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This red ex-lib book is still good - Sadly no wrapper - 1976 - 190 pg. >>> It is one thing to commit a murder, another to confess to it, as mystery writer Walter Haines finds out. When popular TV actor Max Ryland is stabbed to death in his cottage, Walter is safely in Portugal. His wife had run off with Max so Walter has every reason to be bitter and vengeful, but enough to commit murder ? - Then Walter, for his own reasons, chooses to confess to the crime. The police insist that he re-enact the murder exactly as he alleged he committed it and they lie in wait to time him and trap him at every turn. Can Walter convince the police of his guilt by breaking a perfect alibi ? And which is genuine, the alibior the confession ? - I was thrilled to read this book. Garve is a master; every word made you want to read the next. A superb work of art. A great book. Dick Francis - A distinctly original variation on the whodunit. Maurice Richardson, Observer - A beautifully conceived and executed story. Birmingham Post. >>> Walter Haines will tell you that he has everything he could want. He's a mystery writer who has had substantial success and is now fairly well off. He has married a beautiful lady. They settle down to a nice married life in a snug little house with a secluded garden where they can enjoy each other's company. It's all lovely in the garden, in fact. Until Max Ryland, a self-assured and charismatic actor, comes along and steals his beloved wife, Laura, from him. If that wasn't bad enough, Ryland subsequently dumps Laura and creates a situation where it seems impossible for her to return to her husband. Not that Walter wouldn't take her back. He would--in a heartbeat. But she has been humiliated and has lost respect for the man who wouldn't fight for her when it counted. - So Walter has good reason to hate Max Ryland. And when the actor turns up stabbed to death in his cottage it wouldn't be unreasonable for the police to suspect the bitter husband or the woman he humiliated. But Walter has a iron-clad alibi with passport stamps and receipts to prove that he was safely in Portugal (nursing his broken heart and bruised feelings). The police soon find another bitter man who lost his love to the despicable homewrecker and take him in to "help the police with their inquiries." Imagine the surprise of Superintendent Maude (in charge of the case) when Walter calls him up and asks him to come to his house so he can confess to the murder.
