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Peter Cammon Mysteries #3
The Verdict on Each Man Dead
“A delight to read.” ― Ottawa Review of Books Peter Cammon is now retired from New Scotland Yard. Nevertheless, the former chief inspector has found himself in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, after agreeing to help a colleague with a difficult case. A resident on tranquil Hollis Street has been beheaded, her husband has disappeared, and there is no obvious perpetrator. Yet the neighbors seem apathetic ― silent to the point of complicity. Peter joins the manhunt and is shocked to discover a link leading from the killer to the Unabomber and Oklahoma City bombing cases, files Peter himself worked on during the 1990s. To untangle the evidence, Peter and his acquaintance in local law enforcement must strike unholy alliances with corrupt cops, Mexican drug lords, and perhaps one of the world’s most notorious terrorists . . .
- GenresMystery
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2015
6 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
David Whellams
3 books18 followersDave Whellams worked as Counsel with the Government of Canada in the Department of Justice for several decades, with a focus on reform of the Criminal Code, addressing a wide range of issues, including high-risk offenders and anti-terrorism. His experience in criminal law and policing has contributed to his novel Walking into the Ocean, and informed Stories from the Criminal Code, a short story collection.
Dave has written extensively for newspapers on a wide range of topics, drawing on his expertise in such areas as film history, the Academy Awards, the American Civil War.
Dave was born in Winnipeg, but grew up in Ottawa, where he continues to live. He is married and has a daughter. For the last twenty-five years he has played trivia every Tuesday night with the same bunch of friends. He hopes he is not entirely a creature of habit.
Dave has written extensively for newspapers on a wide range of topics, drawing on his expertise in such areas as film history, the Academy Awards, the American Civil War.
Dave was born in Winnipeg, but grew up in Ottawa, where he continues to live. He is married and has a daughter. For the last twenty-five years he has played trivia every Tuesday night with the same bunch of friends. He hopes he is not entirely a creature of habit.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 10, 2015
Book 3, in the Peter Cammon Mystery
Nothing like starting summer (or ending spring) with a good mystery but some may have to wait a little longer before being able to put their hands on this latest. Of course I always will have a weakness for Canadian authors and I try to add as many as I can to my library. Mr. Whellams has recently joined my extensive list and when NetGalley and ECW Press added “The Verdict on Each Man Dead” to their list I couldn’t resist asking for it. Thank you for accepting my request and for the wonderful opportunity to read this advance copy.
I haven’t been faithful to the sequence in this series I skipped the 2nd novel to get to this one. Having done so did not leave me at a lost; this novel can be read and enjoyed on its own. The story brings the former Chief inspector in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah on a hunt for a man with terrorist connections.
The story is divided into 4 parts: all have in common the hunt for a murderer and the obsession that drives the protagonist Peter Cammon.
In Part 1: Henry
Peter played a minor role leaving Henry Pastern of the local law enforcement to take the center stage and lead the investigation into a gruesome attack on a tranquil neighbourhood street. This slowly set the stage for the hunt and apprehension of a killer.
In Part 2: Peter
Peter travels to the U.S to help Henry. (Why is a retiree from Scotland Yard on a US case?) We soon have the answer….be ready to be glued to every word.
Peter’s contribution brings to the plot: endless action, many twists and foremost lots of suspense. The inevitable bad guys such as corrupt officials, drug lords, terrorists all of them add the excitement needed to make this novel quite a page-turner. Peter also discovers a link to a case he worked on during the 1990’s. Some of us will remember the reference to the Ubabomber and the Oklahoma City bombing. We revisit in some ways this time in history, how true to the facts I will leave this to the experts.
In part 3: Vyne
Peter’s wife joins him and as she puts her two cents into the fray we once again fall into endless action. Many characters show up and it is a bit of a challenge to keep track of all of them. Gun battles, loud blast and lots of blood and guts are vividly described and exciting. The action focuses mainly on nabbing Kelso Vyne and confronting evil in unusual ways. This is described expertly…….
Finally part 4, The Killer
The shootout wraps up quickly, Peter returns to England and the testimony into the rampage is given by Skype a month later. All ends well.
My last words:
This book is captivating from start to finish and is by far better than book 1 ( I have yet to see what book 2 has in store for me). Dividing this mystery in 4 parts was an excellent idea and worked very well. “The Verdict in Each Man Dead” is a strong and well-plotted story, richly written with sharp dialogue and populated with an exceptional cast of characters. I enjoyed this one immensely and in no way the offer I have received influenced my thoughts.
Nothing like starting summer (or ending spring) with a good mystery but some may have to wait a little longer before being able to put their hands on this latest. Of course I always will have a weakness for Canadian authors and I try to add as many as I can to my library. Mr. Whellams has recently joined my extensive list and when NetGalley and ECW Press added “The Verdict on Each Man Dead” to their list I couldn’t resist asking for it. Thank you for accepting my request and for the wonderful opportunity to read this advance copy.
I haven’t been faithful to the sequence in this series I skipped the 2nd novel to get to this one. Having done so did not leave me at a lost; this novel can be read and enjoyed on its own. The story brings the former Chief inspector in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah on a hunt for a man with terrorist connections.
The story is divided into 4 parts: all have in common the hunt for a murderer and the obsession that drives the protagonist Peter Cammon.
