A DARK DEVOTION [Hardcover]

The plot for "A Dark Devotion" is a fairly simple and much used one: Alex O' Neill receives a frantic 'phone call from an old childhood friend, Will Dearden, one day, asking for her help -- Will's beautiful wife, Grace, has suddenly gone missing; the police investigation into her disappearance seems to have come to a standstill; and Will is slowly going to pieces not knowing what to do or whom to turn to. Of course Alex drops everything in order to return to her childhood haunt at Deepwell (in Norfolk) in order to give Will whatever moral support and professional help he may need (Alex is also a lawyer). What Alex finds at Deepwell is a nightmare scenario where the police seem to suspect Will of having done away with his beautiful and popular wife, in spite of Will's obvious overwrought state. Could the police be right? Could her childhood friend be capable of murder? The more Alex discovers about Grace and the Dearden's marriage, the more Alex begins to reconsider her idea of who and what Grace; but it also makes her take a closer look at her friend, and to wonder if Will had a hand at Grace's disappearance after all...

Told against the backdrop of the Norfolk dunes and it's bad weather, "A Dark Devotion" proved to be a tale that was full of swirling emotions and atmosphere. Claire Francis did a fantastic job of weaving in the weather, landscape, the darker (and weaker) of the human frailties into the story of Grace Dearden's disappearance and the repercussions her disappearance had on those around her. Also wonderfully done was how she juterposed Alex's failing marriage, the ethical problems she was facing at work and at home, and her relationship with her brother (who still lives at Deepwell and who seems to have a bee in his bonnet where the Deardens are concerned), with the story of Grace's disappearance. And this is why "A Dark Devotion" turned out to be such a wonderful and rewarding read. As I noted before, if you're a mystery buff, you'll probably see some of the plot twists and resolutions coming a mile off, but the manner in which the authour tells her story, the manner in which she fleshes out her chief protagonist -- the plucky and extremely likable Alex O' Neill, the excellent pacing and the clever juxtaposition of subplots, is what makes "A Dark Devotion" an excellent read, and well worth the high hardcover purchase price.

Alex's interest in the case is not entirely professional. Her marriage is shaky, since her husband, Paul, is a drunk who is deeply involved with some disreputable characters. Alex still has feelings for Will, whom she loved when she was a young girl. As she delves into the complexities of this case, Alex begins to uncover the truth behind the Dearden family façade.

Frances sets up her story well, and she populates "A Dark Devotion" with intriguing characters. Alex is a smart, compassionate and tenacious lawyer, whose experience with the criminal justice system makes her a valuable ally. Although Alex cares for Will, she tries not to allow her emotions to color her perceptions. Other notable characters are Alex's weak-willed and shallow brother, Edward, Will's fragile mother, Maggie, and his vulnerable little boy, Charlie. Francis makes us care about these people and we are eager to find out how things went so dreadfully wrong for this "picture perfect" family.

The book is weakest at the end, when startling revelations come one after another. Francis, like so many authors in this genre, wants to surprise the reader with twists and turns, but she lays on the contrivances and the melodrama too thickly. Still, most of "A Dark Devotion" is a literate and engrossing novel that will have you turning pages quickly to see how the mystery is resolved.

From her hometown in Norfolk, Will Deardon calls Alex to help him. His wife Grace vanished and the police are looking closely at him as a suspect in the disappearance of his wife. Alex has mixed feelings about taking the case because Will was her first love before he married Grace. However, she also wants him safe and the real perpetrator caught. She travels home to give him legal council only to begin to believe that the man she represents is guilty of a heinous crime.

A DARK DEVOTION is a cerebral legal thriller that readers will appreciate, as the tale never loses sight of its prime theme. The audience will ponder the issues of whether everyone, even the guilty, should have proper legal representation and how far should an attorney go to defend their client. Alex is a great lead player and the support cast especially her spouse and client, enable readers to see deeper into moral dilemma. Fans will quickly develop a deep devotion to Clare Francis with works like this one.

Harriet Klausner