Stone Dead

Instantly gripping and wonderfully perplexing, this English procedural begins with what looks like an open-and-shut case of murder: photographer Peter Foster has shot and killed someone in the bedroom of the well-appointed cottage he shares with his lover, top model Lisa Remington. In a well on the property, the police discover a corpse with its face blown away. Foster says it is Lisa's abusive ex-husband, whose body he discovered in the house shortly after Lisa left to go on location. Lisa's ex turns up alive, however, while Lisa herself is missing. The case becomes increasingly complex as Detective Chief Inspector Neil Paget, always methodical, dour and shrewd, and Sergeant John Tregalles, ever upbeat and capable, tap into the greatest resource a country policeman could utilize: local gossip. Smith, who introduced Paget and company in Fatal Flat (1996), features a broad spectrum of both London and rural citizens: stylish models; clannish farmers; malevolent parents; inept constables. There's also a keenly rendered lineup of extremely clever suspects: the jealous ex-husband; a protective father; a rejected suitor. A neatly integrated subplot about a child stalker adds another dimension. There even seems to be glimmerings of a romance for the stoic Paget. This village mystery is beguiling from beginning to end. (Mar.)