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Richard Patton #3
An Alibi Too Soon
When Richard Patton decides to give his old friend ex-Chief Superintendent Llew Hughes a call out of the blue, little does he expect Llew to answer sounding frantic.
He desperately begs Richard to visit him, and reveals that he believes there have been attempts on his life.
Llew has been writing his memoirs, and has discovered something suspicious in an old case...
But as Richard and Amelia approach Llew’s house they see that it is ablaze — they are too late. Llew is killed in the fire before he has a chance to explain.
In the wake of Llew’s suspicious death, Richard takes up his investigation.
But as he opens the old case, old grievances are disturbed and before long, Richard is drawn into a web of lies that could cost him his own life.
Two men stand in his the convicted murderer of the Edwin Carter case, and a disdainful officer who will stop at nothing to halt his investigations.
Can he solve two murders, one old, one new, and uncover the secret behind an alibi given too soon?
An Alibi Too Soon is a complex crime thriller from a master of the genre.
'Roger Ormerod is an accomplished writer of traditional murder mysteries who has earned himself not only popular success but also the respect and admiration of his colleagues...This is a strongly characterised, intellectually teasing story with a nail-biting climax, which any crime fiction buff ought to relish.’ James Melville, Hampstead & Highgate Express
Roger Ormerod is the author of over twenty novels. He was born in 1920 and left school at seventeen to join the Civil Service in which he spent most of his working life. He retired in 1970 and later worked as a postman and in the production control department of a heavy industry factory. He lives in Wolverhampton. His other novels include A Shot At Nothing , Third Time Fatal , The Key to the Case and The Night She Died .
He desperately begs Richard to visit him, and reveals that he believes there have been attempts on his life.
Llew has been writing his memoirs, and has discovered something suspicious in an old case...
But as Richard and Amelia approach Llew’s house they see that it is ablaze — they are too late. Llew is killed in the fire before he has a chance to explain.
In the wake of Llew’s suspicious death, Richard takes up his investigation.
But as he opens the old case, old grievances are disturbed and before long, Richard is drawn into a web of lies that could cost him his own life.
Two men stand in his the convicted murderer of the Edwin Carter case, and a disdainful officer who will stop at nothing to halt his investigations.
Can he solve two murders, one old, one new, and uncover the secret behind an alibi given too soon?
An Alibi Too Soon is a complex crime thriller from a master of the genre.
'Roger Ormerod is an accomplished writer of traditional murder mysteries who has earned himself not only popular success but also the respect and admiration of his colleagues...This is a strongly characterised, intellectually teasing story with a nail-biting climax, which any crime fiction buff ought to relish.’ James Melville, Hampstead & Highgate Express
Roger Ormerod is the author of over twenty novels. He was born in 1920 and left school at seventeen to join the Civil Service in which he spent most of his working life. He retired in 1970 and later worked as a postman and in the production control department of a heavy industry factory. He lives in Wolverhampton. His other novels include A Shot At Nothing , Third Time Fatal , The Key to the Case and The Night She Died .
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Roger Ormerod
87 books9 followersRoger Ormerod was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. He worked as a county court officer, an executive officer in the Department of Social Security, a postman, and a shop loader in an engineering factory.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 14, 2025
Getting used to the way the author lulls you into a simple murder but the adds in the complications of too many suspects. The way the mystery twists and turns at every opportunity and intertwines within itself. Now imagine how Patton feels as he tries to unravel all of this to get to the truth.
A simple story of a visit to see an old colleague who is sure of a miscarriage of justice and then killed in an arson attack is the beginning of one of these mysteries.
Enjoyable but complex.
A simple story of a visit to see an old colleague who is sure of a miscarriage of justice and then killed in an arson attack is the beginning of one of these mysteries.
Enjoyable but complex.
March 23, 2020
Ex-Chief Superintendent and friend Llew Hughes asks for th help of Richard Patten. Hughes has been writing his memoirs, and he believes that he may have discovered a miscarriage of justice. Thankfully Patton and his wife Amelia are visiting the area and so are able to visit Hughes that evening. But they arrive too late. Patton feels he must investigate.
An entertaining story
An entertaining story
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews