The Final Analysis
By Keith McCarthy
The convicted serial killer, Melkior Pendred, spent the final years of his life dying in prison for five identical murders. He slit the victims’ throats, eviscerated the bodies and scattered the organs at the scene of the crime.
But that was buried in local history until a sixth murder is committed…
The body of Jenny Muir is discovered in the same fashion but with the supposed killer now dead, panic sets in…
Martin Pendred, Melkior’s twin, identical in appearance, personality and work life, is propelled into the spotlight. Like his brother he worked first in an abattoir, then as a mortuary assistant and was only discounted of the original murders by an alibi. Did the police convict the wrong brother?
Pressure rises in the force as Chief Inspector Homer returns to his original hypothesis that his colleague, Beverley Wharton, caught the wrong man. Martin Pendred is arrested but released on a technicality after the intervention of his solicitor, Helena Flemming. Then Martin disappears and another murder takes place. What’s left to do but to call in John Eisenmenger?
A former pathologist, Eisenmenger worked on the original murders and his finely honed skills could make all the difference to this nerve-wracking case. Indeed he soon begins to guess what is going on, but it is not until danger threatens Helena Flemming that he is able to find and fit the last terrible piece of the killer’s puzzle.
