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Helen West #1
A Question of Guilt: A Helen West Mystery
Cunning and evil, poisoned by a lifetime of love withheld, Eileen Cartwright has an unrivaled passion for revenge. When the rich, middle-aged widow falls in love with her lawyer, she goes to fatal lengths to make him hers. Prosecutor Helen West is assigned to the case, but when Eileen's extraordinary evil reaches out even from behind prison bars, the investigation reaches a climax of frightening and frenzied violence.
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
21 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Frances Fyfield
82 books64 followersAka Frances Hegarty.
Frances Fyfield is a criminal lawyer, who lives in London and in Deal, by the sea which is her passion. She has won several awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger.
She grew up in rural Derbyshire, but spent most of her adult life in London, with long intervals in Norfolk and Deal, all inspiring places. She was educated mostly in convent schools; then studied English at Newcastle University and went on to qualify as a solicitor, working for what is now the Crown Prosecution Service, thus learning a bit about murder at second hand. She also worked for the Metropolitan Police.
Years later, writing became her real vocation. She also writes short stories for magazines and radio and is occasionally a contributor to Radio 4, (Front Row, Quote Unquote, Night Waves,) and presenter of Tales from the Stave.
Frances Fyfield is a criminal lawyer, who lives in London and in Deal, by the sea which is her passion. She has won several awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger.
She grew up in rural Derbyshire, but spent most of her adult life in London, with long intervals in Norfolk and Deal, all inspiring places. She was educated mostly in convent schools; then studied English at Newcastle University and went on to qualify as a solicitor, working for what is now the Crown Prosecution Service, thus learning a bit about murder at second hand. She also worked for the Metropolitan Police.
Years later, writing became her real vocation. She also writes short stories for magazines and radio and is occasionally a contributor to Radio 4, (Front Row, Quote Unquote, Night Waves,) and presenter of Tales from the Stave.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 20, 2022
this was so good, really liked this author and will have to find more books by her. said so much so easily and the story carried itself so effortlessly (i might have to steal this book from bcu) really liked that you were given the perspectives and back stories of all the characters, and not only that but it wasn’t done forcefully or in a way that takes away from the story and is confusing …. honestly can’t fault wow
October 30, 2013
A Question Of Guilt
by
Frances Fyfield
Essentially...
This is another Helen West book...in this one she is involved in a really bizarre murder trial.
My thoughts after reading this book...
I am in bookish love with this author. In my mind she is every bit as good...if not better than...Elizabeth George, Alan Bradley, and Deborah Crombie. This book was intense, extremely well plotted and filled with the kind of characters you will love and the kind that you will love to hate! There were even two precious cats in this book! One was Bailey's and one was Helen's...yummy British kitties!
So...because this is a mystery I will give nothing away except for this...Helen is involved in a case and the defendant...Eileen...comes to hate her horribly and from prison plots Helen's demise. The plot is complicated, tricky and intricate. I have been reading these out of order but I truly don't think that matters. This is the book where she meets Bailey...her love interest in this book as well as in future books. They are both involved in this case. Eileen is the woman in jail initially for hiring a man named Stanislaus to murder the wife of the man she is obsessed with. When he is caught Eileen begins to manipulate Ed...Stanislaus's son. Ed appears to be quite a brutish evil person...even though he is youngish. And then there is Peter...another son...younger than Ed. He has a sort of accidental infatuation with Helen, Helen's garden, and Helen's cat.
Eileen appears to be a thoroughly evil and unstable person...sort of big, ungainly, ill treated by her father...thus her hatred of "attractive" women.
What I loved about this book...
Oh my word I loved it all...Helen and Bailey, Helen baking puffy scones with Peter, Helen and Bailey's cat. I loved the descriptions of their flats, their food , their dealings with each other. I loved that on their first "date" Bailey straightened out Helen's crooked shelves. I loved that they both loved reading mysteries! I love the way this author uses words!
