A Death Left Hanging

May 1, 2003
DCI Charlie Woodend looks into a 30-year-old murder case that sent, he becomes convinced, an innocent woman to the gallows.

May 1, 2003
In 1934, Margaret Dodds was hanged for murdering her husband. Thirty years later, her daughter, celebrated lawyer Jane Hartley, asks the police to reopen the case. It's handed to Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend and his two loyal cohorts, Detectives Rutter and Paniatowski. Faced with a decades-old case, a stone-cold evidence trail, and witnesses who have died or disappeared, the trio knows it will be an uphill battle. The fact that the original investigating officer, who clearly bungled the case, is now an influential member of parliament makes the task even more difficult. Unraveling conflicting stories, teasing out elderly and recalcitrant witnesses, and following up hundreds of leads finally bring out a truth that is neither satisfying nor rewarding, A richly layered plot, complex and engaging characters, and a shocking conclusion make this police procedural a gripping and engaging read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)