Murder Confounded — Roderic Jeffries

The latest puzzle to rouse Enrique Alvarez's sleepy Spanish island begins with an Englishman hospitalized for a suspicious pattern of cigarette burns on his body. The fact that the burns form a circle on Franklin Gore's chest would indicate that he has been tortured, but if so, why would he insist that the burns are accidental?
Faced with a stubborn Englishman who adamantly refuses all offers of police protection, Alvarez is almost convinced to let the matter drop - until a local peeping Tom is assaulted outside Gore's home. Villagers are quick to imprison a wandering gypsy for the attack, but Alvarez understands the ways of rural prejudice, and knows how locals can repeat - and whole-heartedly believe - falsehoods, without lying. Alvarez is convinced that the wrong man is in jail, and that Gore is still in danger, but everyone else on the force is content to believe the locals. Alas, as the old Mallorcan saying goes, a fool is far too foolish to understand a wise man, but a wise man is far too wise to understand a fool. Which, Alvarez wonders, am l?
Alvarez's investigation eventually takes him to England and back in pursuit of a man's secret identity and an organization of terrorists. But perhaps the Inspector is allowing complex assassination plots to blind him to a very simple motive for murder....