What I did not love...
OMG...Eileen and Ed were the most awful creepy characters around. I despised both of them. Eileen because she thought she was so clever and Ed for what he did to Helen and also for the way he treated his brother Peter!
Final thoughts...
I can not tell you enough how much I loved this book. Cozy, quirky, British loveliness in a book impossible to put down!
by
Frances Fyfield
Essentially...
This is another Helen West book...in this one she is involved in a really bizarre murder trial.
My thoughts after reading this book...
I am in bookish love with this author. In my mind she is every bit as good...if not better than...Elizabeth George, Alan Bradley, and Deborah Crombie. This book was intense, extremely well plotted and filled with the kind of characters you will love and the kind that you will love to hate! There were even two precious cats in this book! One was Bailey's and one was Helen's...yummy British kitties!
So...because this is a mystery I will give nothing away except for this...Helen is involved in a case and the defendant...Eileen...comes to hate her horribly and from prison plots Helen's demise. The plot is complicated, tricky and intricate. I have been reading these out of order but I truly don't think that matters. This is the book where she meets Bailey...her love interest in this book as well as in future books. They are both involved in this case. Eileen is the woman in jail initially for hiring a man named Stanislaus to murder the wife of the man she is obsessed with. When he is caught Eileen begins to manipulate Ed...Stanislaus's son. Ed appears to be quite a brutish evil person...even though he is youngish. And then there is Peter...another son...younger than Ed. He has a sort of accidental infatuation with Helen, Helen's garden, and Helen's cat.
Eileen appears to be a thoroughly evil and unstable person...sort of big, ungainly, ill treated by her father...thus her hatred of "attractive" women.
What I loved about this book...
Oh my word I loved it all...Helen and Bailey, Helen baking puffy scones with Peter, Helen and Bailey's cat. I loved the descriptions of their flats, their food , their dealings with each other. I loved that on their first "date" Bailey straightened out Helen's crooked shelves. I loved that they both loved reading mysteries! I love the way this author uses words!
What I did not love...
OMG...Eileen and Ed were the most awful creepy characters around. I despised both of them. Eileen because she thought she was so clever and Ed for what he did to Helen and also for the way he treated his brother Peter!
Final thoughts...
I can not tell you enough how much I loved this book. Cozy, quirky, British loveliness in a book impossible to put down!
June 19, 2022
In the 1980s I didn't have much time for reading, which is why it is only now that I have embarked on this series. This is not an easy book to read. Not because of the content, although there is some nasty violence. But because of the prose style. Sentences are often long, complex, expressing several different thoughts. The pace is slow - it has to be to allow time for the development of the characters, of the relationship between them, and to build the sense of impending menace.
It is not a whodunnit. We know from the outset who committed the murder. We quickly learn the motivation. Then we get on to a study of blossoming romance, of developing obsession, and of villainous psychopathy. If you can handle the style of the writing, this is well worth spending some time over.
It is not a whodunnit. We know from the outset who committed the murder. We quickly learn the motivation. Then we get on to a study of blossoming romance, of developing obsession, and of villainous psychopathy. If you can handle the style of the writing, this is well worth spending some time over.
June 6, 2009
I tried twice to get into this book and couldn't do it. Third time was the charm (I'd needed to read only one scene further to get hooked)! What a treat to find a "new" author (new to me--this book was published over 10 years ago). She's a British mystery writer, one of those in the style that the mystery is secondary and the good writing and characters are paramount. Very pleased to recommend this! It is the first in a series with the main character of Helen West.
September 7, 2009
I liked this book, although the working of the legal system in England were not always clear to me. The two main characters are so nice they made me feel optimistic about mankind and optimistic that happiness is possible, but just not all the time.
Even though there is a murder to be addressed here, the book is really about people dealing with the unhappiness in their lives - some more successfully than others.
Even though there is a murder to be addressed here, the book is really about people dealing with the unhappiness in their lives - some more successfully than others.
