Death by Misadventure

by Michael Underwood

Published 5 March 1991

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 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?


False Witness

by Michael Underwood

Published 4 December 1991

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 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's Case

by Michael Underwood

Published 2 November 1992

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 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.


Girl Found Dead

by Michael Underwood

Published 8 November 1988

'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?


The Silent Liars

by Michael Underwood

Published 22 January 1970

Chris Laker is what you might call a layabout. He has drifted from job to job and when he's been out of work his loyal girlfriend Janey has supported him. Now Chris is in real trouble. He is on trial for the murder of a rich businessman - and the evidence is piled up against him. His Smith and Wesson has been used to kill Gheorge Dimitiu, and his fingerprint is on the gun. Chris swears he is innocent - but will the jury at the Old Bailey believe him?

'Solidly authentic' The Times


Arm of the Law

by Michael Underwood

Published 1 June 1992

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die ...

It's the carnival motto for Trinidad's most colourful celebrations of the year. But, while thousands enjoy themselves in uninhibited eating, drinking and love-making, Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton is on the hunt for a dangerous killer.

He has struck twice, and he will strike again. For one unlucky person the carnival motto is about to become a sinister reality.