Dead Ringer

by Roger Ormerod

Jerry Boyes used to be one of the most in-demand stuntmen in the business. That was, until a horrible car accident left him maimed and unable to work. So when ex-actor Stuart Tyson, for whom Jerry used to double, turns up with a job offer, Boyes jumps at the chance. It will be three thousand for just one week’s all Jerry has to do is hand over half a million in ransom money to the kidnappers of Howard Maxwell, a multimillionaire businessman. Jerry must help Kathleen Maxwell, wife to the kidnapped millionaire, to collect the five hundred thousand. But it’s not as easy as it Howard Maxwell may have been rich in capital assets, but he has almost no cash. As Jerry agrees to help the distraught wife, he cannot help feeling that things are not what they seem. In a bid to clear his name he investigates the situation himself and becomes entangled in a long standing rivalry which is escalating to deadly levels. A rich man has plenty of enemies, and when a murder occurs, the case is thrown wide open. ‘Dead Ringer’ is a fast-paced and complex crime that will grip readers from the first page to the last. Praise for Roger “The story gallops along with an irresistible momentum... always fascinating... the shape is near perfect. The characterisation is splendid, the situations dramatic and compelling, the style economic and energetic. What more can a book offer, or a reader ask?” -Reginald Hill “Eclectic, underrated Ormerod can be relied upon to come up with the startling goods” Sunday Times “I am glad to announce that the detective novel is still alive and well in Mr Ormerod's skillful hands” The Spectator, “Fast-moving, with well-orchestrated jiggery-pokery; not unlike an early Dick Francis in tone and method” Times Literary Supplement Roger Ormerod is the author of over twenty novels. He was born in 1920 and left school at seventeen to join the Civil Service in which he spent most of his working life. He retired in 1970 and later worked as a postman and in the production control department of a heavy industry factory. He lives in Wolverhampton. His other novels include ‘A Shot At Nothing’, ‘Third Time Fatal’, ‘The Key to the Case’ and ‘The Night She Died’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Roger Ormerod was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. He worked as a county court officer, an executive officer in the Department of Social Security, a postman, and a shop loader in an engineering factory.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the lesser known authors Endeavor Press likes to resurrect, Ormerod is a genuine find. I seem to genuinely enjoy his writing. It’s very British and…well, not dated, but of a certain era. Before mobile phones and computers. Where people had to actually figure things out and plan. Crazy, right. Granted, this story didn’t really speak to me, which is to say it got too convoluted for my liking and then stayed that way, but it was still a reasonably entertaining read, mainly owing to the interesting characters. The main one is a former stunt man, permanently injured and retired from the movie industry, who gets offered a gig by the actor he used to double for (get it, get it, the dear ringer)and it’s for a pretty random thing like handing over money for a kidnapped person. It seems like a really straight forward work and, of course, turns out to be not at all. First, there’s a murder, then there’s a professional rivalry and marital discord and all sort of thing to deal with. Good thing Stuart is tough enough and smart enough to sort it all out, but it’s a proper mess and the plot gets messy too, at times. It works, though, and Stuart Tyson is a memorable character, if only going by appearances…a stunt driver with PTSD, prosthetic foot and a prominent facial scar. So yeah, I’m the first person reviewing this one on GR (using actual words, at least) and I wish there were more praises to lavish, but it is entirely possible I wasn’t quite in the mood for this one, the brain was too loud and needed something different, not sure. So really, it isn’t the book’s fault. And if you’re in a mood for an older British crime novel, this one is a fun quick (there’s a lengthy preview at the end) read. This was a freebie and passed the time in a (mostly) most agreeable fashion. User mileage may vary, obviously it’s all down to the right driver.