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A Dark Devotion
Grace Dearsden is beautiful, clever and admired. The last person to disappear into the lonely Norfolk marshes in the black depths of winter. Seven days . . . and still no trace. With police investigations stalled, old family friend Alex O'Neill returns to the haunting landscape of her childhood. And immediately beings to uncover disturbing new clues. Each one draws her closer to a family's tragic secret . . . 'At once we are in Ruth Rendell an eerie setting, a web of adultery, deceit, near-murderous envy and cordial detestation . . . a kind of East Anglian Rebecca' Daily Telegraph 'A Dark Devotion is a treat . . . a crime novel with action to keep you guessing until the very end' Daily Mail
499 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1997
65 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Clare Francis
75 books65 followersClare Francis's first novel; Night Sky was published in 1983 to international success. It went to number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list, and spent six weeks in the New York Times top 10.
Three more thrillers followed, Red Crystal (1985), Wolf Winter (1987) and Requiem (1991), which was published in the U.S. as The Killing Winds. Her first crime novel, Deceit was published in 1993, and dramatised for television in 2000. Four other highly successful crime novels have followed, and a highly acclaimed literary novel, Homeland. Her latest crime novel Unforgotten has just been published. Her books have been translated into 20 languages and published in over 30 countries.
Clare was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, the younger of two sisters. Christmas holidays were spent with her grandparents in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales where she developed the love of landscape that is a feature of so much of her fiction. Summer holidays were spent on the Isle of Wight, where she learnt to sail at the age of nine.
After five years at the Royal Ballet School she went to an A-level crammer in Oxford (where she appeared in the university revue Keep This to Yourself), then to University College London, where she obtained a degree in Economics. She worked in marketing for three years before taking a year out to travel and discover what she really wanted to do.
What began as a personal odyssey turned into what she terms her 'unplanned' five-year career in sailing. The odyssey was an unsponsored and unsung solo voyage across the Atlantic, during which she read, listened to music and tried her hand at writing. Soon after, Clare was offered sponsorship to take part in the Round Britain Race with Eve Bonham. This was followed by the Azores and Back Singlehanded Race, the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race, and, with a crew of eleven, the Whitbread Round the World Race. It was after writing three works of non-fiction about her adventures, Come Hell or High Water (1977), Come Wind or Weather (1978), and The Commanding Sea (1981) that Clare took the leap into fiction.
In 1977 she married Jaques Redon with whom she had a son, Tom, in 1978.
She is an MBE, a Fellow of University College London, and an Honorary Fellow of UMIST. She has served as Chairman of the Society of Authors (1997-99) and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Public Lending Right (2000-03).
For the past twenty years she has been commited to the charity Action for ME, of which she is President, a trustee and member of the Council of Management. She herself has had ME (also known as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) for many years.
Clare Francis lives in London and the Isle of Wight, and loves opera and walking.
Three more thrillers followed, Red Crystal (1985), Wolf Winter (1987) and Requiem (1991), which was published in the U.S. as The Killing Winds. Her first crime novel, Deceit was published in 1993, and dramatised for television in 2000. Four other highly successful crime novels have followed, and a highly acclaimed literary novel, Homeland. Her latest crime novel Unforgotten has just been published. Her books have been translated into 20 languages and published in over 30 countries.
Clare was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, the younger of two sisters. Christmas holidays were spent with her grandparents in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales where she developed the love of landscape that is a feature of so much of her fiction. Summer holidays were spent on the Isle of Wight, where she learnt to sail at the age of nine.
After five years at the Royal Ballet School she went to an A-level crammer in Oxford (where she appeared in the university revue Keep This to Yourself), then to University College London, where she obtained a degree in Economics. She worked in marketing for three years before taking a year out to travel and discover what she really wanted to do.
What began as a personal odyssey turned into what she terms her 'unplanned' five-year career in sailing. The odyssey was an unsponsored and unsung solo voyage across the Atlantic, during which she read, listened to music and tried her hand at writing. Soon after, Clare was offered sponsorship to take part in the Round Britain Race with Eve Bonham. This was followed by the Azores and Back Singlehanded Race, the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race, and, with a crew of eleven, the Whitbread Round the World Race. It was after writing three works of non-fiction about her adventures, Come Hell or High Water (1977), Come Wind or Weather (1978), and The Commanding Sea (1981) that Clare took the leap into fiction.
In 1977 she married Jaques Redon with whom she had a son, Tom, in 1978.
She is an MBE, a Fellow of University College London, and an Honorary Fellow of UMIST. She has served as Chairman of the Society of Authors (1997-99) and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Public Lending Right (2000-03).
For the past twenty years she has been commited to the charity Action for ME, of which she is President, a trustee and member of the Council of Management. She herself has had ME (also known as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) for many years.
