Kingdom of Silence by Lee Wood

It's 2001 and the United Kingdom is in the midst of the Foot and Mouth Crisis in its livestock population. DS Keen Dunliffe is asked to be the handler for young police officer Rachel Colver as she goes undercover to try and infiltrate an animal rights group. In return for his assistance, Keen will be promoted to inspector and become the head of the Sandford station in North Yorkshire. Rachel went to school with a woman named Beryl Rafferty, who has ties with the activists. The police hope that this will be their “in.” While Rachel is enthused about her role, she may be woefully underprepared. Will Keen and Rachel succeed in their mission? Kingdom of Silence is the second book in the Keen Dunliffe series. The book features lots of details about the culling of animals during the foot and mouth outbreak, which according to the author was, at times, senseless. The mystery also has a long setup to the undercover operation (half of the book). I would have preferred if more time was spent on the ins and outs of Rachel and Keen's task.