Death of a Dead Man — George Murray

This story of crime fiction is based on a fictitious case of rape and murder in 1963 in the city of Glasgow.

A young man was then convicted of rape and murder of a teenage girl called Laura.  He is sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. He has never spoken of the incident leading to the charges against him. To protect him he is placed in solitary confinement until he is eventually joined by an equally quiet, but much older safeblower. From their time together the young man learns of his cell mate's brother.

The safeblower dies during his imprisonment.  The convicted rapist and murderer is released at the end of his sentence and begins a quest to find his one-time girlfriend and their daughter.  He does this using the name of his cell mate's brother.

After living for two years in uncomfortable seclusion the ex-convict is found dead in his home. Constable Andrew Fleming investigates the death and quickly realises that that he is not dealing with the person that the witnesses have identified.  In fact, the person being identified was already dead, having died two years earlier.

Fleming has to go back in time to uncover the facts and in doing so reveals the truth of a miscarriage of justice from 1963.