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Clare Francis is the author of eight international bestsellers, Night Sky, Red Crystal, Wolf Winter, Requiem, Deceit, Betrayal, A Dark Devotion and Keep Me Close. She has also written three non-fiction books about her voyages across the oceans of the world.
Lawyer Hugh Gwynne is facing his most difficult court case. His client Tom Deacon is claiming damages for post-traumatic stress after a car accident in which he witnessed the death of his young daughter. It seems certain Tom will win, but then Hugh receives an anonymous letter which throws him into an impossible dilemma. For Hugh the dilemma is intensified by the contrast between their lives: Tom tormented by flashbacks, and a broken marriage; Hugh with what he sees as a blessed and rewarding existence. Then one night Hugh's life changes for ever. His happiness is snatched away, and he, like Tom, must face a lifetime of troubling memories.
It's been 4 yrs since her last novel and definitely worth the wait. Unforgotten is a crime thriller but its also a really involving family drama with engrossing real life characters. The central character, a lawyer called Hugh Gwynne, has spent 5 years preparing a case for his client who suffers from post-traumatic stress after witnessing the death of his daughter in a car crash. Hugh struggles to connect with Tom, his client, as his life is so different and happy. But a personal tragedy changes that overnight.
I’ve always enjoyed this author through her sailing yarns, her crime and now an historical novel. The jealousies, hardship and mistrust of the men returning from war and the attitudes, particularly between the sexes, are beautifully handled. The historical detail is fascinating, I learned a lot about the Polish army. The whole thing builds in an eerie tale of suspicion. I loved it. Comparison: Sebastian Faulks, Judith Lennox, Robert Ryan. Similar this month: Frank Delaney.
Eine sturmische Nacht im Marschland von Norfolk. Zwei Frauen versuchen verzweifelt eine Schleuse zu schlieen, da das Land zu uberfluten droht. Ein Schrei des Entsetzens, als eine von ihnen in den schwarzen Fluten verschwindet.Ein dunkles Geheimnis liegt uber dem Tod von Grace Dearden, die so gar nicht in die trugerische Idylle eines Kleinstadtlebens zu passen schien. Alles an ihr war anders, sie wurde bewundert und beneidet, aber kaum einer kannte sie wirklich - die Frau, die eine Maske trug ... (Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine fruhere Ausgabe.)
Hauptfigur der Geschichte ist Julie Lescaux, eine Englanderin, die der Ausbruch des Kriegs in der Bretagne, der Heimat ihrer Vorfahren, uberrascht. Die Ereignisse konfrontieren sie mit Situationen, die ihr das Letzte an Kraft und Mut abverlangen. Sie reift vom ahnungslosen Madchen zur selbstlos tapferen Frau, die als unabdingbare Reaktion auf Gewalt und Verrat schlielich die Gerechtigkeit auf eigene Faust durchsetzt. (Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine fruhere Ausgabe.)
"e;Treibjagd"e; spielt im Terror-Untergrund Frankreichs, Italiens und Englands, von 1968 bis in die achtziger Jahre. Bei den Mai-Unruhen in Paris trifft Linda Wilson den "e;roten Giorgio"e;. Uber die ganz personliche Sympathie hinaus erkennt sie sofort, wie nutzlich er ihr sein kann, um die Rolle in der englischen Terroristenszene zu spielen, die sie ehrgeizig und eiskalt anstrebt. Denn Linda Wilson benutzt Liebhaber, Freunde, Verwandte hemmungslos, um sich zu profilieren und Macht auszuuben. Auf der Gegenseite versucht indessen Special-Branch-Agent Nick Ryder, die Szene zu unterwandern. Aber als er unter falschem Namen die anziehende Linda Wilson kennenlernt, versaumt er es leider, ihren Background zu recherchieren. Das kostet ihn beinahe das Leben ...(Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine fruhere Ausgabe.)
Lawyer Hugh Gwynne is facing his most difficult court case. His client Tom Deacon is claiming damages for post-traumatic stress after a car accident in which he witnessed the death of his young daughter. It seems certain Tom will win, but then Hugh receives an anonymous letter which throws him into an impossible dilemma. For Hugh the dilemma is intensified by the contrast between their lives: Tom tormented by flashbacks, and a broken marriage; Hugh with what he sees as a blessed and rewarding existence. Then one night Hugh's life changes for ever. His happiness is snatched away, and he, like Tom, must face a lifetime of troubling memories.
It is 1946, and the eve of the harshest winter for a hundred years. Servicemen are pouring home from the war to a Britain beset by stringent shortages and a desperate housing crisis. Anxieties are heightened by the unexpected arrival of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps, whose refusal to go back to Poland is regarded with impatience and suspicion. As anti-Polish propaganda reaches its height, newly demobbed Billy Greer reluctantly agrees to take on a young Polish veteran named Wladyslaw Malinowski as a labourer on his uncle's withy farm in the heart of the Somerset wetlands. Stella, the local schoolteacher, has been waiting for the return of Lyndon Hanley, a hero of the Burma Campaign, but increasingly finds herself drawn to the beguiling Wladyslaw. As the country is brought to its knees by blizzards and hardships, the tensions of post-war life lead to mistrust, accusation and ultimately death. 'A very fine novel indeed' Independent 'A deeply atmospheric novel' Daily Mail 'The characters' world envelops the reader completely' Sunday Times 'An atmospheric, powerful, moving and dramatic tale . . . It's terrific' Bookseller
Catherine Galitza has been badly injured by an intruder in her own home. In the months before, there had been a string of nuisance calls. Are the events connected? Has someone been stalking her? As Catherine begins her slow and painful recovery, two men seem intent on uncovering the truth: her husband's business partner, the intense, prickly Simon Jardine, who harbours an almost obsessive devotion to Catherine; and the self-made Irish hotelier Terry Devlin, once a benign figure in Catherine's childhood, now with a reputation for ruthlessness. But which of these men has Catherine's real interests at heart? Then the police arrest and charge a suspect. Yet Catherine's watcher is with her. And she has no way of knowing who she can trust. 'Crime novels with action to keep you guessing until the very end' Daily Mail 'Clare Francis has serious crime-writing talent' Mail on Sunday
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 territory: 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
Joe, struggling to survive his job in a high-powered law firm, is faced with the challenge of finding his childhood friend, Jenna, who has been missing for four years. But has she disappeared through choice? Or is she under the powerful influence of her husband, the restless, troubled Chetwood? For Joe, the search is a matter of duty, but also of conscience - for he introduced them to each other, he was enthralled by them both . . . Helped by his prickly girlfriend, Sarah, Joe manages to find the beautiful, faded Jenna, only to realize too late that he has set some terrible events in motion . . .
