Dying Fall

Ackroyd and Thackeray #2

by Patricia Hall

An oppressive heat wave has blanketed Bradfield, Yorkshire, sharpening tensions in the crime-ridden council estate known as the Heights. The latest grievance is the nightly joy-riding of youths racing stolen cars around the residential streets. Next, reports surface of children being assaulted, and Inspector Michael Thackeray sends in an undercover police officer. A young girl is killed, though, and the residents' unease turns to anger. Covering the situation in the Heights, reporter Laura Ackroyd notices similarities between the current death and one that occurred ten years earlier. She's been researching the case of Stephen Webster, found guilty of murdering his step-sister, for a television program reexamining the crime. Stephen Webster has already been in jail for a decade, however. Could he have been innocent all those years ago, or is someone playing a twisted game of copycat? Working from different sides of the case, Ackroyd and Thackeray face deceit, fraud, and torn loyalties while exploring their growing attraction to each other in this mystery of dazzling ingenuity and suspense.

Genres: Mystery

248 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Patricia Hall is the pen-name of journalist Maureen O'Connor. She was born and brought up in West Yorkshire, which is where she has chosen to set her acclaimed series of novels featuring reporter Laura Ackroyd and DCI Michael Thackeray. She is married, with two grown-up sons, and now lives in Oxford.

Reviews

[Alan Middlemass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrasts

Good story and well set out. Actually a love story that book 1 suggested but preamble very unsubtley signposted. But kept waiting until late in this book with reader teased by delays and obstructions of murder cases current and old.

Pity the back end is absolutely riddled with typing errors that change words into gibberish and a brief description of a victim going into an ambulance a whole day and several chapters out of sequence.

30+ years since it was published and not even digital has been corrected. Irritating end to enjoyable text.

[Emmeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great plot. Shame about the shocking lack of proofreading in the kindle version…

[Bill Cissna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two in the series -- I picked up what turned out to be book three, read it and liked it. Having now found and read books one and two, I'm enjoying the stories and the characters and look forward to reading more!

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satifactory. Similar to the first book.