Death of an Innocent(1989)

Roger Ormerod

Richard Patton, an ex-Detective Inspector is enjoying early retirement.

He is asked by his wife's old college friend, a successful novelist, to unofficially investigate a suspected burglary at her house overlooking the Norfolk Broads.

Although the place is full of treasures, apparently there has been nothing stolen; no sign of fingerprints or footprints, just a broken roof tile and, Raffles-like, three telltale bags of Earl Grey tea.

Yet Patton, digging deeper, soon discovers evidence of an apparent murder, a young woman's drowning which has been officially accepted as accidental.

At this point, Richard finds his loyalties severely strained, and as his investigation progresses, he unearths a background of family strife that could have been enough to provoke violence.

But it is still unclear how the dead young woman could have been the victim.

As he starts to dig into the case, Richards tries to work out the motive for the crime, but he soon realises he faces conflicting loyalties.

Reluctantly he withdraws, only to learn that another death has occurred.

Realizing he might have prevented this second fatality, he returns to a final, angry and dramatic interrogation, which ultimately reveals the truth.

‘Death of an Innocent’ is a gripping crime thriller from a master story-teller.

Praise for Roger Ormerod:

‘Roger Ormerod is an accomplished writer of traditional murder mysteries who has earned himself not only popular success but also the respect and admiration of his colleagues...This is a strongly characterised, intellectually teasing story with a nail-biting climax, which any crime fiction buff ought to relish.’ James Melville, Hampstead & Highgate Express.

Roger Ormerod is the author of over twenty novels. He was born in 1920 and left school at seventeen to join the Civil Service in which he spent most of his working life. He retired in 1970 and later worked as a postman and in the production control department of a heavy industry factory. He lives in Wolverhampton. His other novels include ‘A Shot At Nothing’, ‘Third Time Fatal’, ‘The Key to the Case’ and ‘The Night She Died’.

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