A Dark Devotion
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Grace Dearsden is beautiful, clever and admired. The last person to disappear into the lonely Norfolk marshes in the black depths of winter.
Seven days . . . and still no trace.
With police investigations stalled, old family friend Alex O'Neill returns to the haunting landscape of her childhood. And immediately beings to uncover disturbing new clues.
Each one draws her closer to a family's tragic secret . . .
'At once we are in Ruth Rendell territory: an eerie setting, a web of adultery, deceit, near-murderous envy and cordial detestation . . . a kind of East Anglian Rebecca' Daily Telegraph
'A Dark Devotion is a treat . . . a crime novel with action to keep you guessing until the very end' Daily Mail
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
All the inhabitants of the village of Deepwell describe the missing Grace Dearden as the perfect wife: elegant, generous and compassionate. Veteran mystery readers will immediately know that Grace must be exactly the opposite, just as they know that "missing" always means "murdered," but that won't take away from the pleasure of this well-crafted thriller set in the bleak salt marshes of Norfolk, England. Feisty London lawyer Alexandra O'Neill is called on by old friend Will Dearden to help deal with a police force he believes isn't working hard enough to solve his wife's disappearance. As a teenager Alex was in love with Will, though she now finds herself unhappily married to the drunken Paul, an unethical lawyer who eagerly defends the most vile criminals as long as they can pay his hefty fees. These circumstances combine to lure Alex back to Will and her childhood home. There she finds memories of early life and love and a boatload of suspects all with a good reason to whack Grace. Prolific British author Francis (Night Sky) is especially proficient at creating quirky character sketches that spring to life on the page: "She smoked in a grand manner, supported her elbow in the cup of one hand, sweeping the cigarette from her mouth to some point in space in a wide flamboyant arc accompanied be an elegant rotation of the wrist." Fans of the traditional whodunit will enjoy settling back and following the indomitable Alex as she brings to light the revelations and dark secrets submerged by the waters of the menacing marsh.
