[Dr Harris Mystery 01] • A Painted Devil

Life in the sleepy village of Upper Wentham is usually a parochial affair. When the friendship between Charles Wentworth and Ronald Asbury dissolves into a romantic battle over the hand of Andrea Ketterman, the inhabitants prepare to enjoy the drama of a love triangle. Yet Andrea choosing to marry Charles is not the final act of some provincial entertainment, but the beginning of a much darker series of revelations. Weeks later Ronald’s body is discovered in a hotel room, a bullet hole in his temple. Meanwhile Charles almost dies in a freak accident; then another; and another…

Charles engages the services of Dr Samuel Harris to get to the bottom of the mystery, and the detective soon discovers that all is not what it seems in the village. A web of intrigue runs deep beneath the surface of Upper Wentham and simmering tensions are ready to erupt. Mysterious blackmail letters are received by residents as long-hidden skeletons threaten to return. And events set in motion years ago come to terrible fruition as murder strikes.

Did Ronald Asbury commit suicide, as the evidence suggests? Are Charles Wentworth’s brushes with death really accidents? And who is sending the poison pen letters? The answers lie in both the streets of Upper Wentham and secrets buried deep in the past. Secrets someone would kill to protect…

Harris must outwit a particularly cunning and ruthless killer to discover the truth.