Rache kennt kein Gebot

by Julie Parsons

Many readers are admirers of the kind of crime narrative in which the central character is a police inspector or private detective. But the most cutting emotional insights are to be found in the crime novels in which the protagonists are ordinary people caught up in events that transform (or even destroy) their lives. And these books most closely rival serious literature in depth and psychological penetration. Minette Walters has made a speciality of this field, and it's hardly surprising that she is an enthusiastic backer of Julie Parsons, whose novel Eager to Please is one of the most astringent and involving entries in this field in many a year.

Parsons has demonstrated her skills before in such powerfully wrought books as Mary, Mary and The Courtship Gift, but this new book demonstrates that her writing has acquired a rich new dimension of complexity and authority.

Her protagonist Rachel Beckett has been in prison for 12 years for the murder of her husband Martin--and has spent the time protesting her innocence. The greatest torment for her has been the knowledge that another woman has raised her daughter Amy, and that (at the age of 17) Amy wants to cut all ties with her biological mother. When Rachel is freed, she has a single agenda: to revenge herself on her brother-in-law Daniel who she claims fired the shot that killed her husband.

As a picture of an obsessed heroine, Eager to Please would be hard to beat, particularly as Parsons cleverly balances the two fixed ideas in her heroine's mind: the resentment at having her much-loved child taken from her, and the sense of burning injustice at being in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Rachel is a complex and multifaceted character, and as the revelations of the plot continue to pull the ground from beneath the reader's feet, the pleasures of the novel grow ever richer. The author is sharp, too, on the Dublin locales, which are atmospherically created, and the remorseless energy of the heroine (even though, at times, she's hard to like) makes this an exemplary thriller, delivered with real style. --Barry Forshaw

Genres: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Julie Parsons was born in New Zealand but grew up in Ireland from an early age. A former producer with RTÉ radio and television, she lives in Dublin.

Reviews

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Becket heeft twaalf jaar in de gevangenis gezeten wegens moord op haar man Martin. Ze heeft altijd beweerd dat zij niet de schuldige was, maar haar schoonbroer Daniël. Nu is haar zaak herzien en is ze vrijgekomen.
Terwijl ze probeert terug te keren naar de maatschappij, heeft Rachel ook nog een verborgen doel: wraak nemen op Daniël, die haar voor de moord heeft laten opdraaien en haar zo twaalf jaar van haar leven heeft afgenomen, twaalf jaar waarin ze vervreemd is van haar dochter Amy, die haar nu niet meer wil zien.
Ik vind dit boek heel goed geschreven, je merkt algauw dat Rachel iets van plan is, maar ik kon echt niet vermoeden HOE ze Daniël wou te pakken krijgen. Haar wraakmethode is heel subtiel, en ze doet er lang over--maanden--eer ze met haar voorbereiding klaar is. Ze schakelt verschillende personen in die, bewust maar meestal onbewust--meewerken aan haar plan. Ik vond het gewoon ingenieus!

[Bev Trueman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Plenty of twists and turns. A real page turner.

[Sara Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say a FOUR but the author threw in one of those improbable switches at the end, no way Judith was killed by Bradley. I hate lazy authors who reach the end of a book and don't bother to give the reader a realistic, likely solution to a mystery. The rest of the plot and story was good.

[Mícheál S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab book well written

[Ann Dewar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on my bookshelf along with 1 million other books and I have no recollection of how I came by it or how long it’s been there. I’ve never read anything else by this author and so I had no real expectations one way or the other. In the event, I thought it was a cracking good read. I admit that there were certain aspects which stretch credulity but to be honest sometimes I’m really happy to let that go. I thought that it was nicely balanced, quite pacey and The ending was extremely satisfying, which is exactly what I want in a good thriller. More please.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a large edition book published by Magna Large Print Books by arrangement with Macmillan Press and really enjoyed it . Quite a number of threads to the story and enough twists to keep me interested until the end. I do like the large print now I am older and find them far easier to stay interested as not so much eye strain .I will be sharing this with other family and friends and will look out for more by Julie Parsons

[Tria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I inherited this one among a heap of other stuff from a hoarder friend. Going through the books to see what I want to keep and don't, I got caught up in this one as I flipped through it, so I decided to read it from the start. Not a bad story, though it has its issues here and there, especially with being overly vague in places. Certainly readable, anyway. 3 stars.

[Michele Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent thriller, with lots of action and twists to keep you totally engaged to the end.

