Dangerous to Know [Mass Market Paperback]

Margaret Yorke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

Secretly taking a job as a means of rebelling against her repressive and brutal husband of twenty years, timid Hermione Brown quickly learns how dangerous Walter can be and becomes the target of his violent obsessions. Reprint. LJ. K. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this quiet suspense thriller, Yorke ( Criminal Damage ) once again deftly explores the darker side of the lives of characters who, to all appearances, could be the folks next door. Walter Brown didn't begin to hit his wife Hermione until after their two daughters had grown up and left home, but throughout their marriage he has enjoyed controlling her life, relishing opportunities to taunt her and see her "utterly broken." Hermione has begun to balk at doing "her duty" in bed, but Walter has his secret visits to prostitutes in London, where if he gets rough, it's only what they deserve. He doesn't notice that his wife is developing her own secrets: she gains a friend in a woman she meets in a cafeteria and finds work cleaning two houses, which gives her two afternoons out each week and her own pocket money. The appreciation of her friend and her employers arms Hermione to begin to withstand Walter's relentless scrutiny and humiliating comments. She is beginning to consider that she, too, has rights when a meddlesome woman notes the changes in her quiet neighbor's routine. Although, in typical Yorke style, the story builds slowly toward its climax, events of the aftermath fully reward the patient reader.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Yorke ( A Small Deceit , LJ 9/1/91, among others) has created an elegantly simple, cleverly paced novel of suspense guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Slipping with ease inside the minds of her two main characters, Hermione and Walter Brown, Yorke paints a grimly compelling portrait of a marriage gone horribly wrong. Walter is tyrannical and unreasonable; Hermione, his emotionally battered wife, is a virtual slave to his every whim. Walter's ever-present rage is stoked when Hermione begins to show signs of change. A new friend, a part-time job--what will be next? Will Hermione find the courage to leave Walter before he explodes in truly murderous rage? As suspense builds, the reader roots for Hermione to make her bid for freedom before it's too late. Exciting to the end, Yorke's latest is highly recommended for popular fiction collections.
- Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446401986
• ISBN-13: 978-0446401982
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,440,524 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 Dangerous Flaws, December 8, 2008

By 

disheveledprofessor "disheveledprofessor" (the home of the Blue Angels) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Mass Market Paperback)

The author, Margaret Yorke, is a past chairman of the Crime Writers' Association. What she has writes are not so much a mysteries, but psychological thrillers. She is adept at showing how small flaws in the character lead to crimes. The setting is generally a small, seemingly idyllic town, but is rotten underneath with hidden secrets.

In this novel she examines the horrors of spousal abuse -- but also the horrors,dangers and implications of doing nothing, of "not getting involved."

Yorke is an elegant writer, who pulls you into the interior lives of her characters. I have found them difficult to put down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful look at emotional abuse, July 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Mass Market Paperback)

Yorke takes a look at one of the most insidious forms of domestic violence -- emotional abuse. It is a perceptive look at emotional abuse written under the guise of a mystery

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting little book that is mesmerizing, August 14, 2010

By 

Joseph Yeater "Ol' Country Boy & City Wife" (Hampton, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Mass Market Paperback)

Could not put this book down once I started reading. It is not the usual mystery with murder suspects galore with an intricate plot. It is a simple tale of a "normal" looking couple of middle age and what really transpires in every day life. You will not be bored but swept up in the story. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. What a character study!

This is easily read in an evening or quiet afternoon. Great character study that will have you turning pages quickly to find out what happens to all the folks that live in this little book.