Tangled Web UK Review October 2000
Sleeping Partner by
James Humphreys
hbk out August 00
Published by Macmillan
at £16.99
Clarissa Moreland, twenty-seven, attractive but shy and withdrawn, is standing trial for the murder of her ex-lover John Grant. John was shot at dawn when he answered the door of his isolated farmhouse. The prosecution have witnesses who can place Clarissa near the scene at the time. Her gun is the same model as that used in the crime and not only had John recently broken off their relationship but he had also involved Clarissa in a dubious land deal.
The only memory that Clarissa has of that fateful morning is of being cut free from the wreckage of her car after what looks like a frantic getaway. Did she kill John Grant? In court she pleads not guilty but she is plagued by doubts.
Sleeping Partners is an excellent first novel, intriguing and assured, written in a direct, taut and compelling style. The relentless process of the trial and the effect it has on all involved is conveyed very well. James Humphreys has created a courtroom thriller strong on psychological tension. The story is told from the viewpoint of the accused and we are quickly drawn into Clarissa’s nightmare and find ourselves as desperate to know the truth as she is. The suspense is sustained until the very end and the conclusion is suitably satisfying.
Manchester Evening News 25.8.00
(
Cath Staincliffe
- Author of the highly acclaimed Sal Kilkenny Mysteries set on the Mean Streets of Manchester)
