A Plea of Insanity by
Priscilla Masters
hbk out January 05
Published by Allison Busby
at £18.99
In addition to her books featuring Joanna Piercy, Priscilla Masters has published
several 'medical mysteries', the last of which, 'River Deep', introduced a female
coroner who will, one hopes, soon feature in another investigation. However, her
latest novel introduces a fresh female protagonist, clinical psychiatrist Doctor Claire
Roget. The story opens with Claire taking a new job at Greatbach, a secure unit which
a colleague dubs 'home of the pathological'. Claire's predecessor, Heidi Faro, was
murdered. Stefan Gulio, a brain-damaged man, was the obvious suspect, but in time
Claire starts to wonder if Gulio is innocent and the real culprit still at large. Before
long, her suspicions focus on Jerome Barclay, a chilling individual who suffers from a
severe personality disorder. This is a contemporary version of the classic 'woman in
jeopardy' novel, and is rather darker in tone than most of Masters' work. The staccato
prose style, again something of a departure for this author, contributes to the air of
menace that pervades the book. Like earlier Masters books, 'A Plea of Insanity'
benefits from her first-hand knowledge of the eternally fascinating medical world.
The setting, in unglamorous yet atmospheric Stoke-on-Trent, is also very well done.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
A Plea of Insanity by
Priscilla Masters
