Murder Room
47 total works
Stephen Burley was standing trial for the theft of GBP20,000 in cash from his employers, Rickard's Motors.
Detective Sergeant Nick Atwell, the investigating officer in charge of the enquiries, had become uneasy about the case. Burley had fainted in the dock when he was convicted, and Nick interpreted this...
Read moreStephen Burley was standing trial for the theft of GBP20,000 in cash from his employers, Rickard's Motors.
Detective Sergeant Nick Atwell, the investigating officer in charge of the enquiries, had become uneasy about the case. Burley had fainted in the dock when he was convicted, and Nick interpreted this as another sign of his innocence.
Nick appeals to his young wife, Clare, for help, and on various pretences Clare embarks on some very tricky enquiries of her own ...
Agent or traitor? Killer or victim? Kurte Menke is a refugee from the East ... or is he?
Once they had been friends - long ago in Berlin before the wall was built. Now, for fifteen years, their friendship has totalled a card at Christmas. But, a late-night phone...
Read moreAgent or traitor? Killer or victim? Kurte Menke is a refugee from the East ... or is he?
Once they had been friends - long ago in Berlin before the wall was built. Now, for fifteen years, their friendship has totalled a card at Christmas. But, a late-night phone call brings Charles Ashmore, a respectable London solicitor, and Kurte Menke, an East German defector, together again.
Is it just chance that Kurt's reappearance coincides with the trial of an English spy - a trial that Charles is defending? And who sends the mysterious attackers to Charles's cottage? Is it the Germans, the British, or somebody else?
Six men have failed to appear in a West End court, so it's time for Scotland Yard to make a few undercover enquiries. They enlist the help of Detective-Constable Cordari, who leads them to a mysterious organisation smuggling criminals out of the country.
There ensues a relentless chase that...
Read moreSix men have failed to appear in a West End court, so it's time for Scotland Yard to make a few undercover enquiries. They enlist the help of Detective-Constable Cordari, who leads them to a mysterious organisation smuggling criminals out of the country.
There ensues a relentless chase that moves to Algeria and back to London. In the meantime, Cordari has vanished in the same horribly mysterious way as others before him.
'A plot that grows to grim and sinister proportions. An ingenious story with plenty of excitement' Manchester Evening News
Solicitor Rosa Epton has vowed never again to work on a case with Malcolm Palfrey. For two years she's managed to keep that promise - but when Palfrey journeys from distant Nettleford personally to request her assistance in one final case, Rosa finds herself reluctantly agreeing.
Initially the job...
Read moreSolicitor Rosa Epton has vowed never again to work on a case with Malcolm Palfrey. For two years she's managed to keep that promise - but when Palfrey journeys from distant Nettleford personally to request her assistance in one final case, Rosa finds herself reluctantly agreeing.
Initially the job seems routine enough: the two lawyers are to defend a young couple charged with malicious damage following a night of reckless drinking. While Rosa doggedly prepares the defence, Palfrey's participation is almost nonexistent, and on the day of the trial he fails to turn up. What Rosa doesn't know is that he is slumped over a park bench with a bullet in his brain and gun in his hand ...
On trial is young tearaway Ian Tanner, accused of the accidental but reckless hit-and-run killing of his own buddy. What really happened? The answer involves a ruthless gang, a gang that nearly disposes of yet another victim before Detective Constable Patrick Bramley figures it all out.
Meanwhile the judge...
Read moreOn trial is young tearaway Ian Tanner, accused of the accidental but reckless hit-and-run killing of his own buddy. What really happened? The answer involves a ruthless gang, a gang that nearly disposes of yet another victim before Detective Constable Patrick Bramley figures it all out.
Meanwhile the judge is facing a personal predicament so closely associated with the case itself that he doubts whether he should proceed ...
'Excellent' Current Crime
Clive Donig is on trial for the murder of Stanley Fulmer, a senior partner in a very shady firm of solicitors. The prosecution contend that he is a professional killer, hired by one of Fulmer's clients whom Fulmer has cheated.
Detective Sergeant Nick Atwell is a key witness for...
Clive Donig is on trial for the murder of Stanley Fulmer, a senior partner in a very shady firm of solicitors. The prosecution contend that he is a professional killer, hired by one of Fulmer's clients whom Fulmer has cheated.
Detective Sergeant Nick Atwell is a key witness for the prosecution, as well as being the officer in charge of the case. And, behind the scenes Nick's clever young wife, Clare, is doing a bit of enquiring of her own ...
