When Tony Hine whimsically took a painting by his grandmother to an Antiques Road Show, he wasn't expecting to be told by leading art expert Dr Margaret Dennis that his painting was in fact one of the few surviving works of the now famous Frederick Ashe.
Before the night is out, his marriage has broken apart and he finds himself deeply involved with Dr Dennis's quest to prove the provenance of the painting - and further elevate her status in the art world.
A long-overdue visit to his grandmother reveals a whole stash of unknown paintings, and a curious story about a pair of young lovers in early 20th-century France, painting the same scenes side by side.
But who painted the canvases now seen by Tony and Margaret, and what has happened to the rest?
As events become increasingly complex, a near fatal accident and a violent death create a whirl of suspicion around the paintings and those - - until now hidden - - who have an interest in the paintings' existence.
As Tony risks his integrity, relationships - - and, indeed, his life - - to get to the bottom of this mystery, can the conspirators stop him from solving the crime.
"Eclectic, underrated Ormerod can be relied upon to come up with the startling goods" Sunday Times
"I am glad to announce that the detective novel is still alive and well in Mr Ormerod's skillful hands " The Spectator
"Fast-moving, with well-orchestrated jiggery-pokery; not unlike an early Dick Francis in tone and method" Times Literary Supplement
Roger Ormerod (1920-2005) was a prolific writer of ingenious and densely plotted crime novels - some 35 in all - which were published in the UK and the USA. He lived in Wolverhampton and amongst other things worked as a civil servant and as a Social Security inspector - backgrounds which he made full use of in his fiction. His titles include 'An Open Window', 'The Key to the Case', 'A Shot at Nothing' and 'Landscape with Corpse'.
Genre: Mystery
Before the night is out, his marriage has broken apart and he finds himself deeply involved with Dr Dennis's quest to prove the provenance of the painting - and further elevate her status in the art world.
A long-overdue visit to his grandmother reveals a whole stash of unknown paintings, and a curious story about a pair of young lovers in early 20th-century France, painting the same scenes side by side.
But who painted the canvases now seen by Tony and Margaret, and what has happened to the rest?
As events become increasingly complex, a near fatal accident and a violent death create a whirl of suspicion around the paintings and those - - until now hidden - - who have an interest in the paintings' existence.
As Tony risks his integrity, relationships - - and, indeed, his life - - to get to the bottom of this mystery, can the conspirators stop him from solving the crime.
Praise for Roger Ormerod:
"Eclectic, underrated Ormerod can be relied upon to come up with the startling goods" Sunday Times
"I am glad to announce that the detective novel is still alive and well in Mr Ormerod's skillful hands " The Spectator
"Fast-moving, with well-orchestrated jiggery-pokery; not unlike an early Dick Francis in tone and method" Times Literary Supplement
Roger Ormerod (1920-2005) was a prolific writer of ingenious and densely plotted crime novels - some 35 in all - which were published in the UK and the USA. He lived in Wolverhampton and amongst other things worked as a civil servant and as a Social Security inspector - backgrounds which he made full use of in his fiction. His titles include 'An Open Window', 'The Key to the Case', 'A Shot at Nothing' and 'Landscape with Corpse'.
Genre: Mystery
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Roger Ormerod's By Death Possessed