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CLEAR CONSCIENCE, A
by Frances Fyfield
Penguin, August 2001
282 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0140282513


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

In A CLEAR CONSCIENCE, Frances Fyfield tackles the complex issue of domestic abuse and demonstrates how there is no simple answer to this growing social problem. Victims are afraid to speak out against their attackers and the police are helpless to do everything. Their hands are tied by the local bureaucracy as well as red tape. In this book, the author focuses on one young woman who has lived a hard life. She will be interacting with other characters from the author's regular series. Helen West and Geoffrey Bailey will provide two unique viewpoints to the storyline; Helen, as a Crown Prosecutor in Domestic Violence Court and George, as a Police Superintendent.

Cath works as a cleaning woman for both Helen West and her upscale friend, Emily Eliot. The job seems as an escape from her dreary life and gives it purpose. She suffers from low self-esteem and is mourning the recent murder of her sibling, Damien. They were very close and have looked out for each other all of their lives. The only thrill she has in her life is seeing rich people whine as babies worrying about stupid problems. She lives her life on automatic pilot with no hope for change. She takes a giant step after her violent husband hits her one last time.

West, Bailey and Police Constable Mary Secura are upset with the system. They are forced to watch in the sidelines as a wife-beater escapes from justice after the accuser, Shirley Rix, disappears and fails to show up for a court hearing. The three characters had worked different aspects of the case and they all feel like failure. During the course of a murder investigation they learn about Cathís abuse by her husband and are powerless to stop it. Cath does not want their help and in the end, she might decide to take matters into her own hands.

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE should not be considered a police procedural but a character study in the human condition. The book is dark and disturbing concentrating on the psyches of all the players involved in the story. It is a thought-provoking novel and should be taken seriously. Abuse of any sort is not funny and this book does not pull any punches. This book will not give a clear conscience of the situation but it might help create one. This topic is too often ignored.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, January 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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