Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2015
256 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
German bombers are arriving daily, seeking to crush England. But in a rural Hampshire village, things have remained fairly quiet—until an elderly loner, Will Blackwell, is brutally murdered. The method of his killing bears the hallmarks of the traditional vanquishing of a witch, and indeed, local legend claims that as a boy, Blackwell encountered a ghostly black dog sent from the devil, who struck a bargain for Blackwell's soul.
Not long after the murder, a young woman who is carrying the illegitimate child of a fighter pilot also is violently killed; then a local drunkard ends up in the race of an abandoned mill with the back of his head bashed in. As the Germans continue their relentless attack, Detective Inspector Thomas Lamb rushes to solve the crimes. Do the killer's motivations lie in the murky regions of the occult?
"Lamb, who's haunted by his experiences in WWI, is a complex lead meriting further outings." - Publishers Weekly
"Fans of well-researched historical mysteries, particularly the work of Charles Todd and Charles Finch, will welcome this solid debut that introduces a complex, driven hero who is both a product of his time and relatable in our modern age. Here's hoping this will be the first of many installments featuring the endearing Lamb." - Library Journal
"A fine-grained first novel." - Kirkus
"Kelly transports his reader fully and with convincing authenticity to a different time and place. They just happen to be a time of war and a place of darkness and menace - and once he's got you there, he spins his web of intrigue with expert ease. Superb stuff!" - Craig Russell, international bestselling author of the Fabel and Lennox thriller series
"Filled with believable, psychologically complex characters in a vividly evoked historical setting, this superbly written, suspenseful mystery keeps the reader guessing from the very beginning to a startling conclusion." - Gary Inbinder, author of The Devil in Montmartre
"This is a thrilling read ... Based on a real case the novel takes the facts in a new and original direction, providing a thrilling dénouement via some very satisfying twists and turns. I for one can't wait to read more about the adventures of Inspector Lamb and his team in the future." - Diana Bretherick, author of City of Devils
"Grisly murder, war, the occult, and lively characters with dark secrets all come together in this fine story." - Philip Freeman, author of St. Brigid's Bones
This information about The Language of the Dead was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Stephen Kelly is an award-winning writer, reporter, editor and newspaper columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and Baltimore Magazine. He has a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars and has taught writing and journalism at Hopkins, Towson University, in Baltimore, and Sweet Briar College, in Virginia. He lives in Columbia, Maryland.
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