Playing Safe

As the beautiful, happily married wife of a ranking member of British Intelligence, Helen Johnson has a lovely house, a wonderful garden, a friendly cat and lots of money. But she's bored, and to amuse herself she's put her old acting talents to use by hiring herself out to play the relatives of people in awkward social situations. One thing leads to another, and soon she's in the middle of international espionage and must go undercover in an English psychiatric hospital, posing as mentally disturbed patient Fiona Parkinson. The plot in this seventh novel by the author of There Was a Little Girl is difficult to believe, and the villains are evil to the extent of beating up little old ladies. Furthermore, many of the characters have at least two identities, if not threea burden to even a lucid narrative. Here, the plot is often muddled beyond understanding. (March)