Review: Trial by Fire: A Helen West Mystery by Frances Fyfield

A woman's abandoned corpse is found in a shallow grave in a posh suburb. The death hits close to home for prosecutor Helen West as she and detective Geoffrey Bailey have just moved into a new house within the gated neighborhood where the body was dumped. But tensions continue to rise when the victim is identified as the wife of the developer who built the estates, and all of the neighbors begin to accuse one another.
As Helen and Geoffrey dig deeper into the secrets of their sleepy commuter village, they discover a hidden world of passion, envy, and betrayal.

Publication date: August 5, 2014 by Witness Impulse
Genre: Mystery

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Witness Impulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

At first I couldn't find any information on this book but then realised that it was originally published under the name Not That Kind of Place in 1990. This book is book two in the Helen West Mystery series.

I really struggled with this book. It took me many attempts just to get past the first few pages. The writing style is definitely not for me. I found it dull and boring and it jumped around way too much. Perhaps this was the reason that I struggled getting into the story. The writing made it hard for the story to grab me and make me want to read more.

There is a decent mystery within the pages but unfortunately for me it got a little lost in the words. There is no denying that Fyfield is a talented writer that I'm sure many others will enjoy but not me. I couldn't relate to the characters and there were too many times that I was tempted to give up on the book. Perhaps it was my mood at the time I read it...I don't know. Maybe I will attempt another book of hers in the future but not any time soon.

About the Author

Frances Fyfield is a criminal lawyer, who lives in London and in Deal, by the sea which is her passion. She has won several awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger.

Connect with Frances

Website /Goodreads