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Successful industrialist Denis Ingram has experienced a massive stroke which has left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and speechless. Months have gone by, and his recovery has only been marginal. His wife Angela has taken him to numerous neurologists, none of whom have been successful in helping Denis recover. In desperation, she calls upon Edwin Howell, a neuro-psychiatrist who is the director of the Howell Clinic in Cardiff, known for their innovative approaches. Howell convinces Mrs Ingram that he can help Denis, who then becomes a patient at the clinic. As promised, the treatment is quite successful and Ingram makes good progress in his recovery. Much of this improvement can be attributed to the efforts of an auxiliary nurse by the name of Kevin Rees. Although he's had some professional and personal difficulties, everyone agrees that Kevin has a natural talent for nursing. However, when he is found stabbed to death on the grounds, some more sordid aspects of his character come to light. At first, a gardener by the name of Phil Collit is under suspicion, for they had an argument about some lottery winnings. But as might be expected in a closed community such as Howell Clinic, there is no shortage of other suspects to be considered. "O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive," and this applies to most of the characters in the book. The investigation is headed by Inspector Merlin Parry of South Wales Police, ably assisted by Detective Sergeant Gomer Lloyd. He has a team of detectives who tirelessly chase the trail of clues and close in on the perpetrator. Williams does a superb job on the procedural aspects of the book. Rather than just focusing on Parry, he follows each of the team members as they conduct their interviews, which adds depth to the characterization while more intimately involving the reader in the investigation. Parry himself is a superb role model for the team and knows just how heavy a stick to wield as the case progresses and the deceptions of many of the players emerge. PRACTISE TO DECEIVE is an excellent book. It is a solid police procedural with top-notch plotting, characterization and use of dialogue. Williams builds in unexpected twists all along the way but always plays fair. I absolutely knew who the killer was, but I was wrong. My only complaint about the book is that some of the segments end too abruptly and without a smooth transition into the succeeding section. David Williams is the author of more than 20 crime novels, with six featuring Inspector Parry and 17 in the Mark Treasure series. It's hard to believe that I have never heard of him before. As the book jacket blurb states, "PRACTISE TO DECEIVE is an intriguing and elegant mystery from the pen of an accomplished writer." I can't say it any better than that.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, January 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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