A VERY ORDINARY MAN by John Murray
NEW RELEASE OUT NOW
When high-powered finance executive Anja Weiss unexpectedly inherits a Barossa Valley estate, she should be celebrating. But her mysterious benefactor, a ninety-nine-year-old German émigré Walter Schamm, is a stranger, and he refuses to meet or explain his astonishing gift.
Anja enlists the help of veteran investigator John Scobie. Using controversial means, Scobie uncovers a maze of intriguing events in the old man’s life, from his youth in war-torn Europe, his migration to Australia, his shadowy ties to spies, and the mysterious deaths of Nazi infiltrators in post-war Australia.
As layers of deception peel away, the Barossa Valley becomes the stage for revelations of betrayal, survival, and justice long delayed. When the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, there is an unsettling question of whether Anja truly deserves the windfall that has landed in her lap.
328pp 234 x 153mm ISBN: 9781764341417
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About the Author
In the 1950s, a young John Murray migrated with his family from Glasgow, Scotland to Adelaide, South Australia. His three years at the Nailsworth Boys Technical School confirmed he was not only unsuitable to be a tradesman but also found to be a likely danger in the workplace. As a 16-year-old, he joined the South Australia Police as a junior constable. Following live-in training at barracks and placement in the field, he was accepted into the police family. He served as a frontline general duties officer, detective, prosecutor and trainer before taking up managerial and executive positions. In his spare time, he completed adult matriculation, then an Arts Degree (BA), Law Degree (LLB), and a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). At the rank of Assistant Commissioner, he decided on a new career path. Presented with the option of taking up a position as barrister or a professorship, he chose the academic path in postgraduate management with the Charles Sturt University in Sydney. This took him to various parts of the world, notably Hong Kong, where he was an advisor to the Hong Kong Police. In 2000, he was invited back into policing and appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police and Chief Police Officer of the Australian Capital Territory. Now retired, his main interest is writing, and with his vivid imagination, sharp sense of humour, and experience in the raw side of life, he presents a colourful story. |
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