False Witness

Inspector Simon Manton #4

by Michael Underwood

It is unfortunate that Jeremy Harper was the one to stumble upon the victim of an armed robbery. A young barrister, he is more used to holding court than being a witness. He also finds himself curiously linked to the man in the dock.It is a trial with deep undercurrents, and one that dramatically comes to a head when a strangled body is found in the town hall.Enter Detective-Superintendent Simon Manton of Scotland Yard, who will not rest until the final clue falls into place ...

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

"Michael Underwood" was the pseudonym of British writer John Michael Evelyn. He published his first mystery novel, Murder on Trial, in 1954. His series characters were Martin Ainsworth and Inspector (later Superintendent) Simon Manton.

Evelyn was educated at Christ Church College Oxford and Grays Inn London. He was called to the Bar in 1939 but joined the British Army to serve during WWII until 1946, attaining the rank of Major. He returned to a career in law with the Department of Public Prosecutions, serving for some thirty years until his retirement in 1976.

Reviews

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was very Britih and very indirect. I don’t think I will read another of this authors for some time. He says things like, the hallway was decorated with things that while might not be farm implements at least reminded of their proximity.

The main character is almost a passive witness to the goings on. A number of chapters follow other characters, while not a weakness of other books necessarily I didn’t like it here.