Clare Francis Books In Order

Night Sky

In the brutal chaos of WW2, three people find their lives inextricably interwoven in a web of courage, betrayal and love. They are a young Englishwoman, a vicious Parisian pimp turned Na*zi collaborator and a German scientist.

Red Crystal

A terrorist group comes to England to wage war. Secretly funded by Moscow, trained in subversion and assassination in Italy, its leader is the beautiful Gabriele Schroeder. Nick Ryder of Special Branch is drawn slowly but inexorably into a tangled web of sex, drugs, murder and intrigue.

Requiem

Daisy Field, an idealistic environmental journalist, does her best to fight the world’s most powerful agrochemical corporation, which will go to any length to cover up its role in the death of a rock star’s wife.

Deceit

A tense, twisty thriller with an appealing hero*ine by an internationally bestselling author. The sudden loss of her husband forces Ellen Richmond to cope with matters she has never had to face. Harry went sailing, his yacht unaccountably sank, and he is missing and presumed dead. Could it have been suicide? She has to keep such harmful speculation from the children, Katie and Josh. She has to ward off Harry’s bossy and disapproving sister and his former partner, who fancies himself irresistible. But, above all, she has to deflect the interest of a stranger who introduces himself at the funeral and claims to have known her husband. Ellen fears his help in finding the truth will threaten all that she holds dear. She’s learning Harry’s secrets, but only one person knows what happened to Harry. Francesca Annis stars in the BBC dramatic adaptation of Deceit.

Betrayal

A British bestseller from the author of Deceit Psychological suspense with a savage, surprising twist. Businessman Hugh Wellesley reads a newspaper report; a corpse found, stabbed and bound, in the River Dart in Devon, has been identified. It is his lover, Sylvie, the mistress his wife doesn’t know about. Hugh becomes a suspect, but he lies, insisting that their relationship was innocent. And, to protect him, his wife and brother tell other lies. But the evidence against him continues to mount. Can Hugh disentangle himself from this web of deceit so that Sylvie’s actual murderer can be brought to justice?

A Dark Devotion

‘Evocative…
. The plot turns gracefully on domestic issues.’ Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

‘Immensely pleasurable…
. Francis is a British treasure and deserves to be equally appreciated here.’ Chicago Tribune

‘A chilling and contemporary look at marriage, money, and ambition, and at a life in an English small town and many of the small minded people who live there.’ Dallas Morning News

Alex and her husband Paul are criminal lawyers, in practice together in London. Their work is putting a strain on their marriage; she feels he is all too willing to represent the guilty. Then Will Dearden, an old friend whom she hasn’t seen for 12 years, since his marriage, calls upon her for help. He still lives in Norfolk, where they grew up together. His beautiful, charming, elegant wife, Grace, has disappeared. He thinks the police aren’t trying hard enough to find her.

Despite or maybe because Alex once had a crush on Will Dearden, she goes to his aid. She discovers that Will had very good motives for murdering Grace, who, though undoubtedly beautiful, was not after all so very charming to be married to. Worse, Alex’s younger brother may be deeply involved in Grace’s disappearance. Alex must find out what has happened to Grace for all their sakes.

Clare Francis’s novels of suspense, Deceit and Betrayal, were number one bestsellers in England. She lives in London.

Keep Me Close

Catherine has become a victim in her own home. First, a string of nuisance calls, then a vicious attack by a mysterious intruder. As she struggles to come to terms with her injuries, two men seem anxious to uncover the truth. There is Terry Devlin, the local boy made good from Catherine’s almost forgotten past. And Simon Jardine, her husband’s business partner. But do either of them really want justice?

A Death Divided

Joe, struggling to survive his job in a high powered law firm, is faced with the challenge of finding his childhood friend Jenna who has been missing for four years. But has she disappeared through choice? Or is she under the powerful influence of her husband, the restless, troubled Chetwood? For Joe, the search is a matter of duty, but also of conscience for he introduced them to each other, he was enthralled by them both…

Unforgotten

A monumental work in Bengali fiction, a novel set in the social, political and religious scene in Bengal at the end of the 19th Century. Originally pub. in 1999. Trans. WW Pearson. Excellent on nationalism, spiritual values, east west interaction