[Eric Grounds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good tale, well related.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the twists that kept me riveted wanting to know more.

[Baert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heel goed! Als je het recht in eigen handen neemt...

[Eflin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had geen idee wat ik ervan moest verwachten, gevonden tussen mijn boeken. Was echte page turner.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai bien aimé. Bon triller avec beaucoup de rebondissements.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-constructed tale of a woman wrongly convicted of murdering her husband, who takes her revenge on the person who was actually responsible upon her release. If there is one thing Rachel has learned while in prison, it is patience. She goes about the task of reintegrating into society, taking a menial job, trying to reconnect to her daughter, and befriending the various people who are best positioned to assist her to achieve her nefarious goal, before setting the final solution in motion. The main thread is augmented by some side stories that all come together at the end in a most satisfying way. This reader found the tale quite entertaining. The characters were multi-dimensional, and the motives, while not always predictable, were realistic and fit together nicely. Like a jujitsu practitioner, Rachel was able to use her adversary's blind spots to bring him down. By the time he realized he was in a trap, the trap had been sprung and he was powerless to escape. Revenge in this case was especially cold, and oh so satisfying!

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this one up at the Library thinking it was James Patterson's book of the same name.
As I was reading it, I realized it wasn't his, but continued to read. Too bad for me! This has got to be
one of the worst books I have ever read in my life! I REALLY tried to give it a chance - all the way to page 275 out of 299! I just can't deal with it anymore. First, the characters are VERY shallow and have no depth. None of them capture you and make you want to find out about them. At best, I wanted to find out how the case ended and THAT was very unfulfilling. Second, the writing is tedious and even though the chapters are short - they drag along. In the end, it is a predictable story with no twists or turns that you can't see coming as it trudges toward the end. So sorry, but this was BAD!
Please don't waste your time as I did mine!!

[Brook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because a friend was reading it on a vacation and I had forgotten to bring my own book. It was entertaining enough, but I didn't like the language and the characters were underdeveloped. I thought the author was trying too hard to keep the main character's personality traits a mystery so that in the end, she ended up without much personality at all. It was detrimental to the story because the reader should have been shocked by the ending, but without any personality development it ended up being anti-climatic.

[Wisewebwoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down. I read it in 24 hours which is really fast for me.

A few minor editing irritations in it and the ending came out of the blue with no forewarning.

But I liked the theme of revenge and the careful, slow plotting of the protagonist.

A big however though is it was hard to get invested in or like ANY of the characters and the dead husband sounded like a horrible person. And a big gap was the child left in the hospital and not an update offered on her.

I gave it a high rating which I always do for books that hook me, not matter the outcome.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary , Mary was set down the road from where I lived as a child. This book is set down the road from where I lived as teenager. Is that not wierd. I then read that Julie Parsons lived sometime in Sherkin Island , where I worked on the marine station one summer. Is this not wierd or what.

Anyway the book is great. All of her books should be read and are international in their themes, although set in Dublin mainly. And No I do not know JP.

[Arsnoctis · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.Un finale stra-annunciato fin dalle prime pagine.
2.La protagonista é ben caratterizzata, ma tutto il resto é piuttosto inutile.
3.La prosa non é male, ma non mi ha saputa catturare.
Non é un brutto libro, si lascia leggere, ma se il tentativo era quello di presentare un libro ricco di suspance direi che -con me- ha miseramente fallito. Il perché l'ho riassunto sommariamente nei tre punti precedenti.

[AbbieKay1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite disappointing read. Potentially good plot, but too slow to progress. Plot twists could be seen miles away, and build up towards them too detailed for a known ending. In essence, the book was too long for what actually happened in it's entirety.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding revenge novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Melyssa Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great read. Really violent though, so be warned. Great twists and turns; would be a fabulous movie. Got done with the last word and just said "wow."

[Rachel]

I read this book years ago. I remember liking it, but unfortunately I dont remember enough to be able to rate or properly review it.

[Jean-Pascal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bon thriller prenant et troublant.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel started really slowly for me and the first third/half took me ages to get through. In fact, I almost returned it unread... but I struggled on and read the remainder in one sitting.

[Billy Buttons]

I cant get any further in this book, it has slowed down and got so boring, its too hard to read and has just no read appeal to it. Finished reading it on page 148 and thats only a quarter of the way

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Must read more by this author! What a story - innocence, revenge, friendship, and family.

[Rach ~ bookishreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit my website for all my reviews and recommendations

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to get into but well worth the effort