Publisher's Synopsis
Rayner - the early years, is the story of one of Scotland Yard's most prolific and successful fictionalised detectives from his childhood raised in a rural community to the difficulties experienced when first joining the newly created Metropolitan Police as a raw recruit when he first meets his closest friend and confidante Henry Bustle.
The story opens with the principle subject being shot and seriously wounded. Throughout the time he spends in hospital fighting for his life, his mind returns to his younger days when as a mere child, the young Rayner shows his natural abilities to track down killers and solve heinous crimes. Such phenomenal characteristics are supported by an uncanny interest and ability towards mathematics and calculus, eventually securing a position as an Oxford undergraduate, where he excels. His life as a student is described in detail, incorporating his friendship with a local senior detective who frequently recruits the young Richard Rayner's assistance when investigating a number of murders, having recognised the younger man's extraordinary talents and analytical skills in the investigative arena.
A story of adventure, love, success and failure that expands beyond what the reader might expect when following the hero's ordeals during the mid-Victorian era.
