A Clear Conscience [Hardcover]

Frances Fyfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 1995

Caught in a crisis of faith in herself, her job, and the law itself, Crown Prosecutor Helen West becomes embroiled in the private and legal life of a battered woman, whose situation is so bad that it may serve to excuse a horrible crime. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tensions between the ideal and the actual drive Fyfield's thought-provoking, somewhat downbeat tale. Crown Prosecutor Helen West, last seen in Shadow Play (1993), is frustrated at work by battered women who won't testify against their abusers and at home by general untidiness. To tackle the latter, she hires Cath, a somewhat crude but diligent cleaning lady. When Helen glimpses bruises on Cath, she realizes that Cath's husband, a bartender named Joe, is just the sort of fellow she'd like to see hauled into court. At the same time, Helen's lover, Police Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey, is troubled by a case he thinks was prematurely closed: the pub-fight murder of Damien Flood, who was Cath's beloved brother. From a different angle than Helen's, Bailey's eye also focuses on Cath's husband. Then another murder changes the picture. Defying simple judgments and complacent assessments, the plot features a twist at the close that will leave readers mulling over all that has gone before?and Fyfield's message.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Francis Fyfield, a lawyer herself, adds an extra dimension to detection. -- P. D. James

Fyfield is a wonder...An intricate and surprise-filled plot. -- Los Angeles Times Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon Books (March 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679426663
• ISBN-13: 978-0679426660
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,637,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent British read and great narration, August 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Clear Conscience (Audio Cassette)

I have listended to Rula Lenska read several other of Fyfield's always top-notch mysteries and am always completely enthralled by her narrative qualities. Her throaty voice and various accents make the novel come alive. Thoroughly enjoyable.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An "Interesting" Wine?, July 4, 2002

By 

P. A. Hogan (Providence RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Clear Conscience (Helen West Mystery) (Paperback)

While I admire Fyfield's considerable talents as a mystery writer, her characters strike me as relentlessly unlikeable. For this reason, "A Clear Conscience" is like an "interesting" wine that goes down easily and enjoyably, but leaves an unsettling aftertaste.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read, October 8, 2000

By 

Helen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clear Conscience (Mass Market Paperback)

This is not a story with the typical whodunnit structure. The main detective characters take second place to the lives of the victim, killer and their associates. None of the characters are really appealing, the domestic violence scenarios were very well drawn and, for both these reasons, it was difficult to work through to the end of the book. But perseverance paid off. It will be interesting to read further books by this author.