Dead Ringer

by Roger Ormerod

Jerry Boyes, an ex-stuntman for the actor Stuart Tyson--who married Jerry's girlfriend--finds himself at the center of a complex plot in which he may be the next victim

312 pages, Hardcover

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.