Part of Dalziel & Pascoe, book 7
First published 2003
Patrick Aldermann thought fortune had smiled on him. Great Aunt Florence died suddenly, collapsing into her prized roses, and left him Rosemont House with its magnificent gardens. The inheritance transforms his life from ordinary to luxurious. Then his boss Danny Dick Elgood tells Inspector Peter Pascoe that Patrick committed murder. Elgood quickly takes back his words, but Pascoe cannot ignore what he heard. The inspector begins investigating, pulled into a case that may not exist. Police Cadet Singh, the first Asian officer in Mid-Yorkshire, uncovers troubling details about Patrick's sophisticated wife Daphne. Meanwhile, Superintendent Dalziel treats Singh like a servant from colonial days, demanding tea and reliving old imperial fantasies. Patrick's perfect new life starts crumbling as the police dig deeper into his past and present. What began as an unexpected windfall becomes a nightmare of suspicion and scrutiny.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Rosemont House, Mid-Yorkshire
Period: 20th-century
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · HarperCollinsPublishers