Half Light: A Novel

by Frances Fyfield

Overview

Elisabeth is a picture restorer. This gives her the solitude and independence she needs—living and working alone in her flat. Despite her skills and reliability, Elisabeth undercharges for her work—valuing the worth of the paintings rather more than she values herself. Her ambitions are modest: beauty to look upon, unintrusive friendships, and complete privacy. But when a mysterious and obviously wealthy man commissions her to restore his fabulous collection, an uncharacteristic combination of curiosity and financial need prompts her to accept his offer. Elisabeth soon realizes her error, as the past and the present combine to make privacy her nemesis. As she becomes a hostage to her patron, her lover and her friend realize they know nothing about her, or where she might be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062303974
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	100
File size:	444 KB

About the Author

Frances Fyfield has spent much of her professional life practicing as a criminal lawyer, work that has informed her highly acclaimed novels. She has been the recipient of both the Gold and Silver Crime Writers' Association Daggers. She is also a regular broadcaster on Radio 4, most recently as the presenter of the series Tales from the Stave. She lives in London and in Deal, overlooking the sea, which is her passion.

Editorial Reviews

Talented mystery author Frances Fyfield ( Shadows on the Mirror , Pocket Bks., 1992) has written a suspenseful, if somewhat depressing, psychological thriller, the second to be published under her real name. The police are not concerned by the disappearance of reclusive Elisabeth Young, a gifted restorer of damaged paintings. A self-employed single woman has every right to go off without a word, and with no evidence of foul play there is no reason for the police to become involved. The lady's would-be boyfriend, barrister Francis Thurloe, is less sanguine, and his mounting conviction that something is seriously wrong compels him to investigate further. His search leads him to the discovery of a shocking, traumatic event in Elisabeth's past--an event that continues to haunt her. Elisabeth, held prisoner by a madman, is indeed in trouble. This literate, gripping novel is recommended for public libraries where Ruth Rendell is popular.-- Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., Mass.

Library Journal