A police officer needs the quickness and guile of a bookmaker, the ingenuity of a psychiatrist and the physical reserves of a Marine, or so it seems to Detective Chief Superintendent Manton, who is called in to investigate a huge bullion robbery and its possible link with the death...
Read moreA police officer needs the quickness and guile of a bookmaker, the ingenuity of a psychiatrist and the physical reserves of a Marine, or so it seems to Detective Chief Superintendent Manton, who is called in to investigate a huge bullion robbery and its possible link with the death of a solicitor in a car crash.
But even when a supposed double murderer is charged and tried there is still a taunting question mark over the case. Whose was the brain that planned the audacious gold robbery and does Manton know enough about the criminal mind to find out?
When Evelyn Henshaw comes to Rosa Epton's office demanding that in the event of her disappearance her husband be investigated for murder, Rosa is more than a little doubtful. Hesitant to take the woman on as a client, she is drawn in when Mr Henshaw subsequently arrives at her...
Read moreWhen Evelyn Henshaw comes to Rosa Epton's office demanding that in the event of her disappearance her husband be investigated for murder, Rosa is more than a little doubtful. Hesitant to take the woman on as a client, she is drawn in when Mr Henshaw subsequently arrives at her office claiming that his wife has disappeared.
And when the young lodger living in the couple's home turns up dead, Rosa must unearth the skeletons of the couple's troubled marriage and fit together the pieces of a complicated puzzle.
It is unfortunate that Jeremy Harper was the one to stumble upon the victim of an armed robbery. A young barrister, he is more used to holding court than being a witness. He also finds himself curiously linked to the man in the dock.
It is a trial with deep...
Read moreIt is unfortunate that Jeremy Harper was the one to stumble upon the victim of an armed robbery. A young barrister, he is more used to holding court than being a witness. He also finds himself curiously linked to the man in the dock.
It is a trial with deep undercurrents, and one that dramatically comes to a head when a strangled body is found in the town hall.
Enter Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton of Scotland Yard, who will not rest until the final clue falls into place ...
Adam Cape - a young barrister - prosecutes a case of assault at the Old Bailey. On the face of it, it's a straightforward trial but its aftermath brings him uncomfortably close to death and Adam is unable to free himself from a murder that results.
With the...
Read moreAdam Cape - a young barrister - prosecutes a case of assault at the Old Bailey. On the face of it, it's a straightforward trial but its aftermath brings him uncomfortably close to death and Adam is unable to free himself from a murder that results.
With the best of motives, and the most unprofessional behavior, he becomes a bane to police; lands in hospital; is on hand when a bank robbery is averted - and, remarkably, bumbles into the truth of the case.
A prominent judge is murdered on the opening day of the new Runnymede Crown Court, and Rosa Epton become doubly involved, both as a witness to the murder and the solicitor in a drugs trial over which Judge Ambrose was to have presided.
His replacement, Judge Holtby, seems unduly...
Read moreA prominent judge is murdered on the opening day of the new Runnymede Crown Court, and Rosa Epton become doubly involved, both as a witness to the murder and the solicitor in a drugs trial over which Judge Ambrose was to have presided.
His replacement, Judge Holtby, seems unduly upset by the death of his colleague - and then two more deaths occur. But was Judge Ambrose the real target in the first place? And what involvement does Rosa's client in the drugs case have in the whole business?
Eventually Rosa is able to deduce the likely sequence of events, but there is still a final secret to be revealed ...
Frank Wimble never doubted his ability to do anything he wanted. When he set out to commit the perfect murder he was entirely confident.
When his wife vanishes the locals all assume Wimble has done it, especially when he starts to go around with his young mistress. But with...
Read moreFrank Wimble never doubted his ability to do anything he wanted. When he set out to commit the perfect murder he was entirely confident.
When his wife vanishes the locals all assume Wimble has done it, especially when he starts to go around with his young mistress. But with no body and no evidence the police can't do much. They can't do anything, in fact, until Wimble gets unlucky and a most damning piece of evidence suddenly appears. But is it enough to convict Wimble at trial?
Her Honour Judge Celia Kilby does not suffer fools gladly. Criminals, counsel and clerks all feel the lash of her tongue, and all know her bark is as vicious as her bite. So when she receives an anonymous letter threatening her life, no one is particularly surprised.
But the police...
Read moreHer Honour Judge Celia Kilby does not suffer fools gladly. Criminals, counsel and clerks all feel the lash of her tongue, and all know her bark is as vicious as her bite. So when she receives an anonymous letter threatening her life, no one is particularly surprised.
But the police investigation fails to substantiate the threat; and then Judge Kilby is found murdered in her own garden and surprising aspects of her private life come to light, including an illegitimate son.
