A busy merchant banker, heavily involved in the bank's Art Fund, Tim Simpson does not relish the thought of giving a speech at a small art gallery in the village of Highton to help out his boss's mate - especially as there's an ulterior motive for his attendance. A visit to his bookseller, Mr Goodston, promises distraction until he finds himself fighting off a couple of heavies. His curiosity is aroused when he discovers the men were after something more particular than the old man's money. Further oddities cause Tim to believe something big is happening. But what is the connection between the murder of a researcher and the theft of several paintings?
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Malcolm is the pseudonymn of John Malcolm Andrews, who lives in the south of England. He is an English author on antiques, journalist and crime writer, engineering businessman and author – as John Malcolm – of the Tim Simpson series of art crime novels and as John Andrews of the first Price Guide to Antique Furniture (1968) and Managing Editor of Antique Collecting magazine
Most of his novels feature Tim Simpson, art investment specialist, and the series began with 'A Back Room in Somers Town' in 1984. '
Born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, he is the son of May (née Whiteley) and Ernest Andrews, an engineer, His education was at Sale High School in Manchester and The British Schools of Montevideo (1946–1950), he returned to to England as a boarder at Bedford Modern School (1950–1955), and then attended St. John's College, Cambridge, where he read Engineering and was Captain of the Lady Margaret Boat Club. He graduated MA in 1958. Andrews worked as design engineer (1958–63), an export sales manager (1963–70), management consultant (1970–76), and international marketing manager (1976–90) before setting up his own business as a machinery broker in 1990,
In 1966 he was a founding member of the Antique Collectors' Club and published its first book under the name of John Andrews with The Price Guide to Antique Furniture (1968). He went on to write more books on antique furniture and is currently Managing Editor of Antique Collecting magazine.] He was Chairman of the Trustees of Rye Art Gallery from 1995 to 2004.
He published his first crime novel in 1984. He was Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association from 1994–5 and wrote a number of short stories.
Andrews is a member of the Crime Writers Association and the Society of Authors. He married Geraldine Lacey (a picture restorer) on 25 March 1961. The couple live in East Sussex and have one son.