Looking for a classic British murder mystery from a critically acclaimed crime writer? Over one million books read!

Discover Eric Ward, policeman turned lawyer. Enjoy a beautifully told story from a time before smart phones and DNA testing. Full of twists and turns, this will have you gripped from start to finish.

‘Rich in characterisation with a complex plot.’ Publishers Weekly

Crooked deals in Newcastle. Blood on the streets of Marseilles. And a past that won’t stay buried.

A thriving law practice and a happy marriage are almost enough to convince solicitor Eric Ward he has overcome his painful past and started a new life.

All it takes is the wrong client for it all to unravel.

An investigative journalist beaten to a pulp.

A crooked Newcastle businessman living the high life in France.

A woman from a half-forgotten past.

Ward represents Eddie Stevens, an investigative reporter on the trail of a hot story. Badly beaten by a local roughneck, Stevens discovers he is on a bigger trail when finds a dead body of an unknown man.

The investigation leads Ward to Lansley, a shady Newcastle entrepreneur with criminal ties living in Marseilles.

Then a woman from Ward’s own half-forgotten past turns up, looking to him to be her saviour. A gruesome revelation in the first case just might be the solution to the second.

Ward quickly discovers excavating the past can be a dangerous business.

This fast-paced mystery set in England in the early 1980s is perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson.

Please note this book was first published as Once Trying, Twice Dead.

THE DETECTIVE

Eric Ward is forced to retire from the police when he discovers he suffers from glaucoma. He qualifies as a solicitor (lawyer) and sets up his practice on the Quayside in Newcastle, where he deals with the seamier side of the law. When he marries a wealthy young woman she attempts to persuade him to settle in Northumberland and work with wealthier clients but he stubbornly refuses to give up his criminal practice in Newcastle. Although she draws him into the world of high finance he still insists on continuing at the Quayside — which causes tensions within his marriage, and leads to fatal consequences.