The Hampstead mystery: a novel. Volume 2 (of 3)

A tense courtroom scene opens the story, where a coroner’s inquest is held for the sudden disappearance of a newly‑wed bride. Frederick Walcheren, pale and trembling, struggles to answer probing questions while his loyal cousin Philip refuses to leave his side, insisting the investigation be fair. The jurors and counsel press him relentlessly, demanding a clear account of the fateful Saturday when the couple checked out of the Castle Warden Hotel.

Through fragmented testimony, the narrative hints at a puzzling timeline: a brief breakfast, a long, solitary swim, and the unsettling moment when Frederick returns to find his wife gone. As the inquiry unfolds, suspicions mount—was the groom’s alibi truthful, or does something darker lurk beneath the surface? The early chapters weave together courtroom drama, seaside ambience, and the unsettling mystery of a vanished love, drawing listeners into a web of doubt and intrigue that promises deeper secrets to uncover.