January 3, 2016
What am intelligent and deeply satisfying writer is Frances Fyfield. At times the writing gives the impression of being a little ponderous, but the insights into each of her characters are exquisite.
I'm reading them all out of order and think this is the first of her Helen West ones I've read; also it was written in 1988 (which explains the several references to typewriters) but I found it totally absorbing.
I'm reading them all out of order and think this is the first of her Helen West ones I've read; also it was written in 1988 (which explains the several references to typewriters) but I found it totally absorbing.
December 2, 2009
Fyfield's first Helen West murder mystery - I will be reading more
September 5, 2025
The sticker on the cover implies I paid $2 for book, probably from the clearance table of a now long folded chain bookstore. With a 1990 publication date, this book has probably moved with me several times and sat for over 20 years on various bookshelves, until now. Now I am at the point where I am reading all of the books I have acquired over my lifetime.
This one is another hidden treasure that has been hiding on my shelves for years and years waiting for me to get around to reading it. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
Set in then present day London in the late 1980s, this book is kind of like Law & Order. Well I've never seen an episode of Law & Order but my understanding is that each episode deals with a case from both the police and the lawyer point of views.
Definitely a very interesting read with a great story and really brilliant character development. Fyfield really draws you into her little world. With the right amount of detail and the right amount of backstory, this book just really works.
While the prose is for the most part very clear and readable, I too often found Fyfield's sentence structure to be confusing. I often had to reread the last few lines as they didn't really make sense without deciphering them. The effect is like running at a good clip and somebody trips you.
Looking at the Internet, I see there is at least one sequel. The strange thing is that as much as I really liked this book, for some reason I have no interest in tracking down any more from Frances Fyfield. Though maybe at a some point I will want to check in on Geoffrey Bailey and Helen West again.
FWIW the book has a really pretty cover that doesn't really seem to be have anything to do with the characters or the story or the time period in which it is set.
This one is another hidden treasure that has been hiding on my shelves for years and years waiting for me to get around to reading it. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
Set in then present day London in the late 1980s, this book is kind of like Law & Order. Well I've never seen an episode of Law & Order but my understanding is that each episode deals with a case from both the police and the lawyer point of views.
Definitely a very interesting read with a great story and really brilliant character development. Fyfield really draws you into her little world. With the right amount of detail and the right amount of backstory, this book just really works.
While the prose is for the most part very clear and readable, I too often found Fyfield's sentence structure to be confusing. I often had to reread the last few lines as they didn't really make sense without deciphering them. The effect is like running at a good clip and somebody trips you.
Looking at the Internet, I see there is at least one sequel. The strange thing is that as much as I really liked this book, for some reason I have no interest in tracking down any more from Frances Fyfield. Though maybe at a some point I will want to check in on Geoffrey Bailey and Helen West again.
FWIW the book has a really pretty cover that doesn't really seem to be have anything to do with the characters or the story or the time period in which it is set.
January 7, 2018
This is a difficult one...
The style of her writing is... unlike any other authors I have read, detached, distant even, but not cold or unfeeling, like reading a story told by an observer, a third person, an older person, or looking in to a warm and well-lighted house through a closed window from outside in a cold snowy winter, you are drawn to the warmth and light, yet there were moments you were kept at a distance, frustratingly unreachable. You nevertheless are pulled into the story and found yourself following it involuntarily.
Emptiness was easy to hide.- Pg. 9
Law, morality and common sense meet at few crossroads. - Pg. 25
The best antidote to depression, something beautiful and complete in itself, designed to prove life exists to be preserved. - Pg. 70
When hands were busy nothing was as important as it might have seemed. - Pg. 83
The style of her writing is... unlike any other authors I have read, detached, distant even, but not cold or unfeeling, like reading a story told by an observer, a third person, an older person, or looking in to a warm and well-lighted house through a closed window from outside in a cold snowy winter, you are drawn to the warmth and light, yet there were moments you were kept at a distance, frustratingly unreachable. You nevertheless are pulled into the story and found yourself following it involuntarily.
