Frankie Richmond's career as a barrister specializing in family law, is going nowhere - she always seems to get tied up in important but low key cases, usually as favours for her motley bunch of radical friends. But a routine appearance at a magistrate's court to defend an old acquaintance against a drunk and disorderly charge unexpectedly catapults her into a nightmare world in which she ends up being arrested - for murder. No favourite of the police - who are happy to see her go down - in order to prove her innocence she must solve the case when all she really wants to do is advance her professional life, sort out her mercurial friendships and meet the woman of her dreams. She soon discovers that these goals are not mutually exclusive, and that to save herself she must uncover some unsavoury truths about those closest to her.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The personal and professional lives of "working class lesbian barrister" Frankie Richmond collide in this noirish debut from British barrister Woodcraft, who provides a bleak view of abused women and the legal system that too often fails to protect them. Frankie defends lovely, rebellious Saskia Baron on a drunk and disorderly, but it soon becomes clear that Saskia is involved in a far more serious crime-though it's Frankie herself who faces a possible murder charge when the body of the creep who's been trailing Saskia turns up in a North London park with Frankie's car license plate beneath him. Frankie's falling for vulnerable nightclub singer Margo, who blows hot and cold, complicates her search for the elusive Saskia. The torching of the trailer where Saskia lies low and an incriminating credit card planted in Frankie's flat, as well as an unreliable car and a bank overdraft, add to the barrister's woes. Her love of pop songs, particularly Motown, helps buoy her spirits, as does her cheery single mum, whose success at romance stands in such contrast to her own. Relationships-between colleagues, friends and lovers, old and new-overshadow the detective work and account for all the story's surprises. Once Saskia no longer fears talking, the killer's identity and motive are out in the open, and the climactic confrontation with the menacing villain follows true to formula. In future outings one trusts the author will develop more skill at plotting as she hones her portrait of her rueful heroine.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Owing to circumstantial evidence, Frances "Frankie" Richmond, a lesbian British lawyer, stands accused of a murder she didn't commit. It all begins when she represents an old acquaintance named Saskia in court: Saskia walks, a suspicious man follows, Saskia bolts, and Frankie follows the man, who beats her up and then gets killed. After police charge her in the murder, Frankie tries to find Saskia, who seems to hold the key to it all. Frankie's lawyer friend Kay (an ex-lover), best friend Lena, and law-clerk Gavin provide welcome character subplots. Lively and imaginative, this first novel is highly recommended for most mystery collections as well as for gay/lesbian fiction collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
(3 1/2 stars) A bit disappointing,
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This review is from: Good Bad Woman (Frankie Richmond Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
2002 Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Mystery
From the book cover: Frankie Richmond is a London Barrister long on attitude and short on lucrative work. Her chaotic private life interrupts her professional one far too often but never so dangerously as when she agrees to defend an old friend. A routine appearance at a magistrate's court catapults Frankie into a nightmare from which she wakes up to find herself arrested - for murder. The police would love to see her go down so Frankie sets out to solve the case herself - whilst trying to revive her flagging career, disentangle her mercurial friendships and meet the woman of her dreams. As she steps up her search for the killer - and a particularly elusive Sir Douglas Quintet track- Frankie's talent for sowing confusion is given full rein, particularly when clearing her name involves exposing some unsavoury truths about those closest to her. In this book we are introduced to the court lawyer Frances "Frankie" Richmond. Frankie has a working class background, and struggles to fit in a working milieu where people are "rich, posh and privileged", like her lawyer friend Kay. She is a sensitive person and has decided to abandon criminal law for family law because she couldn't deal with it, but still deals badly with how justice does not prevail in abuse cases. She has an obsession for Motown music and a deprecating and humorous view of her life that is not going that well since she is having to deal with a possible murder indictment, an unreliable car, a bank overdraft and the mixed messages of Margo, a club singer with whom she has fallen in lust. Although there are also subplots involving other characters such as her mother, her ex-lover Kay, her best friend Lena, and the law-clerk Gavin, the book is mostly a whodunit. Frankie is a murder suspect and wants to prove her innocence and there is a convoluted plot where things are not what they seem to be. However, in terms of plot Elizabeth Woodcraft seems to have given up the whodunit before the end of the book, and the reader is able to easily solve the mystery. Also the book fails in the attempts at humour, and then there are the characters in the book, which may be convincing but are not that memorable. However, Elizabeth Woodcraft shows potential as a writer.
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