Clare Francis lives in London and the Isle of Wight, and loves opera and walking.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 26, 2016
This book follows Alex, a London solicitor, who returns to her home town to help an old friend when his wife goes missing. She starts to investigate, and soon realises that not all is what it seems, and that everyone has secrets.
At first I thought this had potential because it had a Gone Girl feeling. (Yes, I know this was written before Gone Girl, and Gone Girl isn't the only book to ever cover missing wives and lying husbands). But I thought there was potential because the seemingly perfect wife was shallow and self centered, and had secrets, as did the husband.
But then, well, it was just boring. It was very well written, and easy to read, but the plot wasn't exactly riveting, and the "twist" at the end wasn't exactly ground breaking. All in all, I finished this book and went, "Ugh."
At first I thought this had potential because it had a Gone Girl feeling. (Yes, I know this was written before Gone Girl, and Gone Girl isn't the only book to ever cover missing wives and lying husbands). But I thought there was potential because the seemingly perfect wife was shallow and self centered, and had secrets, as did the husband.
But then, well, it was just boring. It was very well written, and easy to read, but the plot wasn't exactly riveting, and the "twist" at the end wasn't exactly ground breaking. All in all, I finished this book and went, "Ugh."
April 4, 2019
This was the second book I've read by this author (the first being Deceit). I wasn't crazy about the first book and pretty much felt the same with this second book. Both stories held potential, but fell short on giving me anything to sink my teeth into and just left me wanting more.
Alex is an attorney. She is also married to an attorney and together they are run a "public defense" team that keeps them hopping standing in for the repeat offenders and dregs of society. Their relationship is hazy, their business is clouded with possible corruption and you never really get to understand how or why.
Alex receives a call from a childhood friend in her old hometown that his wife has gone missing and he needs her help. Of course the missing wife is described as Miss Suzie Homemaker who is always smiling, always volunteering and always described as softly and feminine as her name implies, Grace. And then there is the husband and mother-in-law who describe her as anything but. Blah, blah, blah -- you get the picture. The whole story was a short glimpse of this person's personality, that's person's character, another person's perspective, etc.
If you don't require or expect much from your mystery/thriller stories, you will probably be okay with her style of writing and storylines. However, both of the stories I have read by her hold an eerie similarity and both lacked a cohesiveness to their characters.
Alex is an attorney. She is also married to an attorney and together they are run a "public defense" team that keeps them hopping standing in for the repeat offenders and dregs of society. Their relationship is hazy, their business is clouded with possible corruption and you never really get to understand how or why.
Alex receives a call from a childhood friend in her old hometown that his wife has gone missing and he needs her help. Of course the missing wife is described as Miss Suzie Homemaker who is always smiling, always volunteering and always described as softly and feminine as her name implies, Grace. And then there is the husband and mother-in-law who describe her as anything but. Blah, blah, blah -- you get the picture. The whole story was a short glimpse of this person's personality, that's person's character, another person's perspective, etc.
If you don't require or expect much from your mystery/thriller stories, you will probably be okay with her style of writing and storylines. However, both of the stories I have read by her hold an eerie similarity and both lacked a cohesiveness to their characters.
April 9, 2013
Just finished listening to the audiobook of Clare Francis' 'A Dark Devotion' crime novel - quite disappointing.
I couldn't warm to the characters or the plot, found it cluttered with annoying / unnecessary adverbs and damp squib ending.
It's written in first person and narrated by Lindsay Duncan, both of which / whom I really like, but the Italian character's accent annoyed me.
The twists didn't work for me including the point where have said that the sluice gates are tough for an adult to open but no-one queried when 10-year-old Charlie said he'd opened them on their own.
This is my first Clare Francis 'read' and although I felt this warranted a 3/5 at best I will read others.
I couldn't warm to the characters or the plot, found it cluttered with annoying / unnecessary adverbs and damp squib ending.
It's written in first person and narrated by Lindsay Duncan, both of which / whom I really like, but the Italian character's accent annoyed me.
The twists didn't work for me including the point where have said that the sluice gates are tough for an adult to open but no-one queried when 10-year-old Charlie said he'd opened them on their own.
This is my first Clare Francis 'read' and although I felt this warranted a 3/5 at best I will read others.
June 4, 2013
Boring. The description promises so much fun, but it turns out the book is just boring. Didn't finish it.
June 10, 2018
Well written with good plot twists.
October 2, 2019
this book was no where near as good as Night Sky; the reviews said it would be better.
July 7, 2016
Grace Dearden is beautiful, poised, elegant, outwardly the perfect and happy wife but suddenly she goes missing to the shock and distress of everyone who knew her.
But Grace has been hiding a lot of secrets and she is not the wonderful person she appears to be on the surface.
When an old flame and family friend, Alex O'Neill is called into help with the search for Grace she turns up more than she expects...