Suspects and motives abound, but means and opportunity remain elusive - until Rosa Epton accepts a client who confesses to being the anonymous letter writer. But is her client the killer?
A crime-thriller that strikes the heart of the legal world.
QC Christopher Henham is poisoned during the hearing of a divorce case. His wife, her son and ex-husband, not to mention a High Court judge, his wife and a secretary all come under suspicion.
Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton...
Read moreA crime-thriller that strikes the heart of the legal world.
QC Christopher Henham is poisoned during the hearing of a divorce case. His wife, her son and ex-husband, not to mention a High Court judge, his wife and a secretary all come under suspicion.
Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton takes charge of the investigation. What is the truth behind Mrs Henham's motor accident? Who doctored her husband's cough sweets? But, before he can solve the case, another murder is committed.
'Her name is Maisie Jenks and that's her father with her. They live up in St. John's Wood way, and she knows who the murderer is ...'
William Tarrant is on trial for the murder of a police constable. Before he can give evidence in his own defence, however,...
Read more'Her name is Maisie Jenks and that's her father with her. They live up in St. John's Wood way, and she knows who the murderer is ...'
William Tarrant is on trial for the murder of a police constable. Before he can give evidence in his own defence, however, he is shot in Court 1 of the Old Bailey.
In his debut case, Detective-Inspector Simon Manton has to solve the puzzle of a missing juror, a nervous warder, and a girl, Maisie, who screams just before the deadly shot is fired ...
'Her scarf had been knotted tightly around her neck and it was obvious she had been killed with great determination ...'
Susan Andrews has been murdered and her body found near a disused airfield. The case is now in the hands of Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton, but Susan's father, a...
Read more'Her scarf had been knotted tightly around her neck and it was obvious she had been killed with great determination ...'
Susan Andrews has been murdered and her body found near a disused airfield. The case is now in the hands of Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton, but Susan's father, a former detective-inspector, decides to investigate himself.
Important questions soon emerge - what part has a philandering salesman with a scratched cheek, or the dreamy undergraduate son of the local gentry played in Susan's final hours? And, how much evidence must you have against a suspect before you can charge them with murder?
Deepwood Grange is no longer what it was in the thirties: the beautiful old house has been converted into luxury apartments, and the original family is long gone. But on a rare visit to her godmother, solicitor Rosa Epton finds herself quite entertained by the eccentric residents of the...
Read moreDeepwood Grange is no longer what it was in the thirties: the beautiful old house has been converted into luxury apartments, and the original family is long gone. But on a rare visit to her godmother, solicitor Rosa Epton finds herself quite entertained by the eccentric residents of the other flats. Until, that is, one of them turns up dead in the chimney of an empty apartment, and her godmother becomes a prime suspect.
Then her godmother disappears, and Rosa's involvement becomes even more personal ...
For the police it was an open and shut case: Stephen Lumley was guilty of taking part in the robbery at his uncle's jewellery shop. All the evidence was against him - he was unemployed and in debt, he'd made threats in the past against his uncle, Bernard Hammond,...
Read moreFor the police it was an open and shut case: Stephen Lumley was guilty of taking part in the robbery at his uncle's jewellery shop. All the evidence was against him - he was unemployed and in debt, he'd made threats in the past against his uncle, Bernard Hammond, and he'd tried to escape when the other thieves fled the scene.
Yet Lumley maintains his innocence, and the only person who believes him - apart from his wife - is his lawyer, the intuitive Rosa Epton. Rosa's efforts to learn the truth are frustrated by the elusiveness of a possible lead, so Lumley must stand trial at the Old Bailey. Undeterred, Rosa carries on her private enquiries with little success, until, that is, her lead turns up - dead.
As the police investigate, new evidence comes to light, and events take another turn when Hammond's wife is kidnapped.
The first 'menaces' brought Herbert Sipson, professional blackmailer, to the dock, charged with having demanded GBP10,000 from a bingo company under threat of bombing their premises.
The second is a demand for GBP100,000 from the Swallow Sugar Corporation under threat of introducing ground glass into some of its bags...
Read moreThe first 'menaces' brought Herbert Sipson, professional blackmailer, to the dock, charged with having demanded GBP10,000 from a bingo company under threat of bombing their premises.
The second is a demand for GBP100,000 from the Swallow Sugar Corporation under threat of introducing ground glass into some of its bags of sugar on the supermarket shelves. It, too, bears all the hallmarks of a Herbert Sipson scheme. But it arrives on the opening day of Herbert's trial and he has been locked up in prison. How can he be responsible?