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Summary
Summary
Ellie Quicke has her work cut out when past wrongdoings put the future of a child she's grown to love at stake
Ellie opens the door to a man who is a stranger but instantly recognisable as the father of her housekeeper's brilliant but difficult young son. Mikey had been conceived at a party during which his mother Vera, a schoolgirl, had been drugged and raped. Abdi hadn't wanted anything further to do with her - then. Twelve years later he is a high-flying consultant whose wife cannot have children, and he aims to pay off Vera and adopt Mikey: a suggestion that does not go down well.
Ellie discovers that Vera still thinks fondly of her then boyfriend, even though he had also rejected her after that fatal night. But was that because he had fallen out of love with her, or because his father had been murdered that same weekend? Could the two events have been connected? And what part had Vera's closest friends and her family played in the tragedy?
Uncovering betrayals between friends and discovering the greed and jealousies behind past events only makes it more difficult for Vera and Mikey to decide on their future . . .
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Heley's 15th outing for Ellie Quicke (after 2013's Murder With Mercy), the harried grandmother finds herself spread thin while caring for her cranky infant grandson, Evan, and helping her live-in housekeeper, Vera, through a crisis. Both women are shocked when Abdi, the man who raped Vera when they were both teenagers, turns up seeking custody of their son, Mikey, now nearly a teenager himself. Ellie decides to intervene after Abdi claims to have evidence Vera murdered one Dr. McKenzie, owner of the house where the rape occurred. Though Ellie has faith in Vera's innocence, she also knows the wealthy Abdi will use whatever means to get what he wants. Between defending Vera and discovering the true killer, Ellie is once again immersed in a web of deceit, debauchery, and death. Heley's prose is sure, her characters well-drawn, and though her tone is light, the plot is satisfyingly dark and sinister. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Ellie Quicke (Murder With Mercy, 2013, etc.) fights to preserve her do-it-yourself family. Vera's finally gotten her life on track. After years of working as Ellie's house cleaner, she's enrolled in college. Her difficult son, Mikey, has a scholarship to one of the top schools in London. Vera's still living in Ellie's house, where she helps care for Rose, Ellie's aging housekeeper. The last thing she needs is to have Mikey's father, Abdi, a wealthy Somalian, back in her life. Unfortunately, that's what she gets. Since he has no children of his own, Abdi comes back to take Mikey away and make him his heir. Vera has other ideas. To force her hand, Abdi claims to have evidence that Vera is responsible for the murder of her former boyfriend's father. If she doesn't turn over the boy, he'll turn the evidence over to the police. To help Vera, Ellie tries to find the real killer and, in doing so, kicks a hornet's nest. The night Dr. McKenzie was killed was also the night Mikey was conceived, after someone passed a doctored drink to Vera and she was raped by several of her schoolmates, including Abdi. Vera and Dan McKenzie broke up, even though he wasn't involved in the rape. Now Ellie's investigation reopens Vera and Dan's old wounds. It also threatens the domestic tranquility of the remaining rapists. Raff Scott was killed in Afghanistan, but Jack the Lad owns a successful music shop, and Simon Trubody is thinking of standing for Parliament. With so many ranked against her, how can Ellie possibly prevail? Improbabilities asidewould a British solicitor really put in writing an offer to withhold evidence from the police?Ellie's latest outing turns out to be a tempest in a teapot. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The indomitable amateur sleuth Ellie Quicke is back doing what she does to perfection. Vera, the young woman who lives with Ellie and her husband, has always refused to name the father of her son, Mikey. But she's brought the boy up lovingly, while eventually saving enough money to put herself through college. So it's a shock to everyone when an aristocratic Somalian named Abdi appears on Ellie's doorstep, announcing that he's Mikey's father and has come to take the boy to Somalia. Neither Vera nor Mikey are impressed, but Abdi is insistent and even threatening. Eventually, Vera reveals that, years earlier, she was at a party at the home of her then-boyfriend Dan, when a gang crashed the party. But worse, Vera was gang-raped, and Dan's father was murdered. Neither the rapists nor the killer were ever found, but Ellie knows it's up to her to solve the twin mysteries and keep the repercussions of that dreadful night from hurting Mikey, Vera, and Dan all over again. An absorbing plot starring the always-charming Ellie, and a slam-bang ending, makes this one a pleasure to read.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
One morning Ellie Quicke (Murder with Mercy) opens the door to a stranger but soon recognizes him as the man who drugged and raped her live-in housekeeper, Vera, at a school party 12 years ago. Ellie is determined to protect both Vera and her son, Mikey. Mikey's father, Abdi, is now a rich and powerful Somali businessman. Unable to have any further children, Abdi now needs Mikey as his heir and will stop at nothing to get his way, including accusing Vera of murder. As soon as Ellie starts asking questions about what really happened the night Vera was attacked, ominous warnings appear. VERDICT Since 2000, Heley has written 13 mysteries featuring Ellie Quicke, wife to Thomas Quicke, a retired Episcopal minister. The author's latest is equally amusing, with an intriguing plot and well-drawn, appealing characters; her protagonist is charming and loyal to a fault. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.