Books by Andrew Garve

It is one thing to commit a murder, another to confess to it, as mystery writer Walter Haines finds out. When popular TV actor Max Ryland is stabbed to death in his cottage, Walter is safely in Portugal. His wife had run off with Max so Walter has every reason to be bitter and vengeful, but enough to commit murder? Then Walter, for his own reasons, chooses to confess to the crime. The police insist that he re-enact the murder exactly as he alleged he committed it and they lie in wait to time him and trap him at every turn. Can Walter convince the police of his guilt by breaking a perfect alibi? And which is genuine, the alibi-or the confession? 'I was thrilled to read this book. Garve is a master; every word made you want to read the next. A superb work of art. A great book.' Dick Francis 'A distinctly original variation on the whodunit.' Maurice Richardson, Observer 'A beautifully conceived and executed story.' Birmingham Post

When Edward Latimer is accused by a pretty girl of assaulting her in a train, and two unimpeachable witnesses say they saw him do it, he's in deep water. This is only the beginning of his troubles, for a few days later the girl's dead body is found in the lonely nearby saltings and all the evidence points to Edward as her killer. It takes all the intelligence of his sons, Quentin and Hugh, and the wit of Hugh's fiancee, Cynthia, to produce an alternative theory about the murder-and an alternative suspect. With persistence and unshakeable faith they unravel the plot and in a dramatic reconstruction demonstrate the incredible truth.

When Anthony Bliss - roguish ladies man and con-artist extraordinaire - meets gorgeous Corinne Lake, whose wit, charm and eye for the finer things in life make her utterly irresistible, sparks fly. Their combination of passion and intellect make them perfect partners - in crime. Putting their heads together, they dream up a scheme for success - by smuggling a crooked financier out of England they could stand to make a fortune. In an action-packed race against time, the pair go over every detail of their plan - but is it enough to pull off the heist of a lifetime? 'It is impossible for Andrew Garve to be anything but supremely readable' Guardian 'The ensuing complications and surprises are highly ingenious, making this Andrew Garve's best for several books' Sunday Times

A tense, cleverly devised game of bluff and double-bluff . . . Most successful men make enemies but Robert Quarry, a rich and ruthless industrialist, had more than his share. Feeling was running high at Quarry's strike-bound factory in the Midlands. Threats were commonplace. When his battered body was found in a wrecked car, everything pointed to the strikers . . . But one thing puzzled Detective Chief Superintendent Burns - why had Quarry fixed an alibi for himself on the night he was killed? 'A tightly written and plotted exercise in deduction, quite absorbing' Yorkshire Post

It doesn't take Clare Hunter many years of married life to discover that her husband, Arnold, is ruthless and unscrupulous. But it is not until she attempts to break up their unsatisfactory marriage that she herself becomes victim of his power-complex. To prevent her leaving him, Arnold resorts to blackmail-of a highly specialised variety. Ordinary legal methods seem powerless to cope with the situation and Clare is becoming desperate when she finds an ally in a former colleague, Hugh Cameron. With little to guide them but their own ingenuity, these two can only rely on each other.

Life hadn't held much except the bottle for Robert Farran in the months since his beloved wife had died. Though a once-celebrated actor and impersonator, he didn't even have a career any more. Then terrorists kidnapped the young wife of a politician and demanded as ransom the release of one of their number serving a life sentence for killing a security guard. The politician, a wealthy man, offered a quarter of a million as ransom. The gang said they weren't interested, but Robert Farran was. Suppose he impersonated the gaoled terrorist long enough to ensure the kidnap victim's release, couldn't he be paid the money offered to the terrorists? It was risky - but the prospect of a fortune was tempting, and he had nothing to lose but his life. Could he manage to convince the politician, the police and the Government that his ploy was worth trying? Could he impersonate a man he did not know well enough to fool those who knew him intimately? Farran was prepared to try, but somewhere along the line things went wrong. He still had his life to lose but he no longer stood to gain a fortune.

When Frank Roscoe saves their young son from drowning, Sally and John Mellanby are understandably grateful, and offer their help to the ex-Army officer while he establishes himself in the local area. They invite him into their home, offer him a car and even an interest-free loan if he needs it. Slowly Roscoe's manner changes and the family become trapped in a nightmare of fear and suspicion which threatens to destroy their tranquil way of life. A gripping and all too plausible story of blackmail and deceit set in the soft beauty of Somerset, The Golden Deed is a simple yet effective tale of a couple whose good intentions bring a treacherous force into their lives. 'Has the priceless gift of telling a story with apparent simplicity, but unfailing grip' Times Literary Supplement

The disappearance of Commander Clive Easton, a naval hero with access to his Government's secrets, makes him look like a traitor. Just what he wants. Easton is actually hiding on Megstone, a barren rock in the ocean. He thinks he's just hiding for a fortnight but when rescue doesn't come, suspects he might be marooned there. What started as an affair with his friend's sultry and avaricious wife, Isobel, and a money-making plot that would net him and his lover a fortune, looks like it might cost him his life. This is the story of a fraud to catch a fortune, from the master of plot, Andrew Garve. First published in 1956, this is classic crime fiction from a master of the genre and a founding member of the Crime Writers' Association. Reading classic crime, brought back into ebook by Bello, is like watching a classic film: if you enjoy watching The Third Man or North by Northwest, you'll love this book.