Emptiness was easy to hide.- Pg. 9
Law, morality and common sense meet at few crossroads. - Pg. 25
The best antidote to depression, something beautiful and complete in itself, designed to prove life exists to be preserved. - Pg. 70
When hands were busy nothing was as important as it might have seemed. - Pg. 83
September 21, 2025
This book was published in 1989. I cannot remember what prompted me to select the book.... The writing style and language are excellent. This is not a mystery. You know from the beginning who killed whom and who hired the assassin. This is more a question of whether the mastermind will be found guilty... This is the first book in a series, so the development of the two main protagonists was a large portion of the book. I ended up liking them very much and will try another book in the series. The "children" involved were well portrayed. Kristi & Abby Tabby
April 28, 2018
When I picked up this book, I thought I was starting another police procedural. And, there is some (very little) of that. But this is a great big, complex story of guilt and hate and love. It is a well written study of several characters that takes place as much in the minds of the characters as it does in action. I'm so glad to have found a new ( first begun in the 1980s) to me series with protagonists of duch character, intelligence, integrity and depth.
March 13, 2020
This is brilliant for such an early novel. Fyfield gets very deeply into the motivations, not just of two or three main characters, but of a dozen or so, who are drawn with care, and there is compassion for even the least pleasant people. The plot is revealed on the cover blurb, but this doesn't lessen the book's effectiveness, and it captures the dinginess of an existence in CPS quite convincingly. Recommended.
June 20, 2017
1.5 stars
I found myself skipping chapters on characters I just didn't care about. I only liked the two main characters and only part of the storyline, but not enough to continue with the series. I was hoping for a great murder mystery but I didn't even understand some of the sentences.
Just a disappointment.
I found myself skipping chapters on characters I just didn't care about. I only liked the two main characters and only part of the storyline, but not enough to continue with the series. I was hoping for a great murder mystery but I didn't even understand some of the sentences.
Just a disappointment.
never-again
November 3, 2019I was warned away from this book because being fat is an objectively bad motivation to become a murderer.
February 12, 2020
such richly drawn characters with a strong plot
one of the most underrated writers who should be in the top league!
one of the most underrated writers who should be in the top league!
Read
April 29, 2021October 2009, Tori R, Fiction
July 1, 2021
Really I would give this 2.5 stars if that were allowed. It was ok, it dragged quite a bit in places and some of the characters really never seemed fully formed.
December 24, 2021
This was hard to follow on audible bc the narrator kept changing. May be worth reading again.
April 5, 2024
Slow-moving, and marred by some extremely repellent characters
June 10, 2024
This was ok, I guess. It was perhaps me, because I found it very slow and, honestly, rather hard to muster up the will to pick up and finish.
Want to read
December 24, 2018Synopsis: Eileen Cartwright plotted the murder with ease. Can Crown Prosecutor Helen West and DS Geoffrey Bailey prove it?
January 11, 2019
I think this is Fyfield first book and it showed the quality that was to follow.
For many Fyfield is a highly respected crime writer. I've read quite a few since and I have little reason to argue with the critics!!
For many Fyfield is a highly respected crime writer. I've read quite a few since and I have little reason to argue with the critics!!
September 15, 2014
Our first glimpse of Helen West, the prosecuting attorney in a complex murder case, reveals her studying the case files while she eats. The defendant, Stanislaus Jaskowski, of Polish origin, was a part-time private investigator, charged with the murder of one Sylvia Bernard, the wife of a solicitor, Michael Bernard. Mrs. Eileen Cartwright is listed as someone obsessed with Michael Bernard, and Jaskowski claims that she paid him to kill Sylvia.
In her office, which is comfortable but untidy, she works, and soon is joined by Geoffrey Bailey and his colleague, Mr. Ryan, where they go over the file.
