A DETECTIVE WHO'S NO ANGEL DESPITE HIS NAME. Discover a gripping series of murder mysteries set in south Yorkshire. MEET DETECTIVE INSPECTOR MICHAEL ANGEL. AN OLD-SCHOOL POLICEMAN WHO SOMETIMES RUBS HIS COLLEAGUES UP THE WRONG WAY. HE'S GOT HIS FLAWS, BUT HE NEVER GIVES UP ON A CASE. Please note this book was first published as "THE UMBRELLA MAN." "Effortlessly blends an intricate puzzle with a contemporary police procedural." Publishers Weekly AN ARSONIST AND MURDERER THREATENS TO SET FIRE TO THE LUXURY HOME OF THE LOCAL MP. Detective Inspector Michael Angel has two suspects. One has completely disappeared, the other is securely locked up in a police cell. A search of the suspect's home reveals a bizarre setup: a dozen umbrellas are suspended from the ceiling, packed with rice. Will the umbrella man be able to execute his threat while still in police custody? MEANWHILE, IMELDA WILDE, A FAMOUS MAGICIAN'S BEAUTIFUL ASSISTANT, IS MURDERED. It appears to be a copy of an unsolved crime committed twenty-five years ago. What's the connection between the two disparate cases? Michael Angel must race against the clock to unravel this baffling mystery. Perfect for fans of R.D. Wingfield, Colin Dexter, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, and Agatha Christie. THE DETECTIVE Michael Angel is over fifty, married to Mary. They don't have any children. They are a devoted couple but the relationship sometimes breaks down due to his job or due to the problems of Mary's sister who lives in Edinburgh and imposes on their easygoing natures. Michael works at the small local police station and is devoted to defeating crime, murder, and dishonesty of any sort and has no personal ambition beyond being a good husband and a successful detective. He doesn't want promotion with all the routine office work and stress that goes with it. He is incorruptible but always short of money. He is always at odds with his immediate chief, Detective Superintendent Horace Harker, who is lazy, a hypochondriac and not a bit interested in assisting Angel in serious police work. THE SETTING Bromersley is a market town at the bottom of the Pennines surrounded by stone and hawthorn-edged fields grazed by cattle and sheep. It is cold as anywhere in the winter but its closeness to the mountains protects it from many gales and heavy falls of snow. The town's industry today includes the manufacture of ball bearings and whisky bottles, and a huge brewery produces Bromersley's best bitter, which is considered the finest beer for miles around. Wednesday is market day, and the town centre is host to the frequent cries of stall-holders hawking their wares while the enticing smells of cheeses, coffees, foreign spices and fish and chips tempt your taste buds as you wander through the stalls. The police always find it difficult to catch pilferers and pickpockets in such a crowd. Bromersley folk are easy to befriend but many of the old people are stubborn and still buy their fruit and veg in pounds and ounces, not kilos and grams. Praise for Roger Silverwood "Solid plotting, unpretentious writing, thoroughly reliable entertainment." Morning Star "A cast of characters you really want to populate with familiar faces of actors you see each week on TV - great fun. Angel is terrific." Books Monthly DETECTIVE ANGEL SERIES Book 1: THE MISSING NURSE Book 2: THE MISSING WIFE Book 3: THE MAN IN THE PINK SUIT Book 4: THE MORALS OF A MURDERER Book 5: THE AUCTION MURDERS Book 6: THE MISSING KILLER Book 7: THE UMBRELLA MURDERS