Looking for a classic British murder mystery from a critically acclaimed crime writer?

Discover Eric Ward, policeman turned lawyer. Over one million books read!

‘Tightly written, well-paced.’ Oxford Times

Infidelity can be murderously dangerous.

Eric Ward thinks he is happily married — until he discovers that his wife, Anne, has been spending rather too much time with a business associate.

Suspicious and angry, Ward finds comfort in the arms of a beautiful stranger.

But when his new lover is found dead, he must do everything he can to avoid becoming the focus of a murder inquiry that could wreck his future.

As police pressure looms, Ward makes his own inquiries.

Increasingly desperate to find the girl’s killer, he begins to learn more about a shady Tyneside world of drugs, dodgy property deals and illicit nightclubs. And when he learns that the trouble in Newcastle has its roots in Asian big business, he begins to fear for his own life as he seeks the final answers on the Tyne.

This fast-paced mystery set in 1990s England is perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson.

Please note this book was first published as A Form of Death.

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.