A New Lease of Death

Fifteen years ago, Chief Inspector Wexford believed he had unequivocally solved the brutal bludgeoning of Mrs. Primero, an elderly lady, in her home. The culprit was seemingly obvious: Painter, her odd-job man, a conviction that settled the small community's unease. However, the past refuses to remain buried. Henry Archery, whose son is engaged to Painter's daughter, harbors a deep-seated doubt about Painter's guilt. Driven by a desire to clear his future in-law's family name, Archery compels Wexford to re-examine the seemingly closed case. As Archery meticulously probes the lives of the original witnesses and revisits long-held assumptions, he inadvertently stirs up dormant secrets and dark impulses. Wexford finds himself reluctantly drawn back into his first murder investigation, forced to confront the unsettling possibility that a miscarriage of justice occurred, and that the true killer may have walked free for years. This gripping mystery delves into the complexities of memory, prejudice, and the elusive nature of truth.