DCI Jack Callum Mysteries - Book Three
"A gripping series with a sympathetic protagonist. Dark and uncompromising." Thomas Waugh, author of Enough is Enough
1959
Sister Bernadette, a noviciate nun is found murdered in the chapel of a local orphanage. She has been stabbed repeatedly and her body violated.
DCI Jack Callum, an uncompromising London policeman seeking a more peaceful life in rural Hertfordshire, is called in to investigate.
He assembles his team.
The post-mortem produces an unexpected result, Sister Bernadette was pregnant at the time of her death, and suspicion falls upon Father Martin Harvey, a young priest, with whom Bernadette worked closely.
Powerful members of the local community, including Marcus Pennington, a local businessman, and Canon Flood, the head of the local diocese, are determined erase the stain the scandal has caused, but for very different reasons.
Further violence is unleashed as the dark secrets of these seemingly devout people are exposed by Jack's unflinching investigation.
In a gripping climax a young policeman finds himself in a deadly situation and Jack has to use all his guile and experience to save the man's life, as well as his own.
Len Maynard is a crime and horror novelist. He also writes short ghost stories and supernatural fiction. He has been writing for over 40 years and lives in North Hertfordshire.
Praise for Len Maynard:
"A series to savour - and hope for more. Maynard's action-packed crime thrillers are brimming with authentic characters, practices and settings from a bygone era." Paul Walker, author of State of Treason
