The atmosphere of Ireland is almost palpable in Parsons's strong but unevenly plotted thriller (after Mary, Mary
and The Courtship Gift). The beauteous Rachel Beckett shot her husband after a row, and her lover, her husband's adopted brother, Daniel, finished the job. At least that's the story Rachel tells. But no one believes her, and she is sentenced to life in prison. Paroled at the age of 42, she goes home and, while readjusting to life outside, secretly hatches a plot against her former lover, ingratiating herself into his family and restarting their affair, putting to use the dubious lessons learned from her fellow prisoners. Rachel's parole officer has his own agenda, a very sick wife and a guilty conscience. While casting her net over Daniel, Rachel tries to recontact their teenage daughter, Amy, who wants nothing to do with her. When Rachel finally springs her trap and disappears, leaving evidence that Daniel has killed her, he uses Amy to try to draw Rachel out and shows his true colors when the plan backfires. It's an engrossing story, sharply imagined at points; the tender but ambiguous relationship between the parole officer and his wife and Rachel's anguish over her daughter are particularly well executed. But the protagonists are problematic: Rachel is presented as a victim, and her transformation into black widow is too abrupt; Daniel has been made neither so heartless nor so desperate as to put his daughter's life in jeopardy. Even so, Parsons manages to establish a taut narrative of psychological suspense, far superior to the average suspense novel, and more is to be expected from this promising writer. (Oct.)
