Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Unforgotten by Clare Francis

While most crime fiction authors begin their working lives doing something other than writing, Clare Francis may have the most atypical pre-publishing career that I have heard about. Francis was a record-setting yachtswoman, sailing solo across the Atlantic and becoming the first woman to captain a yacht in the Whitbread Round the World Race. She wrote three accounts of her sailing adventures and then turned to fiction. Her first book, Night Sky (Heineman, 1983), was a top Sunday Times bestseller and spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her first crime novel, Deceit (Soho Press, 2001), was adapted into a BBC television series and then a Lifetime television movie.

I found her latest book Unforgotten (Macmillan, 2002; Open Road Media, 2016) an intriguingly structured and absorbing tale. Solicitor Hugh Gwynne has been working on a personal injury claim for four years, pursuing significant damages for his client Tom Deacon who had been in a fiery car crash years before, resulting in severe psychological trauma. The insurance company was unwilling to negotiate a reasonable settlement, and the case has finally worked its way into a London courtroom. Deacon is a problematic individual, his mental equilibrium shaky at the best of times. Gwynne is caught up in managing him while the barrister presents their case and the expert witnesses they have lined up.

About a third of the way into the book, a significant plot twist changes the course of action dramatically. Francis’ skill as an author shines here, timing the surprise for maximum impact. The pace of the story shifts from leisurely to brisk, almost breakneck. The taut narrative creates a sense of urgency; every sentence furthers the action, there is not a spare word. It’s impossible to say much more without revealing too much of the story line.

Reviews on Amazon and GoodReads are mixed. Some readers did not appreciate the bombshell Francis casually tossed into their laps. Others were as enthralled as I was. An original and well-executed piece of suspense.

 

·                     ASIN: ‎ B01C82QS6M

·                     Publisher: ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (April 19, 2016)

·                     Publication date: ‎ April 19, 2016

·                     Language: ‎ English

·                     File size: ‎ 2934 KB

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.