The Copycat

The Burnham Files #5

by P.F. Ford

A disciple doesn’t want justice. He wants approval.

David Burnham is in prison, his particular method of murder stopped forever. Or so the people of Windover believed.

When a woman’s body is found carefully arranged in a way that echoes Burnham’s chilling signature, Detective Sergeant Nolan Cormac is dragged back into the nightmare he thought he’d ended. But if Burnham is locked away in maximum security, who is the killer?

As fear spreads through the town, Cormac uncovers a disturbing truth: Burnham’s philosophy didn’t die with his conviction. It has been absorbed and embraced by someone sick of being invisible and desperate for recognition. A disciple is walking Burnham’s path and, as the killings escalate, Cormac must confront Burnham one final time — and discover how far a disciple will go to prove himself worthy.

But while one killer spirals toward violence, another danger is watching patiently from the shadows. Because some monsters don’t need to kill today. Some are planning for tomorrow.

The Copycat is the gripping fifth and final instalment of The Burnham Files, and asks one haunting question:
How do you stop a legacy of murder?

105 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2026

About the author

Having spent most of his life trying to be what everyone else wanted him to be, P.F. (Peter) Ford was a late starter when it came to writing. He had tried writing a novel many years ago (before the advent of self-publishing), only to be turned down by every publisher he approached. It was very much a case of being told by those around him, ‘now you know you can’t write, so get back to work!’

Even at an early age, Peter felt very much like the proverbial square peg being forced into a round hole. This resulted in the creation of a Grammar School drop-out who then drifted through a succession of unfulfilling jobs, finally ending up in a totally unsuitable role which eventually sapped his energy and self-confidence. There followed a brief foray into self-employment (not a good idea for someone lacking in self-confidence!) which ended in total financial melt-down, a mountain of debt, and a lapse into depression.

Faced with the fact that he’d never be happy as he was, Peter finally decided he had no intention of continuing that way, and things just had to change. This was achieved by closing the door on his old life and starting over. Fast forward a few years and you find a man transformed, his newly found positive attitude enabling him to find new partner (now wife), Mary, who shares his belief that dreamers should be encouraged and not denied.

He first wrote, (under the name Peter Ford), and self-published , several short books about the life changing benefits of positive thinking. Now, completely free of the hindrance of worrying about what other people think, he’s blissfully happy writing the D.S. Dave Slater mystery novels and what he calls the ‘digital fiction marmite’ (people tend to love it or hate it!) that is the Alfie Bowman Novella series.

Peter and Mary recently completed a shared dream when they married and moved to a beautiful region of Wales where they spend much of their spare time walking their three dogs, and relaxing and having fun with friends. They believe they are living proof that you should never give up on your dreams, because it’s never too late!

Reviews

[Allan Souter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was exactly the same book as my version of The Conspiracy. A publishing error somewhere.

[Robert Polhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

difficult read

I didn’t find this as interesting as the previous ones. Having said that it was well put together and quite thought provoking