Richard Prescott writes English graded books for teachers and students. If you tried to find some information on the Internet about the author and his books you would not find much, but what you would certainly come across would be his detective story "Officially dead”.
The story is set in England in about 1990s. Colin Fenton and his wife Julie are partners in computer software business. Once Colin meets a perfect double of himself in a pub while he is in Brantwood for work. John (the double) and Linda Bentley (his wife) work in a jewellery shop. Linda and John come up with a tricky idea. As they have met Colin, a double of John, they decide to rob a jewellery shop they work for and make up an alibi with help of Colin. But things go unexpectedly on the day X. Colin dies in a car accident. As John and Collin have swapped their driving licenses, who turns out to be ‘officially dead’ is John, not Colin, which is even a better alibi for the Bentleys. Then the story, at least from my perspective, goes on in quite a predictable manner. No unexpected plot twists, no riveting storytelling. But Richard Prescott is not meant to be a master of literature. If you learn English, the book is definitely worth reading. It fulfills what it was written for - giving you a comfy opportunity to learn and remember new words.
