SERGEANT Dick Simpson wants to complete his police service but, feeling unwell and excessively tired, his last 18 months seem endless.
However, when he discovers a body in the park, he is pitched into the town's first murder investigation.
The victim, Edward Swainby, was a convicted rapist whose return to the area after 20 years threatens to destroy all the police officer has worked for.
The people of Hildenley are prone to gossip and if the killer is local it can only be a matter of time before he is unmasked.
As the inquiry progresses, evidence points to Simpson's own son, with the likelihood of a deep family secret being revealed.
Nicholas Rhea is the pen-name of Peter Walker, a former North Yorkshire Police inspector who found fame with the Constable series of books which were made into TV series Heartbeat. Sergeant Simpson's Sacrifice is darker than the Heartbeat books, but just as engrossing.
Updated: 16:26 Friday, July 22, 2005
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