For businessman Hugh Wellesley, the violent waking nightmare begins with the sparse report in the morning newspaper. A woman's body recovered from the River Dart in Devon . . . identified as that of Sylvie Mathieson . . . the corpse stabbed and bound . . . Should he admit that she had once been his lover? Or let others discover the truth for themselves? Sylvie had always been exotic, unconventional, alluring. Now with her death comes an unexpected betrayal - as another truth emerges which will take even Hugh by surprise. 'Nail-biting . . . the sort of suspense-charged book that has your eyes still glued to it at four in the morning . . . a gripping good read' Daily Mail 'Plenty of suspense and a satisfyingly black denouement' The Times 'Clare Francis has serious crime-writing talent' Mail on Sunday
Harry Richmond - ambitious businessman and failed politician - is missing at sea, presumed dead. Ellen, his wife, emerges from her grief to discover that the Harry she knew and loved had many secrets - secrets which threaten to undermine everything that Ellen holds dear. Was Harry's death a simple accident? The enigmatic Moreland enters Ellen's life and tries to uncover the truth. But it is a truth that at least one person would perfer left undisturbed. For in matters of deceit, some victims are more innocent than others . . . 'Ms Francis excels herself . . . you'll love it' Today 'Plenty of action, and more than enough murderous surprises' Independent 'A gripping tale of a woman's quest to discover the truth about her husband's death . . .' She 'The best she has done yet . . . finished at three a.m. with the rain pouring outside and a little shiver in the spine' Frances Fyfield, Daily Telegraph 'In the top rank of crime novels' Irish Press
Glen Ashard - idyllic Scottish home of ex-rock star Nick Mackenzie and his exotic wife Alusha. A haven of peace and security after all the years on the road. Until the day a small plane with a deadly chemical cargo flies off course . . . In the tragic aftermath, Daisy Field, environmental campaigner, picks up the trail. Abrasive and idealistic, she's determined to fight the 'profits before safety' attitude of the agrochemical industry. But to win she needs Nick's millions, and Nick is facing difficulties of his own . . . From the wilds of Scotland to the corridors of power in London and Chicago, from Madison Square Garden to a seedy security firm in south London, Requiem pulls Daisy into a struggle against apathy, sabotage and dirty tricks . . . 'She writes with passion . . . undoubtedly her most ambitious novel to date' Sunday Express 'Moving . . . a great story' Mail on Sunday 'Pacy . . . intriguing' The Times
In the brutal chaos of the Second World War, three people find their lives inextricably interwoven in a web of courage, betrayal and love. Julie Lescaux, the young Englishwoman caught up in one of the most dangerous operations of the French Resistance; Paul Vasson, vicious Paris pimp turned Nazi collaborator; David Freymann, German scientist caught up in unimaginable horror, destined to lose everything except his faith in his own discovery. Night Sky is Clare Francis' sweeping chronicle of Europe in peace and war, a tremendous floodtide of narrative that builds to a gripping and unforgettable finale. 'Magic that is hard to describe. Perhaps it is simply that Clare Francis really knows what she is writing about when she writes about the sea' Punch 'A thoroughly professional wartime adventure' Sunday Times 'A terrific thriller' Time Out
In the chill of the Cold War, two Norwegians are shot dead after straying into Soviet wilderness, killings that will bind together three people in a web of treachery and passion: Halvard Starheim, veteran explorer, torn by the deaths of his friends and his love for a beautiful woman, Ragna Johansen, the exquisitely attractive widow of one of the dead men on a desperate search for love and fulfilment, Rolf Berg, brilliant Norwegian journalist whose secret other life holds the key to a deadly conspiracy. The mission for the truth will lead them to a final confrontation in the freezing wastes of an Arctic wolf winter . . . 'A magnificent read. Move over Frederick Forsyth and Hammond Innes' Sunday Telegraph 'The classically structured spy thriller has rarely been better done' New York Times
Out of the savagery of the Paris barricades there was born the most sinister of all the terrorist groups of the late 1960s. Secretly funded by Moscow, trained in subversion and assassination in Italy, the Crystal Faction came to England. To wage war . . . For Nick Ryder of Special Branch, finding and infiltrating the cell presented a daunting challenge. Hampered by the deviousness of his own superiors and lack of cooperation from MI5, he was drawn slowly but inexorably into a tangled web of sex, drugs, murder, intrigue and lost innocence. And at the centre, Gabrielle Schroeder, leader of the Crystal Faction. A tough, daring, utterly ruthless woman for whom killing had become a pleasure . . . 'The climax is agonizing, and made only too horribly likely by the author's careful groundwork and ability to maintain suspense' Books and Bookmen
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