Soft in the Middle

Nick Howard is a Private Detective – but only just. He’s only in his office on a Saturday morning to close it down. His dream has failed. The only “crime” he’s had to investigate has been adultery. His time as a Private Detective, Private Investigator, Private Eye – whatever you want to call it - has come to an end. Then who should turn up to interrupt his sulking? Only his ex-wife! And she has a job for him- as a Private Detective. She’s the last person he’d expect to be offering him some work. The catch is that it’s to find her current lover, John Anderson!

Will Nick take the job? Of course he will – he needs the money.

Who knows? The case could even save his career as a detective. The job leads him back to his last place of work – the local water company - RWS. It turns out the Managing Director also requires Nick’s services as a Private Eye. She wants to find Anderson as well, but not only has he gone missing, so has Maxine Hudson, the HR director. Have they disappeared together, or is it just a coincidence? Why is the MD interested in their disappearance?

Anderson had been auditing company practices without his boss’s knowledge. What was he looking for? Nick starts work following Anderson’s footsteps through the company’s business practices. He’s soon making waves, (or is he drowning?), in the murky waters of the Company’s investment programme. Is what he finds illegal? Is it a real crime?

As he investigates, Nick uncovers two suspicious deaths and finds himself two lovers into the bargain. As he says, clients and lovers are like buses: you wait ages for one and then.... well you know the rest.

He’s going to need all his experience as a hard-nosed Private Detective to uncover the truth – if only he had some. If only he could emulate his childhood heroes – Nick Charles, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade – “real” Private Eyes.

There’s a mystery to be solved. Questions need to be answered: Has a crime been committed? Are the two deaths anything more than suspicious? Has there been a third? Are his two lovers anymore than ships that pass in the proverbial? Where are John Anderson and Maxine Hudson? What were they up to? Why have they disappeared? Should he being going the toilet quite so often?

And most important of all: will he get paid?

If you’ve ever wondered how your “water rates” are worked out and how they decide where to spend the money, then this book may not answer all of your questions. But if you want an old-fashioned detective story with a few swipes at “office life”, and a dose of humour then this has got to be worth a go.

About the Author

Philip Watson spent 16 years working for United Utilities - in his opinion, the best Water and Sewerage Company in the North West of England.