Death Comes To The Torpedo Factory

by Arno B. Zimmer

In “Death Comes To The Torpedo Factory”, World War II has been over for years and an old Torpedo Factory is now used to store government documents – including classified records from the campaign against Nazi Germany. In 1971, a lowly clerk stumbles upon a file with explosive photographs that, if made public, could ruin a prominent local family. When the photographs disappear, the hunt for them attracts a motley assortment of characters – including a former German intelligence agent and an old school gumshoe – with deadly consequences.

220 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2018

About the author

Arno Zimmer was born in Rochester, NY and grew up in several towns in Upstate New York. He attended the University of Connecticut, from which he graduated cum laude with distinction in English. Subsequently, he received a master's degree in literature from Georgetown University where he wrote his thesis on John Milton's "Paradise Lost".

His initial foray into writing was a 1981 business book entitled "Employing The Handicapped", a guide for employers struggling to comply with federal laws and regulations governing the rights of disabled workers. This book was published by AMACOM, the book division of the American Management Associations, and was cited by Library Journal as one of the best business books of the year.

In 2011, he started researching life in 1950s small-town America, resulting in his first novel, "The Parlor City Boys", an eBook released in 2015 featuring Det. Billy Meacham, Jr.

"Return to Parlor City," the sequel to "The Parlor City Boys," was released on Amazon as an eBook on October 22, 2016.

In November of 2017, "A Murder In Parlor Harbor" was published, completing the Det. Billy Meacham, Jr. eBook mystery trilogy.

In August of 2018, "Death Comes To The Torpedo Factory" was released in both paperback and eBook formats.

In December of 2018, the Parlor City murder mystery trilogy was released in paperback. These three novels continue to be available in eBook format as well.


In October of 2019, "The Severed Finger: A Thimble Islands Mystery" was released in paperback and eBook formats.

In July of 2021, "Reservoir Man: The Disappearance of Tommy Dwyer" was released in paperback and eBook formats

In May of 2023, "The Antiquary Book Murders: The Hunt For Little Dorrit" was released in paperback and eBook versions.

In April of 2025, the audio version of "Death Comes To The Torpedo Factory" was released on Amazon.

In November of 2025, "The Chained Library Conspiracy" was released in eBook and paperback formats.

Reviews

[Carol Grippo]

The Torpedo Factory is still in Alexandria and has been renovated into an art gallery. It was very nice to read a book that that took place in my home town. I enjoyed the book; it was fairly easy to figure out the murderer but a couple of characters were thrown in who were very likable and had a major role in the story to make it more entertaining. I would recommend this book to others.

[Doug Ward]

The torpedo factory in the title is located on the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia. After the Second World War, documents from the war were stored there. The city of Alexandria bought the buildings in 1969, and the old torpedo factory now houses artists' studios.

This novel is set in 1971, when the documents at the torpedo factory were in the process of being moved to another facility in Maryland. A clerk finds photographs showing that the biological father of Barrington Dumont, a Virginia patrician who is running for Congress, was a German officer during the war.

The clerk, Leonard Scatcherd, hopes to use the photographs to discredit Dumont and his family; while Helga Dumont, the family matriarch, makes efforts to stop Scatcherd.

Scatcherd reaches out to a young bartender and would-be journalist, Woody Meachem, for help. Woody has recently finished a tour of duty in Vietnam and is trying to figure out what to do with his life. He is not interested in assisting Scatcherd, but when a suspicious death ensues, he is able to help detective Hank Willoughby, who is looking for the murderer.

This is one of a series of mysteries featuring Woody and/or his stepfather Billy, a police detective in upstate New York. The story is fast-moving and engaging, with several well-drawn charzcters.

[Brett]

I fully enjoyed reading this book. interesting plotline, complex but not too, fascinating characters. I am impressed by the author’s imaginative prose which skillfully creates a deeper level to the novel’s cast of characters. I find Zimmer’s descriptions delightful. this passage is offered as an example: “Viola Finch looked very much like her avian namesake. She was small and plump in stature, with a tiny, pinched mouth and a conical beak of a nose. She dressed immaculately in colorful plumage and perched on her chair just outside Bellows’ office waiting for the master to beckon her. If anyone could have adapted to caged living with a loving mate, it would have been Viola Finch.”

[Debbi Jewell]

A nice read.

Born and raised in Alexandria Va. Im very aware of the Torpedo Factory and my grandfather worked there durning the war. I would of liked more history but was a nice read.

[Monroe Bryant]

Interesting story however easy to figure out who done it early, nice that it was set in my home town of Alexandria.