Death in the Harbour, Inspector Ryga Mystery (2) is to be published on 2 November 2020
And here it is, the cover of the second Inspector Ryga mystery, DEATH IN THE HARBOUR, the atmospheric
1950 set mystery series featuring the thoughtful reflective Scotland Yard detective, Inspector
Alun Ryga.
In DEATH IN THE HARBOUR Scotland
Yard's Inspector Alun Ryga is sent to Newhaven, East Sussex to unravel the
mystery of why an ordinary police constable was murdered and his wife has gone
missing.
Myra Swinley is convinced that her police constable husband’s death
was no accident, and that he would never have lost his footing on a
dark, foggy November night on the quayside of Newhaven Harbour while on
his beat. Determined to get to the truth she visits Scotland Yard to ask
his former friend, Detective Superintendent Street, to investigate.
Street says they have no basis to do so, but when Myra fails to return
home from her visit to the Yard, Inspector Ryga is sent down to the
Sussex coast to investigate. Accompanied by former war photographer, Eva Paisley, who has been
airlifted back to England after suffering a wound incurred in Korea,
Ryga’s investigation soon begins to uncover some puzzling facts.
Painstakingly, and with Eva’s assistance, Ryga begins to unravel the
mystery of why an ordinary police constable was murdered and his
sensible law-abiding wife has gone missing.
About Inspector Ryga
Scotland Yard were frequently called in to investigate murder cases around the
UK and Ryga with his expertise of the sea being a former merchant seaman is uniquely placed to solve coastal crimes.
I wanted a character who hadn't
been hailed as a war hero in the traditional sense, but instead a quiet, unseen
hero. I chose, therefore, to make Ryga a former German prisoner-of-war. Ryga’s
ship had been seized by a German Raider in 1941 as a result of which he had
been incarcerated for the rest of the war in MILAG, (Marine Internierten Lager). Here he had to learn how to cope with the
uncertainty, fear and deprivations of forced incarceration with no option but
to wait, hope and pray that the war would soon be over and the Nazis would be
defeated.
His experience has made Ryga
observant, analytical and reflective. It
has also given him insights into his fellow man. He’s witnessed compassion, cruelty, cowardice
and heroism, mental breakdown and despair. He’s made a promise to himself that
whatever happens after the war he’ll keep an open mind and never judge.
The first in the Ryga series, DEATH IN THE COVE
sees the Scotland Yard detective solving a baffling crime on the Island
of Portland, Dorset when the body of a man dressed in a pin striped suit
is found in the isolate Church Ope Cove.
In both DEATH IN THE COVE (1) and DEATH IN THE
HARBOUR (2), Ryga teams up with former war photographer, Eva Paisley.
Mystery People Magazine:, "Captures the period perfectly. A first-class series. Highly
recommended”
BH Living Magazine: "A great read and one I recommend to any crime fans".
"Pure detection mixed with a bit of history. Love these new characters and the setting is great.” Goodreads.
DEATH IN THE HARBOUR will be published in paperback, ebook, audio book and
on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple and Google Books on 2
November 2020. It is available to preorder.
