Compulsion by
Hilary Norman
pbk out December 05
(Piatkus)
at £6.99
Hilary Norman has a varied CV, with actress on her list as well as careers in
fashion and broadcasting. This book shows her as a capable writer too.
Frankie Barnes has obsessive-compulsive disorder, so cleaning is a good job
for her. But the problem is, she wants her employer's house, and when she's made her
mind up, there's no stopping her. Even murder is on her agenda. Alex Levin is a
woman whose previous life has been shattered by the death of her husband in a car
accident, which also disabled his sister, Suzy. Rehabilitating Suzy gives Alex another
purpose in her life, and a new career as speech therapist. But she is too
bound up with her clients, and in danger of compassion overload, until she meets Jude
Brown. He has recurring nightmares of the time when he was little, and his step-
brother was accidentally run over by their mother. She killed herself, and Jude's life
was traumatised, when his step-father blamed him for everything. So it is no surprise
when he goes out of his way to help a fellow worker on his building site after an
accident. This is what puts him in touch with Alex. All their lives become entangled
when Frankie starts to work for Alex, and begins to covet her cottage.
Frankie's troubles get worse and worse, as her first murder has to be followed
by another to cover the first one up. And I'm not giving anything away here. We
know from the start whodunit. It's more a horror story than a crime novel, as we
wonder whether Alex will end up as Frankie's next victim. The story finally brings
together all the central characters in one great climax where we rush helter-skelter to
the heart-stopping conclusion. And herein lies some of the problems with the story.
Some critics reckoned Norman's earlier book, Guilt, relied heavily on coincidence.
And so does this one. Jude – an artist – just happens to have previously painted the
house Frankie takes over. And an unpleasant work colleague just happens to crop up
in another context ( I won't spoil the surprise for you). Our credibility is stretched
just a little too much. Perhaps we are also given too much complex personal history
at the beginning, when the story needs to fly. But given all that – and what author
doesn't rely on coincidence to some extent – the story does meld together satisfyingly,
and the characters are well-rounded. My only other niggle is in the character's names
– I had to keep reminding myself at the beginning that Frankie was a woman, as was
Alex, and that Jude was a man. Yes, I know about Jude the Obscure, but even so…
(
Ian Morson
Author of Falconer books and short listed for 1999 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Dagger)
Compulsion by
Hilary Norman
