False Witness

Ackroyd and Thackeray #11

by Patricia Hall

A teacher is bludgeoned to death and a volatile black teenager is arrested: as far as DCI Michael Thackeray is concerned, that's it, case closed. Though absent at the time of the murder and subsequent arrest, Thackeray is convinced that it was an open-and-shut case; that justice has been done. But when his long-term girlfriend, Laura Ackroyd, begins digging into the case for a newspaper article she's working on, some disturbing facts come to light - facts that cause the case against the accused youngster to unravel at an alarming rate and lead Thackeray to wonder if there could have been a sinister reason behind the youth's speedy arrest. With the case re-opened, it becomes clear that difficult questions need to be asked and Thackeray soon finds himself under attack from within the Police Force, as his own loyalty and integrity are called into question. Under threat from all sides, can Thackeray - his career and his personal life - survive the heavy strain of suspicion, or will the pressure finally become too much?

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

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

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one, even though (for a change), I guessed whodunnit. I like the two main characters and find both their back stories compelling.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another relatively depressing book in this series.