Product Description

A horrific rape case turns into a dilemma for prosecutor Helen West and Superintendent Bailey when the accused is a police officer whom they both know.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1702907 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 283 pages

Amazon.com Review
All of the guilt, pain, and ugliness that surrounds the crime of rape are woven deep into the fabric of Frances Fyfield's splendid novel about London prosecutor Helen West and her lover, high-echelon police officer Geoffrey Bailey. One of Bailey's protégés, a rough, unlovable sergeant named Ryan, has been accused of several rapes. Fyfield is so skilled at creating and maintaining suspense that we're never sure of Ryan's guilt or innocence until the very end, even though we know that another man, a mysterious doctor, is responsible for some of the vicious attacks. While the rape investigations unfold, West and Bailey make plans to be married, which is another event made believably uncertain by Fyfield's uncanny ability to probe human doubts and frailties. Other Fyfield books available in paperback include Perfectly Pure and Good, A Question of Guilt, and Shadows on the Mirror.

From Library Journal
Someone is assaulting women, causing humiliation in addition to physical harm. Helen West, a formidable London prosecutor, is drawn into the investigation when Detective Sergeant Ryan, a womanizer and close friend of her lover, Police Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey, is arrested for one of the attacks. While Helen and Geoffrey hunt the attacker, the reader follows the twisted psychology of the villain, who himself has been wounded beyond repair. In addition to the immediate problems of evidence gathering, the question of what distinguishes rape from other assaults adds interest and dimension to a most satisfying police procedural. The London setting and the variety of fully realized characters make this a surefire hit. Helen and Geoffrey?brooding, imperfect, loving?resemble the creations of Fyfield's (Perfectly Pure and Good, LJ 3/1/94) American counterparts Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes, with the added benefit of the author's firsthand knowledge as a London criminal lawyer. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Information Svcs., Inc., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Helen West, a lawyer for London's Crown Prosecution Service, deals mostly with cases of rape and the often hapless victims she has to persuade to carry their accusations to court (A Clear Conscience, 1995, etc.). Here, Helen and her longtime lover Police Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey have finally set a marriage date--at the Registry Office--but Bailey has a serious problem of his own: Detective Sergeant Ryan, his prot‚g‚, whom he had nurtured to responsible maturity in the force and who's now a respected family man, has been accused of rape by Shelley Pelmore, a shopgirl with a taste for nightlife. Shelley's case is but one of several plaguing Helen and her trainee assistant, Rose Darvey. Anna Stirland, nurse at a women's clinic, is another, as is Brigid Connor, a woman addicted to taking long baths and avoiding the attentions of her husband. Mention of a handsome, bald-headed man runs like a thread through many of the victims' accounts, but when Shelley Pelmore is found dead in a local park, Ryan--suspended from the force but not in jail--seems the obvious killer, until Bailey, Helen, and one of the true killer's victims take matters into their own hands. Masterful suspense, although tempered by the author's exasperating tendency to explore every character's psyche at tedious length and to approach every crisis from an oblique angle. Downbeat all the way but, still, powerfully engrossing. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Naivete betrayed
This is an accomplished crime novel by a British writer that has a satisfying level of complexity in the plot. Helen West, prosecutor, was to marry Bailey. Ryan was Bailey's bag carrier. Elsewhere Aemon Connor and Brigid, his wife, bickered. There was an allegation of rape against Detective Sergeant Ryan. Helen West went to see Anna Stirland, a midwife, who had been raped and was not dealing with things well.

Ryan was suspended from duty and denied accesss to his office. A co-worker, Sally Smythe, and Ryan kept a book on cases where they believed the complaint but proof was lacking and critical information was missing. They had begun to theorize that there was a pattern. The author builds for the reader some of such cases as the mystery progresses.

Fortunately Bailey is not content to let Ryan twist under the implication he has committed an offense and Helen has a very deep liking for the truth. They continue to seek answers as a chilling end is reached.

Great characters
This is the second book I've read by Frances Fyfield. I really like her character descriptions- they are what make the book wonderful. The actual story is ok. I liked 'Blind Date', better. I plan on reading her other books. Anyone that likes quirky, realistic characters should read this book. Francis Fyfield has become my favorite new author.