Have you ever wondered what undiscovered gems lie waiting to be found in your garden? Lawrence Quilter, a man in a position of power, finds some interesting records amongst his great grandfather's papers. This leads him to uncover a labyrinth of secret underground caves that have been hidden for decades. Julie, Lawrence's long-suffering wife, knows that her husband is an obsessive man with a quirky personality but she stands by him all the same. That is until her husband's behaviour becomes increasingly worrying and she is forces to reconsider the man she has married. One moment brings about a tragic chain of events which affects both Lawrence and his wife. This is an exciting and unusual story which takes us into the realms of the frightening as well as the fantastically beautiful and delves into the very depths of human nature.

Young Dr. Martin West has just arrived to take up an important medical post on a British island colony in the Tropics which is on the verge of being granted self-government, and where corruption is rife. His chief, Dr. Garland, shows him over an isolation establishment for lepers on a neighbouring island which is to be developed. Soon he is involved in a conflict of personalities and a maze of violent events. At a fiesta, when the population goes crazy with joyous abandon and fancy-dress is worn, a masked murderer kills Dr. Garland's assistant. A second murder follows. Susan Anstruther, the girl Martin falls in love with, almost becomes the third victim. Then Martin goes on the warpath. For a time he finds himself with a lot of riddles and no answers, until Dr. Garland's glamorous wife Celeste gives a dramatic turn to events and precipitates the climax.

'I think there must be some mistake.' James Lester is a rising star in the political world and all signs point to his becoming the next Prime Minister, but the appearance of a mystery girl, claiming to have a history with the MP, threatens a scandal capable of wrecking his campaign. Lester denies the association, but each new revelation by the girl is more damning and dramatic than the last. As the scandal grows, a small number of journalists take up his cause and resolve to properly investigate the case. Who is Shirley Holt? And how does she know so many details about an event that Lester claims never to have taken place? Told through media reports and diary entries, Andrew Garve delivers another ingenious thriller. 'Garve at his most irresistibly cunning' New York Times 'In all the excellently varied books Garve has given us he surely cannot have found a better plot' The Times

Mike Conway, an ocean-going yachtsman down on his luck in a tropical port, welcomes the chance to repair his fortunes when he is approached to undertake a dangerous and illegal, but highly lucrative mission. For Victor Metaxas, who planned the enterprise, it is an expansive, millionaire's gesture on behalf of his country. For the hero-worshipping Leanda, who helped him, it is a passionate crusade. This proves to be the biggest obstacle that Conway, a self-styled "e;mercenary,"e; has to contend with. When the yacht Thalia slips out of Mombasa Harbour at the start of the adventure, the prospects seem reasonably good-but there are complications, villainous and romantic, ahead-and the trickiest part of the whole project turns out to be the journey back. Andrew Garve has once more set a gripping and original story against an unusual background. A Hero for Leanda triumphantly achieves the high standards of realism and suspense which this author always sets himself.

When events don't go to plan, who knows where you will end up? Four teenagers, all eager to impress each other, embark on a seemingly straight forward robbery. But when events don't go to plan the four youths find themselves on the run from the police. Each of them are keen to avoid the authorities whilst also saving face amongst each other, and so things go from bad to worse as the night progresses. 'King' Macey emerges as the natural leader and takes charge of the situation. Welding his gun in hand, he feels invincible, but the other three teenagers start to have reservations about King Macey's judgements. When they take the nearby lighthouse as their fortress, Macey truly feels King of the castle. In the confines of the small lighthouse, the four teenagers are pitted together against the three gentle lighthouse keepers and the fierceness of the elements surrounding them. As King Macey asserts his authority and the number of dead bodies increases, the inhabitants of the lighthouse have to decide exactly what matters most to them . . . 'Splendidly taut story' Times Literary Supplement 'He is a past master at this sort of suspense story' Sunday Times

When the Foreign Editor of London's Morning Call newspaper resigns, his assistant Edgar Jessop seems, at least to himself, the obvious choice to replace him. Particularly as he has been passed over for promotion on so many occasions in the past. Jessop is, therefore, outraged to learn that one of the young, upstart reporters, Cardew, is to be awarded the position, and Jessop is to be shipped off to Malaya to report on the recent disturbances: a seeming punishment for all his years of hard work. Driven to despair, Jessop hatches a plan to take revenge on the staff at the Morning Call. When one of the journalists is poisoned, the whole press-team become suspects to murder. For no one would suspect shy, retiring Jessop of this heinous crime, would they? It is up to Chief Inspector Haines to investigate . . .

