Deceit
by Clare Francis is an English novel and complex mystery. It seeks to explore
the social dynamics of a family following the disappearance and suspected death
of the father, a failed English Parliamentarian. It is a tightly woven novel
filled with many layers of lies and half-truths. Who will get caught in this
web of deceit?

Deceit
is set in contemporary England on a country estate on the outskirts of London.
As the novel opens, Ellen Richmond and her two children – Katie (age 15 years)
and Josh (age 9 years) – are attending the body-less funeral of Harry Richmond,
father and husband. Harry was very popular and his funeral guest list read like
a who’s who of British society. Unfortunately, as Ellen soon discovered, Harry
was also a failure as a businessman. Ellen, of course, knew that Harry had
recently lost his seat in Parliament, but what she did not know was that his
real estate business was bankrupt and that he had been covering the shortfalls
out of his own pocket. He had mortgaged everything, his home, his cars, his
boat, in fact, everything to cover his debts. Even a charity concert that he
successfully chaired, was now missing their funds and wanted to sue his estate
for its return. Ellen and her family were in very desperate straits. Into their
lives strolls Richard Moreland who claims to be an old war comrade of Harry’s
from the Falklands War. Soon Richard is romancing Ellen, fishing with Josh, and
digging up dirt on Harry. As more and more of Harry’s secret activities come to
light, Ellen discovers that perhaps she did not really know her husband after
all. That, however, is only the tip of Ellen’s problems. Is Richard really who
he says he is? Can Ellen trust him?

 Deceit is a very complex
and a very British novel. Like War and
Peace the novel opens with a cast of characters greater than the London
telephone directory. Like Ellen, the reader is left weary from the too many
introductions. Unlike Ellen who can smile and quickly forget the names of those
she will probably never meet again, the reader is left wondering exactly how
many of these people will need to be remembered for some future significant
role in the story. Complicating this mix, at least for me, is the fact that
most of the people are introduced and discussed according to their political
function. While this book was written by a British author for a predominantly
British audience, the political nuances are taken for granted and thus were
completely lost on this poor American reader.

As mentioned above, there are numerous characters
that wander in and out of this novel. The focus characters, however, are the
Richmonds, their extend family, servants, business partners, and friends. The
main character is Ellen Richmond. She is a definitely a conversation starter
for readers. Some readers felt that her naiveté about her husband financial
situation and other social arrangements to be not quite believable. (Could she
have been this innocent?) Other readers felt that she was so wrapped up in her
domesticity that she reflected another era. (Was this written by Dickens?)
Others wondered how someone so capable and resourceful could let herself become
such an unwitting victim. (Was she the victim of her own unwillingness to see?)
Finally, it must be noted that Ellen in her attempts to be a “good” mother and
to protect her children from scandal, is wittingly or unwittingly the weaver of
a good portion of the web of deceit in this book. The most intriguing part of
this novel is to repeatedly watch Ellen trap and then try to extricate herself
from her web of well-meaning lies. Katie and Josh are taciturn as only children
can be. They run the gamut from supportive and loving, to self-centered and
selfish, to undermining and spiteful. Many of the peripheral characters come
across as slimy and not quite likable. The character of Richard Moreland keeps
one guessing to the very end. There is Anne, her whiney self-centered
sister-in-law; Charles, her weak, but ever supportive brother-in-law; Diane,
her hate filled and drunken mother-in-law; Jack, Harry’s business partner quick
to manipulate any situation or woman to his advantage; Leonard, the solicitor,
who is more fatherly than competent; Gillespie, the accountant, who seems to
know more than he is willing say, and Margaret, Harry’s devoted secretary,
always proficient and with her fingers in every pie.

Clare
Francis is a popular British novelist. 
She is the author of six international best-selling thrillers, including
Night Sky (1983), Red Crystal (1985), Wolf Winter (1987), Requiem
(1991), Deceit (1993), and Betrayal (1995). She has been published
in 21 countries and translated into 19 languages. She has also written three
non-fiction books about her voyages across the oceans of the world, Come Hell or High Water, Come Wind or Weather, and the Commanding Sea. She has recently
published A Dark Devotion (1997), Keep Me Close (1999), a new release of Deceit (2001) and A Death Divided (2001). She is the incoming Chairman of the Society
of Authors. Deceit, Betrayal, and A Dark Devotion have been recently adapted for television by the
BBC. Deceit, the first of these, was
aired in 2001. She lives in London.                                                                

Deceit by Clare Francis is clearly a well-received best-selling
British thriller. While it is too British for me, it does not mean that this
might not be another reader’s cup of tea. I do highly recommend for those who
like this novel, to seek out Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife and Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca since these novels bear a striking resemblance in a number of aspects to
this novel.

© 2002 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at
Dowling College, Long Island, NY. Interests in Mental Health: She is interested
in the interplay between psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area
of research is in the impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian
mystics.

Categories: Fiction