Cause For Concern
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
What secret could be so terrible that a mother would endure years of abuse to keep it concealed?
Susan Trent is in her sixties, living in a house she loves, in a prosperous village. She has a nice job in the local estate agents which keeps her active, and she very much enjoys her garden: she ought to be well-satisfied with her lot. Instead she lives in constant terror of her semi-employed, abusive, middle-aged son. Her friends suspects that the cuts and bruises she explains away as her own clumsiness are really caused by his fists, but no-one steps in, unsure of why she puts up with it.
Then a stranger comes to lodge in the village, triggering a series of events which will eventually bring to light why Susan has really been so protective of her son. But not until much more of her blood has been spilled.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British author Yorke (A Case to Answer, etc.), who's published a novel almost every year since 1957, offers another leisurely, psychological suspense thriller in which ordinary folks go about their business while danger hums quietly underneath. Much of the story is devoted to the sweet charm of the village of Bishop St. Leon and the neighborly interplay of its residents. For a long time life goes on normally and nothing much happens; the only hints of doom are the presence of a mysterious newcomer, Adam Wilson, who has a secret agenda, and longtime resident Martin Trent, who beats his mother, Susan. The entire community worries that Martin will kill Susan someday, but feels helpless to intervene since she won't acknowledge the problem. Meanwhile, Adam, a pleasant chap who makes friends easily but appears to have no job, displays an unusual interest in the former occupants of the house next door. Eventually, the two plot threads connect, of course, but in a way that reflects logic rather than coincidence. If the final chilling act of violence is completely predictable, given what we know of the people involved, it is also utterly unforgettable. Fans of edgier contemporary thrillers may be disappointed, but Yorke's faithful followers should be well pleased. FYI:Yorke won the 1999 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award.