An instinctive decision. A dangerous gang. A life at risk. When Debbie Sheldon witnesses a jewel theft - one that leaves an innocent man dead - she acts on impulse, taking a photograph of the getaway car. And now the criminals want the evidence back and to silence Debbie. For good. With the protection of the police Debbie must act as bait to lure the violent killers to a disused mill, but the plan proves to be flawed. Soon the body count is rising and the predators have become the prey. 'Always seems to be at his best . . . It is impossible for this author to be anything but supremely readable' Guardian

Alan Hunt is ambitious and unpleasant - a caravan salesman with good looks, youth and charm. He is engaged to be married to Susan, a plain girl with a beautiful fortune. Just two weeks before the wedding, Gwenda Nicholls turns up, a pretty redhead he seduced on holiday in Norway: lovely, trusting - and pregnant. She threatens Hunt's new way of life, insisting on marriage, so he forms a plan to get rid of her - permanently - and knows the perfect site to hide the body. "e;A master of suspense at the top of his form."e; Evening News "e;Guaranteed to bring gasps at his ingenuity."e; Sun "e;Distinctly gripping study of a coldly narcissistic salesman-seducer . . ."e; Observer

When British correspondent for Russia Lord Tim Quainton falls in love with Marya Razcinski whilst on leave in London, little does he know what a web of intrigue he is entering. Quainton's suspicions are first awakened when he discovers a secret about Marya's father and his suspicious past. But Quainton must immediately push his fears out of his mind and embark upon a lengthy assignment into the heart of the Ukraine. Soon, though, Quainton finds himself suddenly hotly pursued through perilous, icy conditions by a sinister enemy who won't rest until he is dead. What does this terrifying turn of events have to do with Quainton's furtive enquiries into Raczinski's past? And will he make it back to London in time to find out? 'Exciting to the very end.' Times Literary Supplement 'One can always rely on him for either an original idea or a fresh treatment of an old one.' Guardian 'Of all the English writers of detection one of the most original, certainly the most versatile in subject, is Andrew Garve.' Daily Telegraph

Of the six convicts Robert Ashe tries to help on his weekly visit to the prison, Terry Booth is the most "e;promising"e;. It seems that Terry, only twenty-four years old, has gained something positive from Ashe's confidence and friendship: that on his release he might make a new start and put behind him the first terrible crime that led to his conviction and imprisonment. Upon his discharge, Ashe helps Terry with a possible job in a garage. He meets the owner of the garage, Laurence Winter, and his charming, but somewhat coy wife, Mavis, who both seem happy to give Terry a chance at 'going straight'. Terry has a violent past but Ashe is almost sure he can be trusted. That is, until it is discovered that someone has attempted to steal some cash from the garage office, and then a dreadful murder is committed-and Terry has disappeared.

On Tara Hill, near Dublin, is the site where "e;The House of a Thousand Soldiers"e; once stood. An archaeologist becomes involved in a project to rebuild "e;The House of Soldiers"e; and to repeople it for a day with living images of the soldiers who had once caroused there. But behind the project is a plot and James Maguire soon finds himself in a predicament from which there seems to be no escape. Andrew Garve's realism and ingenuity is given full rein in this account of Maguire's desperate but calculated actions to free himself from the trap. 'Of all the English writers of detection one of the most original, certainly the most versatile in subject, is Andrew Garve.' Daily Telegraph

Foreign correspondent George Gerney, travelling to Moscow by train to report for his newspaper on post-war changes there, finds himself in the company of a pro-Soviet delegation from England. His aloof attitude towards his fellow passengers receives a jolt, however, when one of them is murdered in Moscow. He refuses to accept the official Russian explanation of the crime and, better versed than most foreigners in Soviet tactics of every kind, he does his own investigating - giving a shrewd and often amusing picture of life behind the Iron Curtain.

When the boundaries between reality and fiction become blurred it is left to one man to seek the truth . . . Journalist Peter Rennie discovers more than he bargained for after being sent to the Channel Islands to do an interview for his news paper. A chance meeting with the mysterious Mary Smith not only has Peter falling head over heels in love with the vivacious woman, but also leads him onto a much more intriguing investigation of his own. Using all his professional knowledge, Peter must get to the bottom of a complex murder case in order to win back the woman he has given his heart to. But when the case in question involves two crime authors, two near-identical novels, a gruesome death and an elaborate paper trail the truth seems impossibility out of his grasp . . . 'A strikingly varied and lively book' New York Times 'A wonderful yarn . . . with a smash finish' San Francisco Chronicle