geology teacher from his night school class. But when someone starts tampering with food in the local supermarket and two people nearly die, Charlie has to act quickly to halt a media frenzy and to find the culprit before it becomes a murder investigation. Then, when Rosie finds out he's a detective, her ardor toward him cools considerably. He wonders why, then discovers she has a dark secret. It turns out her father was hung for murder years ago and she is trying to prove he was innocent. A TV company wants to exhume her father's body and do her story. Rosie agrees and against his better judgment, Charlie promises to help her find out what she needs to know. Charlie is a likable, loquacious character who is easy and fun to follow along with as he finds out there is not one person tampering with the food, but two, and as he seeks to discover the truth about the ancient murder. But when he does find out that truth, will he dare tell Rosie? Stuart Pawson is a must read for mystery fans. His one liners are exceptional and his description of Yorkshire will put you right there. Five stars from me for the this one. Reviewed by Vesta Irene