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Death by strangulation is not a pretty sight, but then Ted Baxter, who had driven his wife to suicide, was an ugly character.His wastebasket bulges with hate mail.One letter — inscribed in copperplate letters with striking green ink — stands You have been found guilty of crimes against humanity. The death sentence will be carried out in eight days. The April Rainers.Chief Inspector Webb of the Shillingham CID soon discerns a pattern.Baxter was not the April Rainers’ first victim.The two other known victims were an extortionist and a hostile-takeover artist; both had so many enemies that another threat seemed insignificant — even one inscribed in copperplate letters.What connects the victims?Who are the April Rainers?Why are they warning their victims beforehand?In his most baffling case yet, Chief Inspector Webb must find out who this group is and why its members are taking the law into their own hands …
A mysterious vigilante group known as the April Rainers issues a series of death sentences to morally reprehensible individuals, forcing Chief Inspector Webb to race against the clock to prevent the next execution. The protagonist, Chief Inspector Webb of the Shillingham CID, must navigate a web of social malice and hidden motives to identify the perpetrators before they strike again. He faces the challenge of connecting seemingly unrelated victims who share only a history of predatory behavior and a surplus of enemies. The narrative follows a traditional procedural structure, focusing on the methodical collection of evidence and the psychological profiling of both the victims and the elusive killers.
This work fits firmly within the tradition of classic British police procedurals, emphasizing the methodical nature of detective work over high-octane action. The premise suggests a focus on the ethical complexities of vigilantism, positioning the reader to weigh the victims' past actions against the cold, calculated methods of their executioners. The narrative likely relies on the tension between the inspector's duty to uphold the law and the public's potential sympathy for the victims' demise. Readers can expect a tightly plotted mystery that prioritizes logical deduction and the slow unraveling of a criminal organization's identity.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
1989-01-01
Publisher:
Collins Crime Club, London, 1989.
ISBN-10:
0002322595
ISBN-13:
9780002322591
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