The Missing Husband — Roger Silverwood

Discover a bestselling series of murder mysteries set in south Yorkshire. One million books read!A detective who's no angel despite his name . . .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.Inspector Angel and his team investigate a puzzling case of abduction and possible murder in the South Yorkshire town of Bromersley.Selina Line, a very wealthy woman, marries a man she hardly knows, then disappears.But investigations reveal that Selina's husband Harry never existed.Also four men who claim they have nothing in common, staying at the luxurious Feathers Hotel, wake up in the middle of the night having been attacked in their sleep. They've all had their middle fingers broken.A missing woman and a missing husband.And a hitman known as 'The Fixer' is at large, causing every villain and policeman to be apprehensive and on their toes.Can Angel find solutions for these disparate cases before anyone else disappears?A brilliantly gripping mystery full of twists. Perfect for fans of R.D. Wingfield, Colin Dexter, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, and Agatha Christie.Please note this book was first published in hardback as Wild About Harry and in eBook as Missing, Presumed . . .THE DETECTIVEMichael 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 SETTINGBromersley 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.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'Once again Silverwood combines a classic mystery plot with well-developed characters.' Publishers Weekly