When Anthony Rathe Investigates

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Pub Date 18 Sep 2018 | Archive Date 30 Sep 2018

Description

The original Anthony Rathe stories of courtroom criminal cases appeared on American public radio, syndicated by the late Jim French through his Imagination Theater. When Anthony Rathe Investigates continues where the radio stories finished.


Prosecuting criminal cases, barrister Anthony Rathe convinced a jury to imprison an innocent man, who subsequently took his own life. Horrified at his mistake, Rathe abandons his glittering legal career, vowing to truly serve justice. A series of cases come his way.


These four stories, linked by how Rathe is racked with guilt over the suicide, explore crime from a different angle: determination to find the truth, no matter how inconvenient to the investigating officer, Inspector Cook. The first story, Burial for the Dead, exposes sordid family history that led to a murder in a church. In A Question of Proof, Inspector Cook needs Rathe to unravel an underworld murder; in Ties that Bind Rathe solves a crime of passion; and in The Quick and the Dead, modern slavery intrudes into his own personal life.  The reader is invited to join Rathe in solving these complex mysteries.

The original Anthony Rathe stories of courtroom criminal cases appeared on American public radio, syndicated by the late Jim French through his Imagination Theater. When Anthony Rathe Investigates...


A Note From the Publisher

E-book price: GBP 4.99, EUR 5.99, USD 6.99. Print edition ISBN: 9781907230684, GBP 9.99, EUR 16.95, USD 19.95.

Please enquire for translation rights.

E-book price: GBP 4.99, EUR 5.99, USD 6.99. Print edition ISBN: 9781907230684, GBP 9.99, EUR 16.95, USD 19.95.

Please enquire for translation rights.


Marketing Plan

This title will be exhibited at Frankfurt Book Fair, October 10th - 12th

This title will be exhibited at Frankfurt Book Fair, October 10th - 12th


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781907230677
PRICE $3.49 (USD)

Average rating from 14 members


Featured Reviews

I didn't know the prosecuting criminal cases, barrister Anthony Rathe character prior to reading the collection When Anthony Rathe Investigates by Matthew Booth. The original Anthony Rathe stories of courtroom criminal cases appeared on American public radio, syndicated by the late Jim French through his Imagination Theater. The book continuous where the radio stories finished. Four stories focus on the quest for truth and justice, no matter how inconvenient.  To build up trust and tension Rathe's private investigations are contrasted to Inspector Cook. The stories read like a classic crime story on TV, concise, and conversations to look into the investigator's line of thought to solve the whodunnit puzzle. Burial for the Dead kicks off with a brutal murder in a church where a priest gave the key to a visitor that wanted to confess his deepest sin. The second story, A Question of Proof, Cook and Rathe collaborate in an underworld murder case. A crime of passion is investigated in Ties that Bind Rathe, while in the last story, The Quick and the Dead, modern slavery is addressed.

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This had a perfect balance of deduction and soul searching to make the main character compelling. The mysteries were well written with refreshing style but a few typos and lapses. I received this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. NB: I believe the mistakes I noticed have been corrected in the latest version.

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He investigates now because he's driven by guilt. One of his cases went badly and he can't forgive himself. So he is going try to find justice for those cases he's asked to help on.

Sparkling Books Limited and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published September 18th.

These are short stories of several cases, all of them sad. Trying to prove who the real villain is can be hard and unrewarding but Rathe doesn't give up. He's trying to balance the scale and make his life feel right again.

The stories aren't easy to figure out but Rathe does it. I don't think I'd like I'd like him breathing down my back either. Give it a read. It'll make you think about life...

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A good book of shorter stories featuring a lawyer who after helping convict an innocent man who later committed suicide. Said lawyer - Rathe - overcome with guilt and despair finds himself continually helping a policeman in intriguing cases that help draw him out of his despair. Well written and definitely worth the read.

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Short form crime fiction is difficult. The author cannot rely on red herrings, a host of possible suspects, or deeply technical sleuthing. The scene, character and plot must come immediately. The four novellas of this book are masterpieces of their kind.

Meet Anthony Rathe, a barrister who abruptly retired from practice when a brilliant prosecution resulted in an innocent man's conviction and subsequent suicide. He is now a shade of his former self, haunting the cemetery staring at gravestones meditating on justice. Until, that is, he is forced to consider (not investigate really) four different murders, one for each novella.

Rathe is a handsome, wealthy, cultured, yet empathetic man who listens to his intuition. Each story is different and enjoyable, if a bit reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes written by Martin Gatiss. However, I must say that the final story is overly shocking. The murder victim should have been someone else.

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Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

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Well, this was a little different. Set in the present but written in a style that suggests a much earlier time setting. So much so that, for me, I slipped into the past and then was jolted back to the present by some mention of technology. This made for an interesting read!
So, what we have here is four shortish stories all connected by one concept. Anthony Rathe considers himself guilty of the death of a young, troubled man who, upon being found guilty and sentenced, subsequently killed himself in prison. Rathe finds out later that he was actually innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for and so visits his grave often throughout the book and, despite assurance from the boy's mother, still holds himself responsible. To try and gain some redemption, he makes it his mission to solve other injustices. Whether they be current or historical, he teams up with Inspector Cook and together they do their best to prove innocence, or otherwise, of several characters throughout the book.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories but I do like anthologies and even though, with the brevity of the tale being told, there is not much wriggle room for the usual twists and turns you find in longer forms of crime fiction, I found that there was just enough for me to get my teeth into with these. Yes, they were occasionally a little bit obvious at times, but I mostly put that down to my voracious devouring of the genre rather than anything the author did.
Slightly annoying angst aside, I did like Rathe as a character and I thought that his relationship with Cook was well done. They don't really like each other initially but have a mutual respect for one another and it was interesting to see their relationship develop throughout the book.
As with the relationship between the two main characters, I thought that the stores they embroiled themselves in also got better through the book. The final one being my favourite, and also the most shocking; cause and effect anyone!
All in all, a nice anthology containing four interesting stories, played out by some well rounded characters, written in an interesting old-feeling style. Hopefully there will be more to come in the series, I'll definitely be up for that! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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