A Brush with Death
A mystery thriller in which a Rembrandt Exhibition is targeted by a cheeky international art thief who calls himself "Rob Roy". Tom Howard is hired as head of security, but has to work with a rep from the insurance provider. As per his usual custom, "Rob Roy" sends letters to the art gallery curator, announcing his intention of stealing one or more paintings from the Exhibition. No-one has a picture of "Rob Roy", but Tom receives a confidential report fr... A Way of Life
Story of a boy growing up in a small town/suburb in 1945. The world is at war. Whilst the adults give lip service to the ideals of truth and justice, they are flawed by hypocrisy and self-promotion. The boy is savagely beaten by his father for telling the truth. The father refuses to believe the boy and thinks he is lying. This false belief is fanned by the local priest, who has taken a set against the boy and believes the lad is an inveterate liar. Yet ... All Possible Avenues
A naive youth finds his first job as a clerk in the Internal Revenue Service. He finds it difficult to adjust to the jostling workplace where few of his fellow employees take their jobs very seriously. To the youth, the city offers wondrous possibilites, but he feels alienated by the lack of sympathy his fellow clerks show in his ambitions. They are mostly concerned with petty quarrels amd jealousies and all sorts of nit-picking about chairs, clocks, rul... Challenge the Wind
A long and complex novel, stretching over three cities (Sydney, London, and Cairo) from the mid-1930s to early 1940s, dealing basically with movie-making and movie exhibition. Nearly all the leading characters have some connection with the film industry. The main character is Marcus Caughey, a leading Australian film producer/director, who is making a movie with a horse-racing background, starring a fading Hollywood actress. Caughey has conflicts not onl...
Howard booklist
Dead Lucky
Jack Reid, a Vietnam vet, enters a TV quiz show and finds that his main rival is an old Professor of Egyptology with whom he had previous conflicts. Threatening letters are sent to the show's producers, and Reid is hired to track down their source.... Death at His Private Zoo
The wealthy but eccentric proprietor of a large private zoo is murdered. Who committed the crime? His wife? One of his employees? A robber or other stranger? And who is impersonating the dead owner walking the grounds at night? A puzzle with many facets that comes to a dramatic conclusion as the island zoo is threatened by floodwaters.... Fast Times in Paradise
These are the stories told by a group of travelers and railroad buffs waiting for the first train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane. The main character, Tom Howard, is a retired police sergeant. He recounts some of his adventures on a previous trip to the Gold Coast. He also details his first experiences of life in the adult world of university college, where he meets a more experienced youth and a poet, both of whom struggle successfully to overcome sever... Hounds and Jackals
The setting is actually Ancient Israel in the dying days of King Solomon. A wealthy landowner is found murdered in the desert. His eldest son is appointed the Avenger of Blood and immediately hunts down his youngest brother whom he suspects of patricide. The hero of the story is a civil servant who believes the youngest son to be innocent. King Solomon, however, imprisons the hero and sentences him to death.... Howard's Price
Tom Howard accepts a tenure at a large university. It turns out that he has been hired not for his scholastic ability but for his investigative skills. A rapist and possible murderer are on the loose in the university grounds.... Last Generation
Stories about street kids who live on the fringes of society, who are alienated and just about all of whom try to evade responsibility for their actions. Most are involved in petty crime, some are part and parcel of the drug scene, and a few are even involved in murder. The local citizens, traders and police try to keep the problems the street kids create out of the news and out of the eyes of tourists. On the one hand, they treat the kids in a heavy-han...
Tom Howard list of books
Rim of Heaven
Police sergeant Tom Howard is sent incognito to a small country town to investigate the murder of the local youth hostel manager. The local police sergant takes an instant dislike to Tom, who is further embarrassed when he is recognised by the town's watchmaker. In order to procure the watchmaker's silence, Tom is forced to adopt him as an unofficial partner in his investigations. ... The Beach Front Murders
The story of a small town girl who comes to the big city and is found murdered in her beach-front apartment. Police sergeant Tom Howard lives in the same apartment block. He knew the girl certainly, but how well? The local police inspector regards Tom as a suspect. But Tom is further put in the spotlight by a new cop on the local force who has recently transferred from the same town as the murdered girl.... The Health Farm Murders
A guest is murdered at a health farm in the mountains. One of the guests is a police sergeant who elects to hunt out the killer. The local police sergeant, however, resents the interference of his city cousin....