The author lays out the cozy settings, gives vivid descriptions of the characters, and offers us an opportunity to listen in on the discussions in which they are involved in such a way that completely engaged me. Over the following pages, the plot unfolds, as even more characters are introduced and we come to see the intricacies of how they fit into the big picture.
Many of the characters were unlikeable. Jaskowski's son, Edward, who had a secret liaison with Eileen Cartwright at some point; and even Ryan, the underling to Geoffrey Bailey, who makes some pathetic choices. Mrs. Cartwright's pure evil is slowly unleashed on someone else. Who will save the day? How does Peter, Edward's younger brother, fit into the rescue?
The twisted plot did keep me reading, and I liked the sections with Helen and Geoffrey the best. A budding romance between them kept things interesting. There were numerous subplots and other characters that had peripheral roles in the story, and I could have done without them. Overall, I enjoyed "A Question of Guilt: A Helen West Mystery," but sections of the story bogged down for me. An overall 4.0 stars.
In her office, which is comfortable but untidy, she works, and soon is joined by Geoffrey Bailey and his colleague, Mr. Ryan, where they go over the file.
The author lays out the cozy settings, gives vivid descriptions of the characters, and offers us an opportunity to listen in on the discussions in which they are involved in such a way that completely engaged me. Over the following pages, the plot unfolds, as even more characters are introduced and we come to see the intricacies of how they fit into the big picture.
Many of the characters were unlikeable. Jaskowski's son, Edward, who had a secret liaison with Eileen Cartwright at some point; and even Ryan, the underling to Geoffrey Bailey, who makes some pathetic choices. Mrs. Cartwright's pure evil is slowly unleashed on someone else. Who will save the day? How does Peter, Edward's younger brother, fit into the rescue?
The twisted plot did keep me reading, and I liked the sections with Helen and Geoffrey the best. A budding romance between them kept things interesting. There were numerous subplots and other characters that had peripheral roles in the story, and I could have done without them. Overall, I enjoyed "A Question of Guilt: A Helen West Mystery," but sections of the story bogged down for me. An overall 4.0 stars.
May 26, 2015
The sticker on the cover implies I paid $2 for book, probably from the clearance table of a now long folded chain bookstore. With a 1990 publication date, this book has probably moved with me several times and sat for over 20 years on various bookshelves, until now. Now I am at the point where I am reading all of the books I have acquired over my lifetime.
This one is another hidden treasure that has been hiding on my shelves for years and years waiting for me to get around to reading it. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
Set in then present day London in the late 1980s, this book is kind of like Law & Order. Well I've never seen an episode of Law & Order but my understanding is that each episode deals with a case from both the police and the lawyer point of views.
Definitely a very interesting read with a great story and really brilliant character development. Fyfield really draws you into her little world. With the right amount of detail and the right amount of backstory, this book just really works.
While the prose is for the most part very clear and readable, I too often found Fyfield's sentence structure to be confusing. I often had to reread the last few lines as they didn't really make sense without deciphering them. The effect is like running at a good clip and somebody trips you.
Looking at the Internet, I see there is at least one sequel. The strange thing is that as much as I really liked this book, for some reason I have no interest in tracking down any more from Frances Fyfield. Though maybe at a some point I will want to check in on Geoffrey Bailey and Helen West again.
FWIW the book has a really pretty cover that doesn't really seem to be have anything to do with the characters or the story or the time period in which it is set.
This one is another hidden treasure that has been hiding on my shelves for years and years waiting for me to get around to reading it. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
Set in then present day London in the late 1980s, this book is kind of like Law & Order. Well I've never seen an episode of Law & Order but my understanding is that each episode deals with a case from both the police and the lawyer point of views.
Definitely a very interesting read with a great story and really brilliant character development. Fyfield really draws you into her little world. With the right amount of detail and the right amount of backstory, this book just really works.
