Ring of Terror (28 page)

The other results of that wild day’s work had been more agreeable. With the departure of the three leaders the threat of organised Russian violence had receded and the
émigré
population had settled down to a comparatively peaceful existence. Wensley had received due credit for this, though it was certainly not the only reason for his promotion to detective chief inspector, which was long overdue and meant that most of his time was now spent at Scotland Yard. It had been repeatedly postponed because his superiors wanted to keep him in the East End, where his knowledge was invaluable.

The South London Soap Company was closed by the authorities. Its proprietors were prosecuted under the Explosives Act and its considerable store of dynamite was removed and destroyed.

Joe, as usual, had fallen on his feet – or the one foot remaining to him. Abram Lockett had been grateful for the return of his property and nursed a hope that the men who had robbed him and assaulted his wife might be brought back and punished. The extradition proceedings were grinding along, the main bone of contention being whether the robbery had been a criminal or a political act. Lockett’s gratitude had resulted in the offer to Joe of a well-paid job, with lodging and keep, as security guard on the shop. He had gone straight to it from hospital.

Wensley gone. Joe gone. With the Russians behaving themselves, a lot of routine work with no particular use for his grasp of their language.

And it was raining. When gloom was heavy, it always rained.

That was the moment that Hubert Daines arrived. He came with a proposal.

He said, ‘I imagine you know nothing about MO5. Same as most people. We were only born four years ago, but we’ve been a lusty infant, kicking and screaming for our share of the sweets. We’ve enrolled a lot of people from different fields. The Army, the Law, the Home Office. Even from the War Office, who are notionally our bosses. A lot of our work has been – and still is – office work. But mark my words. If we go to war we will be one of the most important outfits in the country. So, will you consider leaving the police and coming in with us? Your grasp of Russian and French would be a huge asset.’

At almost any other time Luke would probably have said ‘No’. What he now said was, ‘If you can guarantee a war, yes.’

‘I can’t absolutely guarantee it, but I’ll be extremely surprised if we’re not at war with Germany within twelve months.’

Since he said this at the beginning of July 1913, he was wrong. But only by one month.

All Series titles can be read in order, or randomly as standalone novels

Inspector Hazlerigg

1. Close Quarters 
   (1947)
   
2. They Never Looked Inside 
   (alt: He Didn’t Mind Danger) (1948)
   
3. The Doors Open 
   (1949)
   
4. Smallbone Deceased 
   (1950)
   
5. Death has Deep Roots 
   (1951)
   
6. Fear To Tread 
   (in part) (1953)
   
7. The Young Petrella 
   (included) (short stories) (1988)
   
8. The Man Who Hated Banks and Other Mysteries
   (included) (short stories) (1997)
   

Patrick Petrella

1. Blood and Judgement 
   (1959)
   
2. Amateur in Violence
   (included) (short stories) (1973)
   
3. Petrella at Q 
   (short stories) (1977)
   
4. The Young Petrella 
   (short stories) (1988)
   
5. Roller Coaster 
   (1993)
   
6. The Man Who Hated Banks and Other Mysteries
   (included) (short stories) (1997)
   

Luke Pagan

1. Ring of Terror 
   (1995)
   
2. Into Battle 
   (1997)
   
3. Over and Out 
   (1998)
   

Calder & Behrens

1. Game Without Rules 
   (short stories) (1967)
   
2. Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens 
   (short stories) (1982)
   

Non-Series

1. Death in Captivity 
   (alt: The Danger Within) (1952)
   
2. Sky High 
   (alt: The Country House Burglar) (1955)
   
3. Be Shot for Sixpence 
   (1956)
   
4. After the Fine Weather 
   (1963)
   
5. The Crack in the Teacup 
   (1966)
   
6. The Dust and the Heat 
   (alt: Overdrive) (1967)
   
7. The Etruscan Net 
   (alt: The Family Tomb) (1969)
   
8. Stay of Execution and Other Stories
   (short stories) (1971)
   
9. The Body of a Girl 
   (1972)
   
10. The Ninety-Second Tiger 
    (1973)
    
11. Flash Point 
    (1974)
    
12. The Night of the Twelfth 
    (1976)
    
13. The Empty House 
    (1979)
    
14. The Killing of Katie Steelstock 
    (alt: Death of a Favourite Girl) (1980)
    
15. The Final Throw 
    (alt: End Game) (1982)
    
16. The Black Seraphim 
    (1984)
    
17. The Long Journey Home 
    (1985)
    
18. Trouble 
    (1987)
    
19. Paint, Gold, and Blood 
    (1989)
    
20. Anything for a Quiet Life 
    (short stories) (1990)
    
21. The Queen against Karl Mullen 
    (1992)
    

Published by House of Stratus

After The Fine Weather When Laura Hart travels to Austria to visit her brother, vice-consul of Lienz in the Tyrol, she briefly meets an American who warns her of the mounting political tension. Neo-Nazis are stirring trouble in the province, and xenophobia is rife between the Austrians who control the area and the Italian locals. Then Laura experiences the troubles first-hand, a shocking incident that suggests Hofrat Humbold, leader of the Lienz government is using some heavy-handed tactics. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he is unwilling to let one little English girl destroy his plans for the largest Nazi move since the war, and Laura makes a dangerous enemy.

Anything For A Quiet Life Jonas Pickett, lawyer and commissioner of oaths is nearing retirement, but still has lots of energy. However, he leaves the pressure of a London practice behind to set up a new modest office in a quiet seaside resort. He soon finds that he is overwhelmed with clients and some of them involve him in very odd and sometimes dangerous cases. This collection of inter-linked stories tells how these are brought to a conclusion; ranging from an incredible courtroom drama involving a gipsy queen to terrorist thugs who make their demands at gunpoint.

Be Shot For Sixpence A gripping spy thriller with a deserved reputation. Philip sees an announcement in The Times from an old school friend who has instructed the newspaper to publish only if they don’t hear from him. This sets a trail running through Europe, with much of the action taking place on the Austro-Hungarian border. The Kremlin, defectors, agitators and the People’s Court set the background to a very realistic story that could well have happened …

The Black Seraphim James Scotland, a young pathologist, decides on a quiet holiday in Melchester, but amid the cathedral town’s quiet medieval atmosphere, he finds a hornet’s nest of church politics, town and country rivalries, and murder. He is called upon to investigate and finds that some very curious alliances between the church, state and business exist. With modern forensic pathology he unravels the unvarnished truth about Melchester, but not before a spot of unexpected romance intervenes.

Blood & Judgement When the wife of a recently escaped prisoner is found murdered and partially buried near a reservoir, Patrick Petrella, a Metropolitan Police Inspector, is called in. Suspicion falls on the escaped convict, but what could have been his motive? Petrella meets resistance from top detectives at the Yard who would prefer to keep the inspector out of the limelight, but he is determined to solve the mystery with or without their approval.

The Body Of A Girl Detective Chief Inspector Mercer is called to the scene when a skeleton of a girl is found on Westlaugh Island in the upper reaches of the River Thames. What appears to be a straightforward and routine investigation, however, leads to unexpected events and a string of unlikely characters, including a lawyer and a one armed garage proprietor. Nothing seems to fit together and it seems the sleepy town holds many secrets. The finale involves two nights of dramatic violence and it isn’t until this stage is reached that the twisted truth finally emerges.