"Death Penalties"

"Death Penalties" by Paula Gosling is part of her Luke Abbott mystery series but actually highlights his Sergeant Tim Nightingale more than Abbott.  When a retired policeman dies at home of what is ruled as natural causes, Nightingale discovers he'd been keeping a notebook about Roger Leland.  Leland was killed in a traffic accident and the retired policeman was almost run over by Leland's car just before the accident.  He seemed to think Leland was being chased by another car and that it might not have been an accident at all.  Since Leland's young son, Max, was in the car with him, no believes he would be driving recklessly without good reason.

Nightingale tries to persuade Abbott to reopen the investigation into Leland's death but the police are busy and shorthanded and Abbott doesn't see a case there.  He grudgingly allows Nightingale to do some sleuthing on his own time, however.

When Leland's widow reports break-ins and threatening phone calls at her home, the police begin to take it all a little more seriously.  She's being wooed by her husband's ex-partner who did very well after her husband's death due to an insurance policy held by him through the business.  His widow had her house paid off by insurance but otherwise is just scraping by financially.  However, the partner wants her to marry him and let him take care of her.  She's not sure she wants to go back to being taken care of, thouugh.

She's also being wooed by the nephew of a woman whose home she is redecorating and a new lodger -- a professor being offered free rent in return for tutoring Max while he recovers at home from rheumatic fever.

As the investigation continues and the violence escalates, she begins to wonder who she can really trust.  At this point Max disappears and the danger to all of them increases.  Don't miss this well told tale of intrigue.  pazt