While the prose is for the most part very clear and readable, I too often found Fyfield's sentence structure to be confusing. I often had to reread the last few lines as they didn't really make sense without deciphering them. The effect is like running at a good clip and somebody trips you.
Looking at the Internet, I see there is at least one sequel. The strange thing is that as much as I really liked this book, for some reason I have no interest in tracking down any more from Frances Fyfield. Though maybe at a some point I will want to check in on Geoffrey Bailey and Helen West again.
FWIW the book has a really pretty cover that doesn't really seem to be have anything to do with the characters or the story or the time period in which it is set.
February 24, 2017
I haven't read Francis Fyfield's books in years, but I loved her other early books, so I picked this one up when I came across it in a second hand bookstore. Fyfield writes powerfully and compellingly but in the end I wasn't completely satisfied with the story. This is her first book, as well as the first in the Helen West series.
A woman becomes obsessed with her attorney and believes that if she gets rid of his wife he will be hers forever. She hires a hit man, who does in fact succeed in killing the wife. The police catch him without much trouble, and although he is willing to testify against her, the police are unable to secure enough evidence to charge the woman. The story is the first in the series featuring Helen West and more time is spent on introducing her and Detective Bailey and the development of their relationship than on the mystery, which is pretty easy to solve. The mystery does develop well, but the narration seemed too moody and atmospheric to me and I got tired of it.
A woman becomes obsessed with her attorney and believes that if she gets rid of his wife he will be hers forever. She hires a hit man, who does in fact succeed in killing the wife. The police catch him without much trouble, and although he is willing to testify against her, the police are unable to secure enough evidence to charge the woman. The story is the first in the series featuring Helen West and more time is spent on introducing her and Detective Bailey and the development of their relationship than on the mystery, which is pretty easy to solve. The mystery does develop well, but the narration seemed too moody and atmospheric to me and I got tired of it.
December 11, 2013
This is a great book with amazing characters. Helen is a great character and I love the chemistry between her and Bailey.
This book is more romance than mystery but a fantastic read. The villain in this book is one of the most well written villains I have ever read. Eileen is a villain you will love to hate.
Fyfield created a wonderful read that I could not put down. This is one of my favorite books on Fyfields. Its not the first of hers I've read but its her first book and one of her finest.
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December 17, 2013
This is a great book with amazing characters. Helen is a great character and I love the chemistry between her and Bailey.
This book is more romance than mystery but a fantastic read. The villain in this book is one of the most well written villains I have ever read. Eileen is a villain you will love to hate.
Fyfield created a wonderful read that I could not put down. This is one of my favorite books on Fyfields. Its not the first of hers I've read but its her first book and one of her finest.
This book is more romance than mystery but a fantastic read. The villain in this book is one of the most well written villains I have ever read. Eileen is a villain you will love to hate.
Fyfield created a wonderful read that I could not put down. This is one of my favorite books on Fyfields. Its not the first of hers I've read but its her first book and one of her finest.
April 5, 2015
Some elements of this book really appealed to me and some just escaped me. There's no doubt the book is well written, but I got lost during some of the exposition segments about the British legal system and found myself skimming those parts. The characters and their relationships were really interesting, and when the book began to tie together about 2/3 of the way through I started to enjoy it a lot more. I am tempted to try another one of these, hoping there is more of the second experience and less of the first.
October 2, 2016
A Question of Guilt by Frances Fyfield is a novel written in omniscient point of view, giving a sequential look at events as they occur. Somewhat introspective at times but ultimately an interesting and unique portrayal of a female lawyer, a male police officer and their relationship beginning with their first meeting through a case going to trial on which the plot of the novel rests. Thought-provoking.
April 15, 2013
This was an audiobook. Frances Fyfield always tells a good story with believable, if not always likeable characters. The introduction of Helen West was interesting and I expect to follow more of her experiences in either oral or written format.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews