Death of a Friend
Nina Cattermole lived an unconventional life and had an unusual death, head-butted by a horse as she protested against the local hunt. Then on the day of her funeral, another hunt saboteur is found dead in a ditch and CID officer Den Cooper finds himself drawn into the affairs of a divided village.
Death of a Friend follows 'A Dirty Death', a year or so later in time. Den is now a Detective Constable, and when murder intrudes into the lives of the Cattermole sisters, he is anxious to discover all he can about their lives. In the process, he learns a lot about animal rights, Quakerism and the secrets that can remain hidden for decades - until a murder blows them apart. As a Quaker Attender for 12 years or more, I wanted to portray a small rural Meeting with all its contradictions. British Quakerism is now the broadest church imaginable, welcoming people of every sort. Beliefs and lifestyles cover a great spectrum. The world of animal rights campaigning is less broad, perhaps. The murder victim, Charlie, is both a Quaker and an animal activist. I have used an ancient West Devon setting, where much has lain undisturbed for a very long time...