The Auction Murders

At the auction of Lord Ogmore's estate, a man is stabbed to death with a silver dagger.

Detective Inspector Michael Angel is soon on the trail of a serial murderer in the south Yorkshire town of Bromersley.

The only common factor linking the victims is their association with the late Lord Ogmore. But there are no clues, no fingerprints and no DNA.

Angel has only one eye-witness . . . And he's blind.

A glamorous schoolmistress with a past, two men with ponytails, a set of needle-sharp silver handled stilettos and a fluffy toy elephant all play their part in a scramble to find the killer.

DI Angel's toughest case yet!

Perfect for fans of R.D. Wingfield, Colin Dexter, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, and Agatha Christie.

Please note this book was first published as Mantrap.

THE DETECTIVE

Michael Angel is over fifty, married to Mary. They don't have any children. They are a devoted couple but the relationship sometimes breaks down due to his job or due to the problems of Mary's sister who lives in Edinburgh and imposes on their easygoing natures. Michael works at the small local police station and is devoted to defeating crime, murder, and dishonesty of any sort and has no personal ambition beyond being a good husband and a successful detective. He doesn't want promotion with all the routine office work and stress that goes with it. He is incorruptible but always short of money. He is always at odds with his immediate chief, Detective Superintendent Horace Harker, who is lazy, a hypochondriac and not a bit interested in assisting Angel in serious police work.

THE SETTING

Bromersley is a market town at the bottom of the Pennines surrounded by stone and hawthorn-edged fields grazed by cattle and sheep. It is cold as anywhere in the winter but its closeness to the mountains protects it from many gales and heavy falls of snow. The town's industry today includes the manufacture of ball bearings and whisky bottles, and a huge brewery produces Bromersley's best bitter, which is considered the finest beer for miles around. Wednesday is market day, and the town centre is host to the frequent cries of stall-holders hawking their wares while the enticing smells of cheeses, coffees, foreign spices and fish and chips tempt your taste buds as you wander through the stalls. The police always find it difficult to catch pilferers and pickpockets in such a crowd. Bromersley folk are easy to befriend but many of the old people are stubborn and still buy their fruit and veg in pounds and ounces, not kilos and grams.

PRAISE FOR ROGER SILVERWOOD:

'Solid plotting, unpretentious writing, thoroughly reliable entertainment.' Morning Star

'A cast of characters you really want to populate with familiar faces of actors you see each week on TV - great fun. Angel is terrific.' Books Monthly

'Once again Silverwood combines a classic mystery plot with well-developed characters.' Publishers Weekly