Death and the Running Patterer
Read Death and the Running Patterer Online
Authors: Robin Adair
Table of Contents
MORE PRAISE FOR
Death and the Running Patterer
“The story’s climax, involving a classic Agatha Christie-like gathering of suspects—some historical, others invented—is gripping and surprising … [The] novel is packed with fascinating tidbits and in-jokes … [as well as] dollops of trollops; a generous spoonful of crime and retribution; lashings of colonial era minutiae and atmosphere.”
—
The Sydney Morning Herald
(Australia)
The Sydney Morning Herald
(Australia)
“[C]olonial Sydney comes gloriously alive and teems with a rich array of characters both historical and fictional.”
—
The Age
(Melbourne, Australia)
The Age
(Melbourne, Australia)
“[An] enjoyable murder mystery … Adair gives us the authentic feel of the roistering days of the early colony.”
—
Pittwater Life
Pittwater Life
“Historically sound and fast-paced.”
—
Australia Broome Advertiser
Australia Broome Advertiser
“[A] meticulously researched and cleverly constructed mystery … Entertaining.”
—
Senior Lifestyle South Coast
Senior Lifestyle South Coast
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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BERKLEY
®
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®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Penguin Group (Australia) Michael Joseph trade paperback edition / July 2009
Berkley Prime Crime trade paperback edition / December 2010
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Adair, Robin, 1936-
Death and the running patterer / Robin Adair.—Berkley Prime Crime trade paperback ed. p. cm.—(Curious murder; 1)
eISBN : 978-1-101-44561-7
1. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 2. Sydney (N.S.W.)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3601.D355D43 2010
813̍’.6—dc22
2010032717
For Julie
’Tis wonderful what fable will not do! ’Tis said it makes reality more bearable; But what’s reality? Who has its clue?
—Lord Byron,
Don Juan
(1819-24)
Don Juan
(1819-24)
DRAMATIS PERSONA
E
E
(in order of appearance)
Anonymous private soldier
—relieving himself outside a pub; may lead to a sticky end.
—relieving himself outside a pub; may lead to a sticky end.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Shadforth
—“Die Hard” commanding officer in the 57th Regiment in 1828 Sydney.
—“Die Hard” commanding officer in the 57th Regiment in 1828 Sydney.
Captain Crotty, of the 39th
—assisting Shadforth.
—assisting Shadforth.
Captain Francis Nicholas Rossi
—magistrate and police chief; a spy nursing royal secrets?
—magistrate and police chief; a spy nursing royal secrets?
Nicodemus Dunne
—paroled convict, now a news-hawker; a disgraced policeman, he still cannot avoid walking down the mean streets of murder.
—paroled convict, now a news-hawker; a disgraced policeman, he still cannot avoid walking down the mean streets of murder.
Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling
—aloof, embattled governor of New South Wales; foppish, but don’t let those polished fingernails fool you.
—aloof, embattled governor of New South Wales; foppish, but don’t let those polished fingernails fool you.
Reverend Dr. Laurence Hynes Halloran
—publisher of
The Gleaner
, a veteran of Trafalgar, teaching and transportation.
—publisher of
The Gleaner
, a veteran of Trafalgar, teaching and transportation.
Miss Rachel Dormin
—Halloran′s protégé, a pretty free-settler.
—Halloran′s protégé, a pretty free-settler.
Will Abbot
—soldier turned printer; a bad type?
—soldier turned printer; a bad type?
Reverend Samuel Marsden
—gives a new twist to “muscular Christianity” as the “Flogging Parson.”
—gives a new twist to “muscular Christianity” as the “Flogging Parson.”
Dr. Peter Cunningham
—ship′s surgeon who sails with an unlucky cargo.
—ship′s surgeon who sails with an unlucky cargo.
Miss Sarah Cox
—hears the siren song of a love-struck parrot.
—hears the siren song of a love-struck parrot.
Joseph Hyde Potts
—of a rare breed, the generous banker.
—of a rare breed, the generous banker.
The Ox
—an ungentle giant with blood on his hands.
—an ungentle giant with blood on his hands.
Dr. Thomas Owens
—a doctor who seems more at home dealing with the dead than the living.
—a doctor who seems more at home dealing with the dead than the living.
Alexander Harris
—Dunne′s free friend who uncovers vital clues.
—Dunne′s free friend who uncovers vital clues.
Edward Smith Hall
—crusading editor of
The Monitor
.
—crusading editor of
The Monitor
.
Madame Greene
—brothel-keeper supreme who lives up to her colorful name.
—brothel-keeper supreme who lives up to her colorful name.
Elsie
—Madame Greene’s too-devoted maid.
—Madame Greene’s too-devoted maid.
William Charles Wentworth
—volatile lawyer, politician and publisher.
—volatile lawyer, politician and publisher.
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