“A devoted wife or a dangerous killer”
- Book: The Evidence
- Location: Nottinghamshire
- Author: K L Slater
Why, after having already published over a dozen psychological thrillers, have I only just discovered this amazing author, and how quickly can I clear spaces in my schedule to begin catching up with the back catalogue?
Whilst the premise does pose some tantalising questions, it has been quite cleverly crafted so as not to give away too many ‘spoilers’, so now my challenge is to make sure that I don’t inadvertently ‘let the cat out of the bag’, so to speak!
…
Esme has recently decided that she and her nine-year-old son Zachary will be better off living apart from her husband Owen, although as yet it is still an informal separation of which Zachary does not approve. Esme has set up her own small Podcast company ‘The Speaking Fox’, along with her sister Michelle, friend Justine, Mo her trusted techie, and newbie to the team Toby. Michelle has moved in with Esme and Zachary, for moral support and to help out with the domestic logistics, as Zachary is still recovering from a horrendous hit and run incident, which has left him permanently lame and in pain in one leg, and still totally traumatised by the experience.
‘The Speaking Fox’ has just received a prestigious contract to exclusively interview Simone Fischer, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for the murder of her husband, committed whilst her then, young teenage son Andrew, was in the house. Grant Fischer had been gaslighting and mentally coercing his wife for years, until one day, ten years ago, now isolated from any personal relationships with family or friends, thanks to Grant’s insidious lies and manipulation, Simone had snapped – or had she? Esme is hoping that the Podcast will help get Simone’s case re-opened, in the light of recent changes to the laws surrounding coercive and abusive behaviour and a hitherto silent Simone, seems only too happy to co-operate in a series of open and candid interviews, which Andrew apparently does not object to, as he can remember little of the events leading up to that fatal day – or does he? Simone’s brother Peter, is however, a little less than happy with the situation, as he is preparing to write his own book about events surrounding Grant’s death and Simone’s lengthy prison sentence, and doesn’t want Esme stealing his thunder. In fact, Simone is so at ease when discussing Grant’s manipulative behaviour and lies towards her, she at one stage even goes so far as to offer Esme advice and support, so much so that eventually I was forced to consider whether it was Simone or Esme who was truly the victim of the piece.
In fact, it is probably true to say that the book very much began as one where the spotlight seemed to be very firmly focussed on the coercive and controlling behaviour of men. However, as the storyline progressed, I did begin to wonder whether mental abuse, dominance and debasement, can solely be attributed to men, or if the same behaviour traits are equally prevalent in women. Pay special attention to the words and actions of Simone, and Esme’s mother-in-law Brooke, and I’m sure you might agree with me!
Everything begins really well and the first Podcast instalment is a runaway success. But then, in a series of seemingly unrelated incidents, both the company and Esme’s personal life, take a spectacular turn for the worse and ‘normal’ as everyone knows it, will never be the same again. Esme has no idea who she can trust anymore, including her friends and family alike, leaving her feeling totally isolated, vulnerable and a complete emotional wreck; making her easy prey for those who she does not realise, wish her nothing but harm. In fact, just to prove how off the mark I was in my thinking about so many aspects of this storyline, the one person I had thought might be the cause of so many of the company problems, turns out to be something of a shoulder for Esme to lean on and with their help, the business might possibly be salvaged. However when the dust settles on a few weeks that seem like a lifetime and which no one will ever forget, Esme once again needs to re-evaluate her own and Zachary’s personal futures in light of the wreckage which is all that remains of their former selves.
…
I realise that doesn’t give you much to go on, however there are so many twists in this gripping and disturbing, swiftly evolving, multi-layered storyline, that to write anything else would be sure to give the game away to some degree. The immersive writing is crisp and fluent, with the wonderfully textured story being narrated in multiple voices, interspersed seamlessly with some Podcast conversation/interview segments, which despite my scepticism as this was a first for me, actually worked really smoothly.
Whilst the storyline does command two diverse locations, Esme only makes the journey down country to Middlesex, on the days when she is due to interview Simone in prison. The focus of events actually has quite a small footprint in Nottinghamshire, although enough detail is casually dropped in, so that I could actually picture some of the locations and their relationship to one another, as a demented Esme criss-crosses the county maniacally, in her futile attempts to stay on top of an ever deteriorating situation.
There were three major “Wow! I never saw that coming!” moments and as you might expect, they all featured in the second half of the book, after the opening chapters were spent in carefully setting the scene with all those sneakily laid red herrings, which did exactly what they were supposed to do, tripping me up and sending my thoughts off at the wrong tangent every time. This was a story built on lies, secrets, buried emotions and manipulated versions of the truth. No matter where Esme is, the atmosphere seems thick with tension, as if she somehow manages to suck all the oxygen out of a space, with her permanent aura of impending dread and menace, which is emotionally draining.
What can I possibly say about the characters which might somehow redeem them, or restore my faith in their humanity? – and in all honesty I think my answer is, absolutely nothing! Not one single thing about this volatile cast made them compelling, easy to connect with, or want to invest in. There was not even any good synergy between them, only mistrust and an overwhelming tendency towards duplicitous and manipulative behaviour, which at this particular time all seemed to be directed at Esme, although she herself is such an emotionally complex person, that believing in her, despite her obvious fragility of mind, was quite difficult and challenging, even though it was clear that she doted on her son Zachary.
If all the previous novels are as good as this one, then I am in for one heck of a journey, as I seek to play ‘catch-up’!
Please wait...
