Dead Ringer

by Roger Ormerod

“Bracing wit, taut dialogue and a suspenseful plot that features several betrayals and some essential mayhem” (Publishers Weekly).
 
Jerry Boyes used to be one of the most in-demand stuntmen in the business, until a car accident left him maimed and unable to work. So when a former actor for whom Jerry used to double turns up with a job offer he’s suited for, Boyes jumps at the chance.
 
It’ll be three thousand for one week’s work: All Boyes has to do is hand over half a million in ransom money to the kidnappers of Howard Maxwell, a multimillionaire businessman, after helping the victim’s wife gather the money.
 
But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Maxwell may have been rich in capital assets, but he has almost no cash. And as Boyes agrees to help the distraught wife, he cannot help feeling that things are not what they seem . . .
 
“A traditionally plotted British mystery in a modern setting . . . The writing is expert, the characterizations are well realized, and Boyes himself is an interesting man with some deep inner problems to overcome.” —The New York Times Book Review

Kindle Edition

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.