So He Takes the Dog - Jonathan Buckley

This is an easy read, but very difficult to categorise. Although it has a crime at its' centre and the narrator is a police officer, this is not really a mystery or detective story. Virtually nothing is resolved at the end.
It is well written, some excellent descriptions, none of the characters are wooden or one-dimensional. It starts with a body on the beach in the West Country. Much of the book is devoted to discovering who this well know local character - a tramp - truly was. As the book evolves he becomes less significant, while the lives of the others become changed and affected by the results of his murder.
Although this is a competent novel, I never really felt connected to the main character, and as the truth of the murder victim's early life is revealed it is neither shocking nor engaging.
Worth reading - but only if you haven't got lots more books to read of a much more compelling urgency! Rating: A solid 7/10