Deceit - Softcover

Clare Francis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330481428 ISBN 13: 9780330481427

Publisher: Pan, 2000

Synopsis

Harry Richmond - ambitious businessman and failed politician - is missing at sea, presumed dead. Ellen, his wife, emerges from her grief to discover that the Harry she knew and loved had many secrets - secrets which threaten to undermine everything that Ellen holds dear. Was Harry's death a simple accident? The enigmatic Moreland enters Ellen's life and tries to uncover the truth. But it is a truth that at least one person would perfer left undisturbed. For in matters of deceit, some victims are more innocent than others...'Ms Francis excels herself...you'll love it' Today 'A gripping tale of a woman's quest to discover the truth about her husband's death...' She

About this title

About the Author:

Clare Francis is the author of the bestselling novels Night Sky, Red Crystal, and Wolf Winter as well as the nonfiction bestsellers Come Hell or High Water, Come Wind or Weather, and The Commanding Sea. A Dark Devotion is the third Clare Francis novel to be published by Soho, after Deceit and Betrayal. She lives in London.

From Publishers Weekly:

A mother's desire to protect her children from the truth of their father's death lies at the center of this intense psychological thriller by British author Francis (Night Sky), which opens with the funeral service of former parliament member Harry Richmond. Ellen, whose husband, Harry, has been missing at sea for months and is presumed dead, assumes the role of grieving widow in her upper-class London social and political set. At the funeral Ellen meets mysterious and handsome Richard Moreland, a military colleague of Harry's from their days of service in the Falkland Islands, who takes a special interest in Ellen and is intent on uncovering the truth about the lost yacht and Harry's death. Though Ellen insists Harry committed suicide because of his political setbacks and his escalating debt, a murder investigation ensues. In addition to the criminal case, which threatens to blot her husband's image and harm the children's future, Ellen also learns of Harry's dubious financial dealings with a Romanian orphanage charity. Plagued by scandal, pressured by the police for details and concerned about her 15-year-old daughter, Katie, who acts out violently in school, and her son, Josh, a somber nine year old, Ellen treads uneasy waters yet remains brave and stoic throughout. As the details of Harry's death are slowly revealed, the reader moves from sympathy for Ellen to suspicion that she might not be entirely innocent; the author delivers the final revelation with great energy and seamless fluidity. Francis's evocative prose and sinuous suspense will make American readers thrilled she's crossed the Atlantic. (June)Forecast: Deceit was a #1 bestseller in England and has been adapted by the BBC for television. It may get off to a slower start here, but word of mouth and an author tour should help it make a strong showing.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0330481428
• ISBN 13: 9780330481427
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504