A Fatal Freedom
Set in London in 1903, this is a sequel to Deadly Inheritance, which is referred to occasionally in this novel with such phrases as her ‘tragic stay in the west country’ without telling a new reader why it was tragic. A good ploy to get the reader to buy the first novel, but one I rather resent.
Ursula Grandison is an American with two jobs – one as a part-time secretary to Mrs Bruton and the other as a part timer at a beauty salon called Maison Rose. A woman she knows is accused of killing her husband. Believing her to be innocent Ursula and Thomas Jackman, an ex-copper who is now a private detective, pursue the case.
While it is competently written, and the historical background well-drawn, after a while I found the author’s trick of completing a previous section later in the book, so that the story is constantly going back in time and then catching up to the present, annoying. And it leads to inconsistencies – for instance, over which days Ursula works for Mrs Bruton.
There are some surprises, but due to the detailed descriptions, for me it lacked tension. However, the differences between American society mores and English is well done, and I would not discourage anyone from buying it.
