Marian Clowes is an administrator at Salford into Work, a recruitment and training company assisting unemployed people to gain employment. Prompted by their boss, Barry Milton some staff are making fraudulent claims to the government funding body.
Marian is suspected of being a whistle blower. She is also a member of a group called Harmony Earth which is protesting against FrackUK a company prospecting for shale gas.
One Friday evening she is celebrating her thirtieth birthday with colleagues in The Lowry Hotel, Manchester. The next morning her body is found in the river Irwell. Inspector Lambert of Greater Manchester Police finds the two scenarios are inextricably linked.
Not wanting to serve another term in Strangeways prison, Marian’s boss disappears immediately. Whilst not connected, a short time later the Contract Manager of FrackUK, Hans Johansen, not his real name, also disappears along with £500K of company funds. With these embezzled funds his group have plans to derail the whole company. Enigmatic sleuth the Gent from the Enodo Agency becomes involved when his client a Lancashire farmer is threatened by fracking protesters.
Marian was also having an affair, with the training director of Salford into Work, Phil Biggins. After ending the relationship Phil takes up with Sophia Peroni, a young and beautiful colleague. She is the daughter of Carlo, an ex pro footballer.
Hans Johansen, now using his real name, Knut Edmundsen, meets an untimely death under the wheels of a tram in Piccadilly, Manchester, just as he is about to force entry into the premises of FrackUK to hold hostages and extort ransom.
The Gent deduces that the murder of Marian was committed, not for her being a whistle blower about the fraud at her employers, nor for the intentions of the protest group, but as a crime of passion.
Troubled Waters by Trevor Burton (e-book by Kindle Direct Publishing, paperback by CreateSpace.com) is available now from Amazon - CLICK HERE.
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