Former police officer Theodore "Theo" Tate started working as a private investigator in Christchurch in New Zealand after retiring from the police force. He maintains a small office on the 8th floor of an office building, which also includes a small bathroom. As he says himself, he keeps spare clothes in the event that he might fall into a lake or get a bullet in the chest. His office is not too large and a quarter of the space is occupied by his desk. There are also a computer and a white board in the office and of course a visitor's chair before the desk. The rug is decorated in beige and grey tones and from his window he has an unobstructed view of Christchurch. He also has a parking space at his office, which is located behind the house.

His computer skills are not necessarily outstanding, but suffice to tap his own reports and to do some online research. Theo Tate uses the whiteboard when he tries to tie the loose ends of a case together. He scribbles his thoughts on the whiteboard and then tried to make connections.

There are about 100 other offices in the building, mostly law firms and insurance companies, from which the private investigator gets most of his commissions. The majority of his cases involve infidelity and promiscuity or policyholders are trying to commit insurance fraud. In his own words, he earns his rent with these assignments - and sometimes it is not even enough for food.

Every day, Theo Tate remembers the tragic accident in which his wife, Bridget, and his daughter, Emily, were killed. It was on a Tuesday night during the holidays, when his wife and were watching the new Walt Disney film in the cinema. On the way back home their car was hit by another one. His daughter, Emily, was killed instantly and his wife survived but with serious injuries. Since the accident, however, she is catatonic, and lives in a nursing home in the picturesque Christchurch.

The driver of the car was arrested and charged with reckless driving and manslaughter. The tragic thing is that the man was a repeat offender who has been caught several times while drunk at the wheel. Theo could not bear the thought that that man would go to jail for a few years, only to later drive drunk again. He brought the man in a remote area, shot and buried him. Shortly after he left the police without ever being blamed for the murder.

Theo Tate lives in a house with a garage and 3 bedrooms. The bedroom of his daughter, Emily, has remained untouched since her death. Emily had gotten a 6 months old cat shortly before her death. Theo believes that Daxter misses Emily because it always sleeps on her bed.

In The Dead Do Not Remain Silent, the detective investigates a murder series parallel to the police, who has started working on the case 2 years ago. Theo Tate is asked by the police to be present at an exhumation and take care that everything is above board. While cemetery staff opened the grave, Tate was on the edge of the lake, looking over the water. Suddenly, 3 female bodies emerge from the water. But that's not all - the coffin that is dug up does not reveal the supposed corpse of a man, but that of another young girl.

His investigations lead to the conclusion that all four girls disappeared without a trace about 2 years ago. When an employee of the cemetery disappears with a truck, Theo Tate suspects that this has something to do with the 4 corpses. He gets no indication as to the whereabouts of his son from his father. When he returns to his car shortly after, the son suddenly appears behind him and kidnaps the private investigator. The journey leads to Tate’s office, where the suspect shoots himself in the head. Although the police clearly states that it was suicide, the father of the dead does not think so. In his opinion, Tate shot his son. There is a palpable conflict in the cemetery, during which Tate knocks out his opponent, who hits his head on the edge of a coffin. The man dies instantly.

In the course of the investigation, Theo Tate keeps drowning his life more and more often in alcohol and thereby becomes involved in an accident, in which the girl at the wheel of the other vehicle survived but seriously injured and is now in a coma.

Theo is arrested by his former colleagues and released on bail. The deposit was arranged by his alleged lawyer, who kidnapped Tate immediately after leaving prison. The man is the father of the girl who lies in the hospital. His plan is to shoot the man responsible for it. He brings Tate to a remote cabin, but is not ready to shoot him, so that the private investigator can continue to pursue his investigations.

Slowly, mounting evidence arises that private detective Theo Tate might be the wanted serial killer. While becoming more and more of a target to the police, he desperately tries to shed some light on the matter. In his pursuit of the real killer, Tate must continue with his investigative work.

Theodore Tate also appears in Paul Cleave’s book, Death to me, in a guest role.