A Helen West Omnibus

by Frances Fyfield

DEEP SLEEP. The death of a respected pharmacist's wife is accepted by all expect Helen West, a prosecuting solicitor. Her suspicions dismissed by her partner, Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey. Then an unexploded wartime bomb causes an evacuation and in the dark streets one lone man prepares to murder again. SHADOW PLAY. Mr Logo is a familiar figure in the courts, frequently accused of indecent assault, but invariably acquitted due to lack of evidence. His latest acquittal isn't the only set-back in Helen West's her long-term relationship with Bailey is even more brittle, and she has to deal with the insubordination of her office clerk, which unwittingly sets in motion events which push Mr Logo's dark passion to lethal extremes. A CLEAR CONSCIENCE. Helen West's personal life is in a mess, and she decides the first move is to tidy up her home, helped by Cath, who is trapped in a miserable marriage. Working by day with domestic violence cases, Helen too easily turns a blind eye to Cath's unhappiness, but then her pprivate and public lives collide as she witnesses the destructive forces of love and guilt, and finds herself applying her own version of justice.

Genres: Crime

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Aka Frances Hegarty.

Frances Fyfield is a criminal lawyer, who lives in London and in Deal, by the sea which is her passion. She has won several awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger.

She grew up in rural Derbyshire, but spent most of her adult life in London, with long intervals in Norfolk and Deal, all inspiring places. She was educated mostly in convent schools; then studied English at Newcastle University and went on to qualify as a solicitor, working for what is now the Crown Prosecution Service, thus learning a bit about murder at second hand. She also worked for the Metropolitan Police.

Years later, writing became her real vocation. She also writes short stories for magazines and radio and is occasionally a contributor to Radio 4, (Front Row, Quote Unquote, Night Waves,) and presenter of Tales from the Stave.

Reviews

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three books in this omnibus, I enjoyed the first, Deep Sleep the least. It is about the seedy goings-on of a seemingly mild-mannered local pharmacist who has a very nasty streak.

The second book Shadow Play was better than the first although some parts of the story were quite obvious well before the 'reveal' and therefore a bit disappointing. There was a surprise toward the end but not really all that gripping.

Book three was A Clear Conscience, this was the best of the three as it did hold one or two surprises and a bit of a twist in the tail.

Altogether not a bad read but not fantastic either.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't intended it but 'A Clear Conscience' - the final book in this trilogy (the others reviewed separately) - dealt with domestic violence, as 'I Let You Go' did, to the extent that it felt like Mackintosh could have been channelling Fyfield (an observation, not accusation). In fact, I got as caught up in the structuring of this novel as I did in the story, the final twist of which I did not see coming. Gently rich, as always

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first story -- Deep Sleep and decided not to continue. I find the writing laboured and the story forced. The outcome is obvious and the characters not interesting enough to continue.

[Amélie Rêverie]

8 in series