Inspector Zhang Goes To Harrogate (A Short Story)

By Stephen Leather

Inspector Zhang goes to Harrogate to attend a mystery writers convention. But what was supposed to be a vacation turns into one of his most difficult cases when a famous writer is found dead in a locked room.

This is a short story, just over 11,000 words, equivalent to about 35 pages. A perfect read if you have an hour to kill.

Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers. He was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Before that, he was employed as a biochemist for ICI, shovelled limestone in a quarry, worked as a baker, a petrol pump attendant, a barman, and worked for the Inland Revenue. He began writing full time in 1992, he has sold more than three million copies and his books are published in more than ten languages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Leather
• Release date: Aug 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476233116

Stephen Leather

Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers, an eBook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan “Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels. Before becoming a novelist he was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mirror, the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He is one of the country’s most successful eBook authors and his eBooks have topped the Amazon Kindle charts in the UK and the US. He has sold more than a million eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages. He has also written for television shows such as London’s Burning, The Knock and the BBC’s Murder in Mind series and two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for TV. You can find out more from his website www.stephenleather.com

Book preview

INSPECTOR ZHANG GOES TO HARROGATE

By Stephen Leather

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Published by:

Stephen Leather at Smashwords

Copyright (c) 2012 by Stephen Leather

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All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Inspector Zhang climbed out of the taxi and held the door open for his wife. It’s lovely, said Mrs Zhang. As pretty as the picture in the brochure. They were standing outside The Mallard Hotel in Harrogate. They had taken the train up from London and caught the taxi at the station. The driver was a man in his sixties with a flat cap and an accent that Inspector Zhang had great trouble understanding. The driver went to the boot and took out their suitcases, pocketed Inspector Zhang’s ten pound note and drove off.

I can’t believe we’re really here, said Inspector Zhang. The hotel was built of local Yorkshire stone and covered with ivy; two three-storey wings either side of a columned entrance.

It’s like a dream, isn’t it? said his wife. Inspector Zhang nodded in agreement. The hotel was truly beautiful and unlike anything in their native Singapore.

It is the best birthday present ever, said Inspector Zhang. I can’t believe you arranged it all without me knowing. I didn’t realise what a secretive wife I have.

I wanted to do something special for you, said Mrs Zhang, something you would never forget.

Inspector Zhang smiled at her. Well you’ve achieved your objective, he said.

Oh my goodness, what’s that? said Mrs Zhang, pointing to the driveway.

Inspector Zhang turned to look. There was a white painted outline of a body on the Tarmac. He chuckled. It’s a mystery writers’ convention, he said. ‘It’s a joke."

I’m not sure the outline of a dead body is a laughing matter, said Mrs Zhang.

I doubt that there are many real murders here in Harrogate, said Inspector Zhang, picking up their cases. They walked up the stairs to the reception where an efficient young woman in a black suit checked them in. On the opposite side of the room three tables had been lined up and several young women were standing behind them wearing black t-shirts with the words Harrogate Mystery Writers’ Convention.

On the walls were posters of best-selling mystery writers, and Inspector Zhang recognised many