The Simple Death

A man falls off a ferry and dies and an elderly lady dies after a long painful illness - could the two deaths be linked? Are they mercy killings or is Detective Nicholas Troy on the trail of a serial killer? A smart, sophisticated, hugely entertaining mystery, with a plot ripped straight out of tomorrow's headlines.

'Duffy is indisputably a writer to watch. He will soon be ranked alongside the likes of international behemoths Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos and Don Winslow. There is no higher praise.' Winsor Dobbin, Sun-Herald

A man has come off the Manly Ferry and Detective Nicholas Troy investigates but he is distracted. His mentor Father Luke Corelli has been accused of abusing a young boy years before. To Troy's dismay he's not denying the charge and nor is the Catholic Church trying to defend his name. Troy's ambitious and attractive colleague Susan Conti is newly single and his eccentric boss, Jon McIver, would rather be singing the blues than following leads.

In another part of Sydney, successful bureaucrat Leila Scott's mother has bone cancer. She asks for help to die and Leila seeks the advice of a voluntary euthanasia group. She finds herself caught up in a police investigation when Troy comes across members of the group and begins to suspect voluntary euthanasia is being used as an excuse for something much darker. As Troy digs deeper into both cases, feeling instinctively that they are somehow connected, he realises that morality and the law might not always follow the same path. And that there is no such thing as a simple death.

Michael Duffy writes about true crime for the Sun Herald and the Sydney Morning Herald. He co-presents 'Counterpoint' on ABC Radio National. The first novel in his series about Nicholas Troy, Jon McIver and Susan Conti was The Tower.

Praise for The Tower:

'A gripping, fast-paced debut that introduces Michael Duffy's simple, true and confident voice to an army of crime lovers. Sure to be a hit with fans of Underbelly and Michael Connelly, The Tower unites classic noir suspense with seat of the pants action set against the glimmer and grime of the harbour city, where the sharks are beginning to circle.' Sydney Unleashed.com 'This is crime reporter Michael Duffy's first novel but it's well-informed by his real-life experiences of a more sinister underworld beneath Sydney's bright surface.' M2