Merryll Manning

"A Brush with Death" takes former police detective, Merryll Manning, from his usual haunts in Miami, Florida, to "Allmiston", a leading city in Colorado, where Manning obtains a job with Security at the city's Art Gallery for the duration of a Rembrandt Exhibition. A leading art thief, self-styled Rob Roy, threatens to steal at least one of the Rembrandts. Presumably, he is already employed at the Gallery. But who is he? Or she? Other factions are also at work. Manning and other members of the staff are threatened. A security guard is killed, a religious bigot goes on the rampage, and the skirt-chasing Manning ends up in court! This is the first USA and Canadian printing of a book originally published in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa in 1999. "Reid's plots are cleverly constructed and he provides a colorful parade of characters." (Sunday Mail). "Totally fascinating!" (Sunday Telegraph). "Reid successfully foils any attempts to guess the outcome of the plot." (The Times).