Presumption of Guilt

Angus Sterne, whilst travelling in Spain, gambles away the money for his ticket home…

Stranded in a foreign country, he is approached with a proposition: drive a car back to England.

All expenses paid, with extra cash at the end, enabling the owner to avoid a tax law.

Reaching the meeting point, he is surprised that the owner hasn’t shown as planned.

Not knowing what to do, he continues to his brother’s home, without realising the trouble he is about to bring to their doorstep.

To the horror of his law-abiding family, he is arrested for drug smuggling.

Once bailed, Sterne is determined to prove his innocence.

Deciding that the risk is worth it, he breaks the terms of his release and retraces his steps.

Little does he know, the crew that duped him are watching his every move and they are desperate to stop Sterne from exposing them.

Can Sterne obtain the proof he needs before the police realise he has left the country?

Or will the true criminals manage to prevent Sterne from compromising their operation?

Sterne is facing two options: lose his life to years behind bars or lose his life literally.

Is he capable of identifying a third option in which justice prevails?

In a situation where the police seem positive of his guilt, Sterne is determined to win.

Or die trying…

Presumption of Guilt is a powerfully gripping suspense novel which keeps you hooked until the final page.

Praise for Roderic Jeffries

'A first-rate whodunit turning on the resourcefulness of a country gentleman who exploits the process of the law to delay its action. Author on the top of his legal and social form.' - Francis Goff, Sunday Telegraph

‘Tension builds up and there are two exciting court scenes. Roderic Jeffries established a very high reputation for himself in the field of the legal thriller with Exhibit No. Thirteen and Dead Against the Lawyers. Once again he has used a little known quirk of the law, and woven round it an enthralling story of immense intricacy. - Maurice Richardson, Observer

‘The resulting legal intricacies make fascinating reading.' - Hester Makeig, Spectator

'First-class, smoothly told, fine court scenes and sketches of lawyers entirely absorbing.' - John Clarke, Evening Standard

‘The most ingenious of Mr. Jeffries's exercises in legal trickery.' - Julian Symons, Sunday Times

'Good court scenes; very competent.' - Peter Dickinson, Punch

'...is for the mystery story connoisseur and particularly the man who can appreciate this ingenious exercise in legal trickery.' - Police World

Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and went to sea in 1943. Six years later he left that trade to become a lawyer. He again changed profession to become a writer. Since 1951, he has written over one hundred and sixty novels under his own name and several other pseudonyms. He began his career by writing books featuring his father’s character, Blackshirt, a popular detective whose adventures have appeared in print for many decades. In time Jeffries branched out and began to write a variety of mystery novels under his own name and several pen names, including Peter Alding and Jeffrey Ashford.