Murder in the Ascendant (Langton Investigates, Book 2) - Softcover

Evans, Desmond John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847482791 ISBN 13: 9781847482792

Publisher: Athena Press, 2008

Synopsis

Eighteen months ago, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Langton arrived on the scene in Abbottsford, right in the middle of a murder investigation. Since then, life has settled down nicely for him and his wife and young son. But memories of his time at the Met are about to be triggered as he becomes involved in the unsolved disappearance of a young woman nearly sixteen years ago. Could a cult be involved? As the details of her abduction and murder come to light, a systematic pattern of abuse of other victims by members of the mysterious Scorpion Club is slowly revealed. Langton is faced with the formidable task of identifying those who raped and murdered victims chosen purely for their star signs. But after sixteen years, and with the main suspects either missing or presumed dead, how is he to go about the task? Drawing on his experience with the Met, he enlists the help of a psychic, and finds that he is now in the position of not only having to defend his own intuition, but hers too. The sequel to Death is a Member, Murder in the Ascendant is a well-crafted detective story that never rushes in its satisfying dissection of the dark side of human nature.

About this title

From the Author:

This is the second book and sequel to "Death is a Member" Murder in the Ascendant by Desmond John Evans. Advances in technology as we enter the first decade of the Twenty-First Century provide Police forces with more sophisticated methods of detecting and solving crime. From the tiniest fragments of tissue or bone, forensic can detect how the unfortunate victims died many years ago by the aid of those three magical letters DNA and bring to justice those who perpetrated acts of Robbery, Murder or Rape. Prior to the 1980s, these resources were not available, the Police had to rely on less technical means of apprehending villains, a lot depended on the ability of the investigating detectives assigned the task of seeking and apprehending the criminal. Lines of communication are faster now, assisted by the introduction of the Mobile phone. Today it's an everyday accessory. The screening of violence, murder and war on our Televisions, the news broadcasts on the radio, the headlines in the Daily Tabloids, has made us become desensitized and blaze; Its only when a small child has been abducted and assaulted do our feelings run high. A missing Teenager doesn't invoke our emotions so much, we find an appropriate answer, ` they've probably gone to London, had a row with the family and left home, ` it helps us to gloss over our feelings a little easier... To the parents of these teenagers, their life is sheer hell, but for us, we get on with our normal routine without a second thought, unless of course it's a neighbour or in our immediate locality. Many people will cast blame on the lure of the big Cities and Towns enticing these youngsters to leave home, it's as good an excuse as any other to use, the truth is, it could happen anywhere, any small village, or small town. Abbottsford was no different back in those days before Chief Inspector Jim Langton arrived, there had been dark forces at work, as we shall discover. . It's eighteen months since DCI. Langton arrived at Abbottsford Police Station to serve out what was to have been his last 3 months of service in the Police Force before leaving to immigrate to Australia. How often do we hear that a` happening` or an event in one's life is fate, or the ` event ` was pre-ordained, in other words it couldn't have been avoided? Is this true? Are events bound to happen, have we no choice. Langton's first assignment when he arrived was to engage him in a Murder investigation at East Ridge Golf Course. During his investigation he was to meet his ex-wife. Divorced and apart for 3 years, he had no conception she was even in the area and yet `, shall we dare to say, were brought together`, by the murder of David Phelps, the husband of his ex-wife's closest friend Laura Phelps, could not their reconciliation have happened without the husband being brutally murdered? Taking it a step further, Langton was shot at point blank range during the investigation and survived, was that fate? Happily remarried and staying on in the Police Force he is firmly ensconced in Abbottsford as Detective in charge of Crime investigations. Over the last Eighteen months with his wife Judith they have settled down in Callow Cottage, a Thatched dwelling on the edge of East Ridge Golf Course, they have a Baby Son, Jamie. Abbottsford has enjoyed a fairly crime free environment for this period of time. People go about their daily business, friendships are made, and so, in this glorious month of June on the warmest and brightest of days, fate, or is it pure coincidence, Langton was to be involved in a very sinister investigation initiated by a very casual valuation of Callerton Manor. It had been neglected over the years, and was to be auctioned in the near future. Valuations happen every day, and Gary Wainwright a close friend of Jim Langton and Judith has carried out these kinds of valuations as regular as clockwork. Nevertheless, this particular morning, this particular Manor House was to be the start of a particularly difficult hunt for a Murderer or Murderers in the case of a young teenage girl who went missing in October 1962, nearly sixteen years ago.

About the Author:

Des Evans decided to start writing crime novels at the age of eighty one. Setting out to complete a trilogy of the `Langton Investigates`series, Murder in the Ascendant is the second of the trilogy. Turning eighty three in 2008 he is now well on his way through writing his third book.

Des Evans was born in Birmingham in 1925. He was educated in State schools and left at the age of fourteen. In 1942 he enlisted in the RAF as a Flight Mechanic, working on Lancaster Bombers during the years 1943/44 and the beginning of 1945,he then volunteered for overseas and completed his last eighteen months in Malta. He was demobbed in 1947 and married the girl next door Jean in 1950.They have a son and daughter and seven grandchildren. Des retired in 1985 having worked mostly in insurance, and became the webmaster for his old 97 squadron website, retiring in june 2006,when his writing career started in earnest Des and Jean now live in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. <

About this edition

• Publisher: Athena Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847482791
• ISBN 13: 9781847482792
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 324