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The Inducement
AN ENGROSSING AND FAST-MOVING STAND-ALONE MYSTERY FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE MIKE STANHOPE SERIES
What if someone paid you a massive bribe, but you knew nothing about it?
When Rob Crichton arrives from London at a remote Northumbrian pub seeking rest and recuperation after executive burn-out, he’s quickly caught up in a bitter dispute between the likable landlady Catriona and her estranged husband Shaun.
That turns out to be the least of his problems. Summoned back to London to fight for his job, he’s accused of accepting a massive bribe. It isn’t true, yet the money is there in his bank account. How can this have happened? Things get even worse when he’s implicated in a suspicious death.
Ranging between London and the north Northumberland coast, this ingenious, sure-footed stand-alone mystery from the author of the Mike Stanhope Mysteries will have you constantly guessing. Its lively dialogue, engaging characters, and vividly evoked locations give it richness and depth, while the urgency of the plot will keep you turning the pages as the story lunges towards its dramatic conclusion.
“Ingenious plotting … extraordinary and inventive twists … topical back story … you really care about the characters”
– Reactions from early readers
What if someone paid you a massive bribe, but you knew nothing about it?
When Rob Crichton arrives from London at a remote Northumbrian pub seeking rest and recuperation after executive burn-out, he’s quickly caught up in a bitter dispute between the likable landlady Catriona and her estranged husband Shaun.
That turns out to be the least of his problems. Summoned back to London to fight for his job, he’s accused of accepting a massive bribe. It isn’t true, yet the money is there in his bank account. How can this have happened? Things get even worse when he’s implicated in a suspicious death.
Ranging between London and the north Northumberland coast, this ingenious, sure-footed stand-alone mystery from the author of the Mike Stanhope Mysteries will have you constantly guessing. Its lively dialogue, engaging characters, and vividly evoked locations give it richness and depth, while the urgency of the plot will keep you turning the pages as the story lunges towards its dramatic conclusion.
“Ingenious plotting … extraordinary and inventive twists … topical back story … you really care about the characters”
– Reactions from early readers
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2025
26 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Peter Rowlands
9 books10 followersPeter Rowlands is an author whose mystery thrillers “are about ordinary people getting thrust into challenging, sometimes dangerous situations.” His leading characters don’t have special skills, and are forced to reach deep into themselves and find the resources they need.
He says character and plot have equal importance for him, and he aims to make his main participants jump off the page as believable, fleshed-out individuals. His objective at all times, he says, is to deliver clear, lucid prose and vibrant natural dialogue.
His keynote series of loosely-connected mysteries features downbeat journalist Mike Stanhope, who works in the superficially unpromising world of logistics journalism. However, his job brings him into contact with all kinds of demanding situations, from corporate corruption to kidnapping, theft and even murder. Along the way he has to weave his way through a tangled love life, trying to do the right thing even when he can’t work out quite what that is.
Mike has aspirations to be a thriller-writer himself, so the series also provides some revealing and occasionally ironic insights into the tribulations of a self-published author.
Peter picked up his background knowledge from editing and contributing to UK business magazines covering transport and logistics. He has also achieved a minor status as a photographer of commercial vehicles – especially British buses – and co-published his first hardback book in that field, Twenty Turbulent Years, in 2022.
He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in north-east England, but has lived all his adult life in London. He has travelled widely in Europe and North America, and makes use of that experience in some of his novels.
He has also published a thriller under the pen-name Anders Teller.
He says character and plot have equal importance for him, and he aims to make his main participants jump off the page as believable, fleshed-out individuals. His objective at all times, he says, is to deliver clear, lucid prose and vibrant natural dialogue.
His keynote series of loosely-connected mysteries features downbeat journalist Mike Stanhope, who works in the superficially unpromising world of logistics journalism. However, his job brings him into contact with all kinds of demanding situations, from corporate corruption to kidnapping, theft and even murder. Along the way he has to weave his way through a tangled love life, trying to do the right thing even when he can’t work out quite what that is.
Mike has aspirations to be a thriller-writer himself, so the series also provides some revealing and occasionally ironic insights into the tribulations of a self-published author.
Peter picked up his background knowledge from editing and contributing to UK business magazines covering transport and logistics. He has also achieved a minor status as a photographer of commercial vehicles – especially British buses – and co-published his first hardback book in that field, Twenty Turbulent Years, in 2022.
He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in north-east England, but has lived all his adult life in London. He has travelled widely in Europe and North America, and makes use of that experience in some of his novels.
He has also published a thriller under the pen-name Anders Teller.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 23, 2025
If you enjoy a complex mystery, where unknown forces threaten an everyday person to take desperate action to clear his name, then The Inducement should keep you eagerly reading to the last page.
This is the dilemma facing Rob Crichton, who’s recovering from work-related stress. He heads to Northumberland to recuperate in a pub run by Catriona. He soon finds himself immersed in trouble. Accused of taking a bribe to ensure a company wins a contract, he discovers a large amount of money in his bank account.
Where did it come from? Who put it there? How did they access his account?
While he struggles to determine the truth and clear his name, he’s implicated in the death of Catriona’s former husband, Shaun, attracting attention from the local police. As Rob digs deeper into the bribe allegations, the police uncover evidence that makes him their prime suspect as they investigate Shaun’s death.
Forced to investigate Rob travels all over the country, following the slightest of leads, slowly piecing together the incredible events that have landed him in so much trouble.
But can he prove his innocence when faced with such damning evidence?
Rob and Catriona are immensely likable people with a shared interest in digging themselves out of deep holes that weren’t of their making. They struggle on, growing closer as they face up to those who will stop at nothing, using any means, including artificial intelligence, to bring Rob down.
The imaginative plot and memorable characters make this an enjoyable and exciting read, which shows you just how much trouble you could be in when someone wants to hurt you.
This is the dilemma facing Rob Crichton, who’s recovering from work-related stress. He heads to Northumberland to recuperate in a pub run by Catriona. He soon finds himself immersed in trouble. Accused of taking a bribe to ensure a company wins a contract, he discovers a large amount of money in his bank account.
Where did it come from? Who put it there? How did they access his account?
While he struggles to determine the truth and clear his name, he’s implicated in the death of Catriona’s former husband, Shaun, attracting attention from the local police. As Rob digs deeper into the bribe allegations, the police uncover evidence that makes him their prime suspect as they investigate Shaun’s death.
Forced to investigate Rob travels all over the country, following the slightest of leads, slowly piecing together the incredible events that have landed him in so much trouble.
But can he prove his innocence when faced with such damning evidence?
Rob and Catriona are immensely likable people with a shared interest in digging themselves out of deep holes that weren’t of their making. They struggle on, growing closer as they face up to those who will stop at nothing, using any means, including artificial intelligence, to bring Rob down.
The imaginative plot and memorable characters make this an enjoyable and exciting read, which shows you just how much trouble you could be in when someone wants to hurt you.
September 22, 2025
A real page turner
I enjoyed the twists and turns. I appreciate that this wasn't about earth shaking events, but they were to the people involved. All of the characters were flawed in some way, yet most were likeable.
I enjoyed the twists and turns. I appreciate that this wasn't about earth shaking events, but they were to the people involved. All of the characters were flawed in some way, yet most were likeable.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews