Margaret Yorke, a celebrated crime fiction writer, is renowned for her compelling narratives that delve into the lives of ordinary individuals thrust into extraordinary and often harrowing circumstances. Her literary style is characterized by exquisite language and a profound exploration of character psychology, with Yorke famously stating that her characters often guided her writing rather than the other way around. She emphasized the primacy of character development over intricate plotting, believing that readers connect deeply with the relatable conflicts that emerge from everyday life. This focus on authentic human experience, coupled with her masterful prose, has cemented her reputation among readers and critics alike.
Mick Harvey liked to frighten people and after a spell in prison for stealing, he is determined not to end up inside again. It was just by chance that Laura and Marion encountered Mick on the road and reported him for dangerous driving. Now, Mick has only one thought on his mind - revenge.
Two tales that demonstrate Margaret Yorke's ability to see what can lurk beneath the most unremarkable facades.
Louise Widdows has never been happy in her marriage. Of a generation where the woman's role was assumed to be one of support and supplication, she provided both in exchange for a secure roof over her head. But her facade of genteel acceptance disguises two secrets - a child born in adultery and given away at birth, and a small inheritance she has kept hidden from her husband. Then two events align to free her from her miserable existence: the father of her son dies allowing her the luxury of attempting to find him, and her husband abruptly leaves her. Abandoning the shabby matrimonial home, she moves into the cottage left to her by her mother and begins to blossom in her independence. But other events have collided - the discovery of a body near her old home and another close to a former residence of theirs, and the realisation that her husband has absconded with a charity's funds as well as the contents of their bank account. Suddenly her new life doesn't seem so secure, and she begins to doubt that she will have time to enjoy it, never mind locate her unknown son.
Margaret Yorke delivers incredibly tense and chilling novels of suspense, delving into the darker recesses of the human psyche, as extraordinary events collide with everyday lives. Winner of the 1999 Cartier Diamond Dagger for her outstanding contribution to the crime fiction genre.
William Adams is a killer who has never been convicted. He's served time for rape and assault but has not been sentenced for murder. When he takes on a new identity, his dream world becomes a nightmare when, in a rural guesthouse, he meets someone from his past. By the author of Serious Intent.
When Isabel's god-daughter, Emily, turns up after years of no contact and in need of help, she feels duty-bound to take her under her wing. To her surprise, Emily is determined to be independent and takes a job as nanny. Emily's charge turns out to be the illegitimate child of the naïve daughter of a well-to-do couple and a ne'er-do-well conman who disappeared before the baby was born. And now he is back, intent on exploiting his parental status in return for cash. Before she knows it, Emily is caught up in his botched attempts at blackmail, trying desperately to protect her charge from harm, while also shielding Isabel from becoming entangled in the drama. But when events beyond her control force her to act instinctively, with horrendous effect, all their lives are put terribly at risk.
On the evening that Lydia Cunningham drives to the train station to meet her daughter Thelma, the pretty little coastal town of Milton St. Gabriel is sleeping quietly. The town's utter normalcy is reflected in Lydia, a respectable widow of advanced years.But Thelma's arrival will shatter the peace of Milton St. Gabriel forever. Thelma brings with her Edward, a young and not altogether appealing pickup with a penchant for arson, and the two of them unleash events that reveal a sordid and long-hidden tale of illegitimacy and murder. But it is only the groundwork for what lies ahead, as Lydia, encountering her past, falls over the edge of sanity into a nightmarish world of revenge and murder...
Distrusting her husband's explanation of his first wife's disappearance and lured by her old, exciting way of life, Carrie Foster makes illicit trips to London, where she learns that those from the past--even the dead--cannot be silenced.
A chance encounter with a stranger, Priscilla Blunt, seems to offer Nina Crowther an escape from her problems. Middle-aged, struggling to recover from the shock of her husband divorcing her to marry a younger (and pregnant) woman, Nina happily falls in with Priscilla's idea to house-sit for her while she and her husband visit South Africa.When the phone rings on her first night in the Blunts' Berkshire manor house she expects it to be one of her daughters, but when she lifts the receiver no-one speaks. All Nina hears is a shuddering sigh. As the calls persist Nina fears she has attracted an unwelcome suitor - or is it the man who is brutally murdering women in a nearby village? Or could it be one and the same person?
