I do enjoy books that are set in my home county... but only if they are good, and this one is. It avoids the tourist's view of Devon and instead shows it, warts and all -squalid parts of Devon's county town Exeter, the isolation of moorland living, but also the rural traditions and beautiful scenery. Having a person who works for the fire brigade solving a crime is a neat twist, as it means she is more familiar with police work than most people, and her camera work gives her a keen eye for details. However, the fact that Gus's job apparently does not exist as such is rather odd -better to have made her a real firewoman, and then her heroics would have been a lot more believable. This minor gripe aside, this is a fast-paced and enjoyable story, told by a sympathetic woman who enjoys her life despite having extremely noisy neighbors and a father who is HIV+. The other characters have very real reactions to crimes, especially the victims, and thus perhaps this book manages to achieve what I always say is the true role of fiction -to provide a realistic view of things, but with more excitement and interest than real life normally holds. This appears to be the start of a series, and I will certainly be looking forward to the next installment.