Brilliantly written with many twists and turns in the tale this is a page turner from start to finish and such a list of suspects and possible outcome to what has happened to Grace its exciting to whittle them all down to the perpetrator.
Exciting, fast paced and unexpected a modern mystery for all fans of the genre.
But Grace has been hiding a lot of secrets and she is not the wonderful person she appears to be on the surface.
When an old flame and family friend, Alex O'Neill is called into help with the search for Grace she turns up more than she expects...
Brilliantly written with many twists and turns in the tale this is a page turner from start to finish and such a list of suspects and possible outcome to what has happened to Grace its exciting to whittle them all down to the perpetrator.
Exciting, fast paced and unexpected a modern mystery for all fans of the genre.
November 4, 2012
Her writing is sometimes poetic, but the book is much too long for the story. If the book was made into a movie, I could see the length being more appropriate, but even then, if I were the scriptwriter, I'd cut outn huge chunks of unimportance.
July 6, 2019
Long, drawn out, pathetic characters, definitely giving this author a miss in future.
October 23, 2018
A criminal lawyer returns home to investigate the disappearance of the wife of an old family friend—and soon discovers a web of secrets and betrayals darker than she could have imagined
Grace Dearden is a woman so beautiful and virtuous that no one would dare question her excellence or standing in the community. When Grace disappears—seemingly evaporating into the eerie Norfolk marshes—and police investigations fail to find her, her husband, Will, enlists the help of longtime friend and criminal lawyer Alexandra O’Neill—who will stop at nothing to uncover the secret of Grace Dearden’s disappearance.
A tale of politics and scandal, adultery and betrayal, this thriller—perfect for fans of Gone Girl—delights in unlocking a deep family secret that has plagued the Deardens for years.
Surprisingly enough, "A Dark Devotion" turned out to be a very fast and suspenseful read -- this, in spite of the fact that (if you're an avid mystery reader) you can almost see certain plot twists and turns coming a mile off! Claire Francis is definitely a mistress at spinning a suspenseful yarn.
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.
Grace Dearden is a woman so beautiful and virtuous that no one would dare question her excellence or standing in the community. When Grace disappears—seemingly evaporating into the eerie Norfolk marshes—and police investigations fail to find her, her husband, Will, enlists the help of longtime friend and criminal lawyer Alexandra O’Neill—who will stop at nothing to uncover the secret of Grace Dearden’s disappearance.
A tale of politics and scandal, adultery and betrayal, this thriller—perfect for fans of Gone Girl—delights in unlocking a deep family secret that has plagued the Deardens for years.
Surprisingly enough, "A Dark Devotion" turned out to be a very fast and suspenseful read -- this, in spite of the fact that (if you're an avid mystery reader) you can almost see certain plot twists and turns coming a mile off! Claire Francis is definitely a mistress at spinning a suspenseful yarn.
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.
September 13, 2017
I have conflicting thoughts about this one.
I feel this is what can be called a bit of a dud in the thriller basket, but not entirely so.. It did make for some page turning momenta towards the end. To make it easier for you, I'll divide my review into the goods and the not so goods.
Goods :
1. Hmm, the characters provide the requisite amount of mystery and elusiveness
2. Not tooooo slow, it's manageable
3. Its a decent (but meagre) storyline.
4. It seems like a humble ode to Gone Girl
Not so goods :
1. I just did not like the narrative style, was way too kiddish at some places & too orthodox at others.
2. I was not too convinced with the two parallel plots inside this story. It felt like it was included only to increase the no. of pages
3. The plot tends to beat around the bush in the middle and gets a bit too boring. In my opinion, the climax and the reveal don't quite make up for it either!
I feel this is what can be called a bit of a dud in the thriller basket, but not entirely so.. It did make for some page turning momenta towards the end. To make it easier for you, I'll divide my review into the goods and the not so goods.
Goods :
1. Hmm, the characters provide the requisite amount of mystery and elusiveness
2. Not tooooo slow, it's manageable
3. Its a decent (but meagre) storyline.
4. It seems like a humble ode to Gone Girl
Not so goods :
1. I just did not like the narrative style, was way too kiddish at some places & too orthodox at others.
2. I was not too convinced with the two parallel plots inside this story. It felt like it was included only to increase the no. of pages
3. The plot tends to beat around the bush in the middle and gets a bit too boring. In my opinion, the climax and the reveal don't quite make up for it either!
May 29, 2024
I have enjoyed other Clare Francis books, so I was looking forward to reading this one, but I got fed up with it.
I couldn't understand how Alex, the main character, could afford to spend so much of her time in Norfolk, away from her job. Will was supposed to be a farmer, but he didn't seem to do any farming. We eventually got a reason for Alex's brother being dysfunctional, but it still wasn't clear why he was so gratuitously unpleasant to her. There was no variety in the characters - they were all comfortably off middle class people. It became very tedious trying to work out who did what and when over the sluice gates, and who, if anybody, was actually responsible for Grace's death. I never really took to Will's mother, although she was painted as a sympathetic figure. I don't expect a thriller to be a morality tale - the relationship between her and Alex's father was plausible in the circumstances, but I felt the way it was dealt with was shallow. Not one of the best.
I couldn't understand how Alex, the main character, could afford to spend so much of her time in Norfolk, away from her job. Will was supposed to be a farmer, but he didn't seem to do any farming. We eventually got a reason for Alex's brother being dysfunctional, but it still wasn't clear why he was so gratuitously unpleasant to her. There was no variety in the characters - they were all comfortably off middle class people. It became very tedious trying to work out who did what and when over the sluice gates, and who, if anybody, was actually responsible for Grace's death. I never really took to Will's mother, although she was painted as a sympathetic figure. I don't expect a thriller to be a morality tale - the relationship between her and Alex's father was plausible in the circumstances, but I felt the way it was dealt with was shallow. Not one of the best.
May 15, 2022
This book put me in a reading slump in July to August 2021. It wasn’t that bad, but dragging at times. Also, I didn’t feel any attachment to the main character; sometimes, I found her annoying. I also didn’t feel any sympathy for any of the characters. The ending was a little too predictable, I think I guessed by the third chapter. The landscapes in this book were amazing. Clare Francis is a fantastic world-builder; this made me want to move to the English countryside. I don’t 100% hate it, but I don’t think it was worth my 3 weeks.
January 26, 2025
I found this in a street library and thought the blurb sounded fantastic. I was looking for a quick but interesting summer book.
This is neither quick, nor interesting. I have tried to keep going, but I'm 106 pages in and the story really hasn't started yet.
I'm going to see if I can skip allllll the way to the end to find out what happened to the missing woman and then it is going back into the street library.
This is neither quick, nor interesting. I have tried to keep going, but I'm 106 pages in and the story really hasn't started yet.
I'm going to see if I can skip allllll the way to the end to find out what happened to the missing woman and then it is going back into the street library.
July 13, 2025
I would avoid this book if you like your mysteries with lots of action and pace. This is a slow-burner but a decent read and enough to keep you turning the pages. This one dropped a couple of stars because of the excessive use of exclamation marks and the irritating way the author describes every tiny facial expression and gesture whenever anyone speaks. It detracts rather than enhances. Besides that, though, this wasn't a bad book at all.
April 18, 2019
An absolute stunner! Loved this book so so much. Clear, simple writing and the plot was scaringly 'edge-of-the-seat'! I didnt want to put it down yet, I wanted the book to last longer so I had to put it down many times.
I was totally captivated by this superb Novel! Suspense at its best!!!
thank you
I was totally captivated by this superb Novel! Suspense at its best!!!
thank you
August 29, 2019
Not as gripping as her first book Night Sky. Dark Devotion just didn’t have the intense and engaging storyline that I expected. The plot seemed to go round in circles with too much repetition. I couldn’t keep up with the varying witnesses stories and guessed the ending before the mystery was revealed.
January 13, 2020
Why are my reviews not getting saved? I love the descriptive writing, very true to life. I also love how the main character is patient, kind and thorough with her clients, truly wishing to get at the truth and helping them.
I feel it was too long and drawn out, slugging through way too many pages of family abuse, including a selfish and abusive mother. It left me feeling ill.
I feel it was too long and drawn out, slugging through way too many pages of family abuse, including a selfish and abusive mother. It left me feeling ill.
February 9, 2021
This was a great mystery and I would like to look for more books by this author. As the story unfolds of a missing wife, old friendships and family tensions slowly are revealed, but its the way the author does it without a lot of extra information or dream analyzing. This was one I couldn't wait to get back to.
February 14, 2018
I loved this book. The landscapes were as real as the characters, the plot twisted and wove it’s way to a great ending.
April 12, 2018
Loved reading this book. The writing was excellent and I enjoyed reading about the characters' lives.
June 7, 2018
I loved this book it
Was so good it
Kept me thoroughly involved I will read
again and again it was that good
Great novel
Was so good it
Kept me thoroughly involved I will read
again and again it was that good
Great novel
November 15, 2019
A more complicated story than one expects with interesting relationship, and ethical, themes running through it. It keeps you reading to see if the mystery is finally, fully solved.
May 10, 2020
Started well but became boring
November 9, 2020
This book was good, but just extremely long. There was a lot of details in it, which made you really feel as though you were there.
March 14, 2021
Another good book that i enjoyed re-reading after a long gap. Still think Deceit is the best of her crim thrillers so far. 7.5/10
August 29, 2022
Not a great read for me
March 27, 2024
Very readable. Has some interesting twists
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2024
A good read with lots of twists and turns in the plot
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews