Death will be brought by a familiar voice… London is in the grips of the second world war, when successful ventriloquist Raymond Carter begins receiving death threats over the telephone. Threats made even more unnerving as they are in the voice of his dummy, Charlie Dokes. Fearing for his life, Carter calls on the services of private detective Johnny Hawke to get to the bottom of the case. But when a cast member from Carter’s radio show is brutally murdered, Carter soon becomes a suspect in the investigation. Hawke refuses to jump to conclusions and is sure the crime goes deeper than this, but when Carter’s girlfriend is also murdered, even Hawke has trouble finding convincing evidence that supports Carter as innocent... The investigation soon becomes a sinister puzzle, as Johnny Hawke moves deeper into danger. Requiem For A Dummy reveals a detailed and entrancing novel as the story takes a surprising twist. David Stuart Davies carefully crafts the plot into a gripping detective novel. Praise for David Stuart Davies “Sherlock Holmes expert Davies effectively captures London of a later era in this taut page-turner” – Kirkus Review David Stuart Davies is a member of the national committee of the Crime Writers' Association and edits its monthly magazine, Red Herrings. He has written many books about Sherlock Holmes including five novels and the award-winning play, Sherlock Holmes—The Last Act. This is the fourth in the Johnny Hawke series.