In Part 1: Henry
Peter played a minor role leaving Henry Pastern of the local law enforcement to take the center stage and lead the investigation into a gruesome attack on a tranquil neighbourhood street. This slowly set the stage for the hunt and apprehension of a killer.
In Part 2: Peter
Peter travels to the U.S to help Henry. (Why is a retiree from Scotland Yard on a US case?) We soon have the answer….be ready to be glued to every word.
Peter’s contribution brings to the plot: endless action, many twists and foremost lots of suspense. The inevitable bad guys such as corrupt officials, drug lords, terrorists all of them add the excitement needed to make this novel quite a page-turner. Peter also discovers a link to a case he worked on during the 1990’s. Some of us will remember the reference to the Ubabomber and the Oklahoma City bombing. We revisit in some ways this time in history, how true to the facts I will leave this to the experts.
In part 3: Vyne
Peter’s wife joins him and as she puts her two cents into the fray we once again fall into endless action. Many characters show up and it is a bit of a challenge to keep track of all of them. Gun battles, loud blast and lots of blood and guts are vividly described and exciting. The action focuses mainly on nabbing Kelso Vyne and confronting evil in unusual ways. This is described expertly…….
Finally part 4, The Killer
The shootout wraps up quickly, Peter returns to England and the testimony into the rampage is given by Skype a month later. All ends well.
My last words:
This book is captivating from start to finish and is by far better than book 1 ( I have yet to see what book 2 has in store for me). Dividing this mystery in 4 parts was an excellent idea and worked very well. “The Verdict in Each Man Dead” is a strong and well-plotted story, richly written with sharp dialogue and populated with an exceptional cast of characters. I enjoyed this one immensely and in no way the offer I have received influenced my thoughts.
June 29, 2016
This is the third Peter Cammon mystery by Ottawa writer David Whellams and the first I have read.
Peter Cammon, a retired chief inspector from New Scotland Yard, is called upon to assist in an investigation in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he has previously been involved in one of Whellams earlier novels. He had become friends with Henry Pastern, a local law enforcement, who , after a brutal murder on Hollis Street, a Salt Lake City suburb, calls on Peter for help. A woman has been brutally murdered and beheaded, her husband has disappeared and it turns out that the adjoining dwelling was being used for a marijuana growop. No one on the crescent admits to seeing any unusual comings or goings or having any idea of who might have committed the crime. But Hollis Street is not as tranquil as it seemed. Peter ends up chasing a killer who appears to have deep terrorist connections. An unholy alliance with a Mexican drug lord and a visit to the Unabomber in jail helps Peter to unravel the mystery which ends in a bloody shootout in the Utah desert.
A well written novel which has prompted me to seek out the author's two previous novels.
Peter Cammon, a retired chief inspector from New Scotland Yard, is called upon to assist in an investigation in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he has previously been involved in one of Whellams earlier novels. He had become friends with Henry Pastern, a local law enforcement, who , after a brutal murder on Hollis Street, a Salt Lake City suburb, calls on Peter for help. A woman has been brutally murdered and beheaded, her husband has disappeared and it turns out that the adjoining dwelling was being used for a marijuana growop. No one on the crescent admits to seeing any unusual comings or goings or having any idea of who might have committed the crime. But Hollis Street is not as tranquil as it seemed. Peter ends up chasing a killer who appears to have deep terrorist connections. An unholy alliance with a Mexican drug lord and a visit to the Unabomber in jail helps Peter to unravel the mystery which ends in a bloody shootout in the Utah desert.
A well written novel which has prompted me to seek out the author's two previous novels.
February 10, 2017
Both my husband and I read this and halfway through, we became bored with it and quit. Probably just the mood we were in. Set in Utah, starts off well, with a beheaded woman and a grow op and a weird bunch of neighbours. I would like to see others' opinions.
September 25, 2016
“The Verdict on Each Man Dead” is a cleverly plotted mystery that makes the reader pay close attention to the story as it unfolds.
Retired former Chief Inspector Peter Cammon is called in to help when a murder takes place in suburbia of Salt Lake City. As well, the woman’s husband is MIA.
The story moves at a good pace, and it’s challenging to try to follow the clues.
I plan to find the other two books by David Whellams.
Thank you GoodReads for the novel.
Retired former Chief Inspector Peter Cammon is called in to help when a murder takes place in suburbia of Salt Lake City. As well, the woman’s husband is MIA.
The story moves at a good pace, and it’s challenging to try to follow the clues.
I plan to find the other two books by David Whellams.
Thank you GoodReads for the novel.
January 23, 2016
Another taught, gripping mystery featuring Chief Inspector Cammen. The writing is chilling and often fierce. No romanticism or quarter given to evil men performing evil acts. Vengeance and atonement.
June 27, 2015
I very much enjoyed this book. I get lost in David Whellams' writing and am always impressed by his plots. I can't wait for the next book!
October 23, 2015
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Yes! Yes! Now I have to go out and find the other Peter Cammon mysteries. There is always a price to pay for a free book.
Yes! Yes! Now I have to go out and find the other Peter Cammon mysteries. There is always a price to pay for a free book.
April 8, 2016
Very good mystery, with several unexpected twist.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews