Shadow Play: A Gripping Psychological Crime Thriller of Dangerous Secrets and Deadly Passion

Helen West #4

by Frances Fyfield

This sophisticated, psychologically gripping tale about crimes of the most twisted passion is perfect for fans of Linda Fairstein and Patricia Highsmith.

The odd, vaguely menacing little man called Mr. Logo is a familiar figure in the old court building in London. Although frequently brought before the judge for indecent assault, he is invariably acquitted due to lack of evidence. He is especially familiar to Helen West, the take-no-prisoners lawyer who has just failed for the fifth time to convict him. Now he is off-limits to her until his next appearance in court. Yet when she befriends Rose, the young, compulsively secretive, and promiscuous clerk in her office, Helen unwittingly sets in motion events that will dangerously complicate her connection to Mr. Logo and push his rage and dark passion to lethal extremes.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 1993

About the author

Aka 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.

Reviews

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of prosecutor, Helen West, working for the Crown Prosecution Service , takes a turn from the mundane to the maddening when all the elements in her life turn upside down at the same time. What used to be mediocre becomes bizarre when nothing seems to be the same anymore. Everything seems to switch to overdrive: her long-standing relationship with Geoffrey is tested, files disappear from the computer as well as their offices; a regular accused, a Mr. Logo, becomes more than just a silly old man who cleans the streets; Rose Darvey, the office clerk, turns out to be much more than a potty-mouthed kid with an attitude; people vanish from the face of the earth and a steady stream of cases can suddenly not be solved. A ten-year-old building shudders and shakes under the weight of intellectual debate, relationship strains, droning engines of cars on the roof and furnaces with hot water pipes down in a dark and deserted basement. A wake-up call is heading in the occupants's direction while graveyards in the vicinity moan under the strain of corpses being buried undetected.

A winter-dark and dreary London forms the backdrop for this high-voltaged psychological thriller which starts of with a bang and catapult the characters into situations they have never seen coming. What started out as uncomplicated, even unrelated incidences results in the actual life story of one character with nobody grasping the common thread until it is almost too late.

The tale is complex and multi-layered; the narrative easy-going; the plot hair-raising. The writing was creative, descriptive, and exciting. What else can be more satisfying for a thriller - suspense -groupie than just that!? All the characters are realistic and believable. What I enjoyed the most was the way in which an economy with words did not prevent a tale to be told in pristine detail.

I am grateful to HarperCollins, as well as http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/ for the opportunity to review this book. It was immediately evident that the author knew what she was doing and presented a book in the same format as P.D. James, Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter, Patricia Cornwell and Ruth Rendell. It was my first introduction to award-winning Francis Fyfield's work and am thrilled as a result. All the other authors mentioned here happen to be my favorites in this genre. This book did not disappoint.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in the thriller, suspense genres.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off promisingly enough, but after reading 20 or 30 pages of it I found that I was not enjoying it so I decided to abandon it. I'm sure Frances Fyfield is a good writer, but I will not be attempting to read any more of her books.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

My library classifies this book as a mystery and, I admit, I spent the first half of the book wondering just what it was about. The previous books in the series I've read were full of thought, style and characterization. I think this one was just a little bit too much of all. Like the first of the series, the reader is pretty much in the know--the real mystery is how they will resolve the crisis.....and how much danger will Helen West suffer through before she is saved.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never read this author and I thought her characters were well drawn and the book had a fair amount of suspense. The reader knows who the truly evil character is, the protagonist does not until the very end. However, the suspense is pretty real and it all keeps you going, routing for the good guys. I especially liked the ending, which only half wrapped up nicely, with the other half still a questionmark.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Frances Fyfield and I really enjoyed it. Perfect plane reading or for curling up with on a snow day.

[Cathy O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grim tale about a horrible man - but skilfully told.

[Aikouncoloured · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book, good plot and characters, the perspetives changing was suprising but the way they blended together was very impressive, I definitely do recommend.

[Lonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich war erst ein bisschen verwirrt vom Aufbau aber am ende hat sich alles ergeben wie ein Puzzle.
Es waren viele stellen die verstörend waren, wo ich kurz Pause machen musste

[Literati Literature Lovers · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Robbie’s Review*

Helen West and Rose Darvey share a fear of the dark. Before you finish Frances Fyfield’s thriller Shadow Play, you may share it with them. Helen West is at a turning point in her life whether she realizes it or not. Frustrated in her role as a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, she has failed yet again to convict Mr. Logo, a little man who carries a Bible and quotes scripture out of context, who sings hymns at inappropriate times and likes to lure little girls into grave yards. Yet somehow he manages to elude conviction. Her work is further complicated by the fact that files are mysteriously disappearing from the office making it impossible for the lawyers to present their cases. As if that isn’t enough, Helen is frustrated on a personal level with Geoffrey Bailey, a man whom she dearly loves. Their relationship has been reduced to a shopping and eating, “your place or mine” type of alliance which has grown stale. The subject of marriage is one about which they take turns being ambivalent.

I do not mind any of this Helen, but could you please relinquish just a little more of yourself than you do? I admit being born forty-five years ago with the expectation that a woman might cook my supper for life; I have shed that hope and did not particularly like when it was offered, but I would indeed like it if you occasionally volunteered, although I cook far better than you.

I think readers will find both Geoffrey and Helen very likeable as they muddle through the issues that at one time or another, beset us all. Geoffrey finds temptation while away at a conference and Helen becomes too friendly with an attractive male co-worker. In a strange twist, Helen finds herself befriending Rose Darvey, a brash young office clerk whom she envies for her youth and carefree approach to life. Helen and Rose bond after an unexpected encounter at a pregnancy clinic.

Helen made a phone call to the office, on behalf of them both, announcing their absence rather than deigning to explain it. Then they went shopping. The mood of confidential euphoria lasted for several hours and left in the wake of all its conversations the sweet scent of friendship and a large bill.

When Rose becomes Helen’s assistant, confidences are exchanged and Helen eventually discovers Rose has a shocking connection to her bête noir Mr. Logo. It is this connection that forms the basis for the fascinating and complex story line.

With Shadow Play, author Frances Fyfield offers a glimpse into the heart and mind of insanity. I’m awed by her ability to convey a pervasive sense of evil. It takes a rare form of artistry to grasp readers by the hand and lead them from safety to terror. I’ve never seen it portrayed more convincingly or chillingly. An old woman spies a suitcase at the top of a staircase in a horrible moment of clarity, a young woman sees a face pressed against a restaurant window and becomes faint, a little girl dares to look into her grandmother’s open grave and screams. This is a not a book where the villain isn’t unmasked until the end. Readers won’t have any problem figuring out who the good guys and bad guys are. The suspense is built on the slow and terrifying ways a little man who seems to be harmless reveals himself to be a monster. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-written suspense and things that go bump in the night! Oh…and by the way…you know those cute little images some people can put on a wall using their fingers and a lamp? I will never again view them quite the same! :-D

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uh-oh, trouble in paradise, between Helen & Bailey. And of course, trouble because Helen insists on helping a co-worker without knowing enough to protect either of them. The co-worker's dad abused her as a child; she & her mum ran away, but he's tracked her down. He's totally crazy: quotes scripture out of context, sings hymns to himself on the streets, and buries his murder victims in pre-dug graves, under people who are supposed to be there. Ugh!

[Twin Opinions · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Fyfield's better books. It is well written and I found myself lost in the mystery quickly. I enjoy her work and I think this is one of my favorites. I really like Helen West character and have enjoyed her story so far. Helen and Bailey. What can I say? The drama in her personal life adds to this book and gives more to her character. In this book Helen helps out a co-worker and it is one suspenseful tale. Another great read I recommend to crime lover!!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow, not so enamoured of Helen West as of Sarah Fortune, but I cannot deny that Frances Fyfield has a talent for creating characters of a depth, complexity and eccentricity that is enviable. Logo, in this, nasty enough to stop me reading at times.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good British psychothriller that took a long time to read but was definitely worth it.

[Delphine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Frances Fyfield this summer and found it out to be excellent detective fiction, quite similar to P.D. James (on whom I wrote my 800 page PhD paper.)

[Janet R. Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little far fetched.

[Amélie Rêverie]

4 in series

[Roy McDine · Rating 2 out of 5]

a good, if predictable ending, but what a slow going plot.

[Mary Kay Kare]

Miserable people being miserable. When they don’t have to be if they’d talk to each other. Why would anyone want to write such a book? Why would I read 3/4 of it? Awful awful awful.