Deceit [Hardcover]

Clare Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

A tense, twisty thriller with an appealing heroine by an internationally bestselling author.

The sudden loss of her husband forces Ellen Richmond to cope with matters she has never had to face. Harry went sailing, his yacht unaccountably sank, and he is missing and presumed dead. Could it have been suicide? She has to keep such harmful speculation from the children, Katie and Josh. She has to ward off Harry's bossy and disapproving sister and his former partner, who fancies himself irresistible. But, above all, she has to deflect the interest of a stranger who introduces himself at the funeral and claims to have known her husband. Ellen fears his help in finding the truth will threaten all that she holds dear. She's learning Harry's secrets, but only one person knows what happened to Harry. Francesca Annis stars in the BBC dramatic adaptation of Deceit.

Editorial Reviews

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.

From Library Journal

In listening to this audio version of Francis's Deceit, one quickly notes the intriguing and skillful marriage of first-person narrative and a very dramatic reader. Narrator Frances Tomelty truly gets inside the mystery and psyche of the grieving Ellen Richmond, whose husband, Harry, is missing at sea and presumed dead. The audiobook is well named, as Ellen and her husband's memory are threatened with financial, political, and personal scandals as Richard Moreland, a war colleague of Harry's, enters Ellen's life and searches for the truth about the lost yacht and Harry's death. The listener moves from sympathy for Ellen to suspicion and beyond. For mystery collections.
Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569472394
• ISBN-13: 978-1569472392
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,612,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb suspense, June 24, 2001

By 

Gerrit Ruitinga "gerrit ruitinga" (Antwerp) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deceit (Hardcover)

After writing a number of adventure novel Clare Francis successfully turned to Psychological Thrillers. Deceit, her fourth, is probably the best.

Set in rural England it describes how Ellen comes to grip with the death of her husband, an MP. There seems to be more to it than thought at first sight and we follow Ellen, and her two children as the story slowly unfolds. Francis' strenght is the development of her characters. We really get to know Ellen to an extent that is sometimes embarrassing, in particular when you start to question the role she played herself.

The setting is a dark English countryside and that adds a moody element to the story. Francis excels in using outside elements to create a dark environment in which the story unfolds. She is very strong in the use of understatement ( a trait shared with other British female authors like P.D.James and Val McDermid)which underscores the sometimes frightening developments of events. In particular the dialogues are gems full of hidden meaning.

The plot is quite realistic; you really can imagine something like these events to happen.

Add to this enough subtle twist to put you on the wrong footing time and again and you have an excellent thriller.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A subtle, interesting book that simply will not go away..., July 15, 2002

By 

Laurie Fletcher "Laurie Fletcher" (Casper, Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deceit (Hardcover)

I got this book on a friend's recommendation and it wasn't until I began to read that I realized I had seen this story done as a made-for-British-TV-movie on BBCAmerica. I thought it was an especially good thriller on TV but I wasn't sure I wanted to read the book after the fact, especially since I knew "whodunit", but I gave it a try and armed with the image of Francesca Annis ("Reckless") as Ellen, I waded in. It was a good idea. There are so many story nuances and side plots that simply can't make it into a TV movie, either from time constraints or the known attention span of viewers, and it was like reading a richer version of the movie. The ending was still the same, but delivered in a much more compelling (and less screen-worthy) manner. I hadn't read Clare Francis before, but I certainly will read her again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful crime thriller, March 6, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deceit (Mass Market Paperback)

After several months in which former Parliament member Harry Richmond remaines missing at sea, his wife Ellen accepts the official ruling that he is presumed dead. Her upper-class friends and his political cronies presume Ellen is a grieving widow and treat her accordingly, though she knew her marriage was in trouble. At Harry's funeral service, a former military associate of Harry during the Falkland Islands War, Richard Moreland attends.

As Ellen thinks suicide due to amateur seaman Harry going out on a yacht in dangerous weather, the police wonder if murder occurred. Already worried about the future of her two children with the mountain of debt her dead husband left her with, Ellen learns more about Harry's questionable financial dealings, alleged wrong doings as a soldier, and perhaps sexual abuse of his adopted oldest daughter. Only Richard seems to be on Ellen's side in seeking the truth of what happened to Harry, but she questions his agenda.

Though the tale starts off a bit slow as Clare Francis introduces the cast including a dead Harry and their relationships, once the story line shifts into gear it never slows down. Readers will find Ellen a delightful enigma until the climax. Is she the victim only trying to protect her children or is she the killer trying to hide her own misdeed? Fans will take tremendous satisfaction trying to determine who the real Ellen is, but Ms. Francis cleverly hides the truth in plain sight and it is not revealed until the taut climax.

Harriet Klausner