Weaving Shadows

Clara Pascal #2

by Margaret Murphy

Attorney Clara Pascal thought she was taking on a simple child custody case....
Traumatized by her own recent experience as a kidnap victim in Darkness Falls, Clara is trying hard to keep the shadows of the past at bay. Her husband and young daughter don't understand why she's so distant. Her caseload at work has slowed to a trickle, and her friend Mitch, a lawyer, offers her work, but Clara refuses to take on a criminal case. And she can't shake the feeling that someone is after her.
When a young, single mother is beaten to death with a hammer, Clara finds herself thrown into a criminal investigation she wants no part of. At stake is the fate of the child the victim left behind, the result of an affair with a married man. Clara is called upon by the father to help him gain custody of his little daughter, but he and his wife soon begin to doubt she is up to the job. Clara is running out of money and has no choice but to take the next available case. Convicted killer Ian Clemence, a stalker who photographs young women, is the number one suspect in the murder. He's fresh out of prison and itching to make up for lost time. The press is all over the case, and the police are eager to nail him. So why does Clara believe that he's innocent?
Risking her career, her reputation, and her life, she sets out to prove the past has no hold on the future, while a killer comes ever closer to making her the next victim....

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2003

About the author

Margaret Murphy writes internationally acclaimed and bestselling psychological thrillers under her own name, and in September 2023, she will publish the first of a new series, Dead Man Walking as M. K. Murphy.

She has also published forensic thrillers as Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), founder of Murder Squad, and a former RLF Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector. A Short Story Dagger, HRF Keating, and CWA Red Herring award winner, she has also been shortlisted for the ‘First Blood’ critics award and CWA Dagger in the Library.

www.margaret-murphy.co.uk
(Pseudonym: A.D. Garrett)
(Pseudonym: Ashley Dyer https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A library find. September 2024.
Amazing writing.
Interesting story. Held my attention. Couldn't put it down.
Only thing is, It had to many unnecessary cuss words. That in itself spoiled the reading pleasure for me. Does all her books contain such language? I'm going to read another one just to find out.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another thriller in which I most liked the portrayal of the growing identification between the framed suspect (a murderer) and the traumatised lawyer (although the latter's extreme fear and prissiness annoyed me.

[Suzanne Creel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep people understanding

Well described the depths of emotional damages, and also recovery from them.That isn't often as well done in fiction novels as it was done in this one. Realistic emotions made reading this very satisfactory.

[Geri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the book right from the beginning. It then started adding too many characters that were unnecessary to the story and just caused confusion. The ending was alright, somewhat predictable and other parts confusing. Wouldn’t read again.

[Robin]

This book was good, but it is written by an English author, so expect terminology that is native to England. Personally, I was not crazy about that.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convoluted

The ins and outs of the plots keep the heart racing. Interesting sequel and continued development of the main characters. I will look forward to the next in the series.

[Anne Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough read

I found this book hard to stay engaged with, not sure why. The story was good but I didn't think it moved along.

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Good

I honestly could hardly put this book down. The plot twists just kept coming and in the end I was surprised. Do yourself a favor and buy this author's books!

[Judith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't get very far with this 2nd book with Clara ... just couldn't get into this character.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read. I like the author's writing style. She's clear and concise with few typos. Clara becomes a bit tedious though. For a smart woman she can act pretty dumb.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising twist

This story had a surprising twist to the end of the story. It was a true surprise in who done it! Thank you for another captivating book.

[C A S Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Keeps you going then an amazing twist. Really enjoyed the story and look forward to book 3 if there is another.

[Cláudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be better with a lot of editing… and I really didn’t feel much empathy with the characters, only at the end.
Nice twist.

[Terri Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful!

A good read, especially if you like the ins and outs of police investigations and a plucky female barrister as the heroine.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Murphy's 2nd book did not fail to entertain, like her first book. I like that she keeps the same "core characters" in both books (and hope that will continue in books 3, etc.) as it gives us the opportunity to join her as she develops these complicated characters. I had a hard time with her first book keeping up with the many characters in the police department. With the second book it was easier, although still difficult. For example, it's still not easy for me to know which ones are women. I think I finally memorized that Young is a female. The only thing I can offer about that is that there are a LOT of characters in the police department. But this doesn't make the book any less enjoyable.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this were quite interesting. The ex-con Clemence was a case in point. Clara, his solicitor, was somewhat interesting, having been abducted and now having to relate all over again to her husband and their teenage daughter. This takes place in Great Britain, so procedures and so forth are a little different. It started out well, but I got bogged down later.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good
Barrister Clara Pascal was a kidnap victim who is now scarred of her own shadow
When a local women is brutly murdered everyone points the finger at the man who has just been released from prison on a murder charge
But did he do it

[Julie Durovchic]

Great story, great flow, good twist. Really enjoy this writer.

[Mum]

Just started - so too early to tell. have never heard of her.