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Summary
Summary
A tale of vengeance, atonement and evil which delves into the psyche of both criminal and victim to portray the devastating effects of violent crime. Other work by the author includes A Small Deceit, Safely to the Grave, Dangerous to Know and Criminal Damage.
Author Notes
Margaret Yorke was born Margaret Beda Larminie Nicholson in Surrey, but lived in Dublin until 1937, before moving back to England. During the war, she served in the Woman's Royal Naval Service as a driver. She then worked in the libraries of two Oxford colleges, and was the first woman ever to work in Christ Church library. She campaigned for Public Lending Rights for authors in Britain, and was also chairman of the Crime Writers' Association between 1979 and 1980.
Her first novel, Summer Flight, was published in 1957. She then turned to the subject of crime with Dead in the Morning, published in 1970. With No Medals for the Major published in 1974, she began writing novels of suspense, which include The Point of Murder, Serious Intent and Act of Violence.
In 1982, she won the Swedish Academy Detection award for the best translated novel, The Scent of Fear. Her books are published in 16 countries. In 1993, she won the Golden Handcuffs award, which is given in recognition of the popularity of the country's leading crime writer within the library service and to its borrowers.
Margaret Yorke died November 17, 2012.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Yorke (Criminal Damage) sure-handedly demonstrates her command of suspense writing in this thought-provoking tale-with-a-twist of a crime and its aftermath. Janet Jarvis was at a night school class when two thieves broke into her home in the English village of Bicklebury. They frightened and tied up her husband, Derek, and one raped her college-age daughter, Hannah. Hannah, who alone fought back, later says, ``The thing that really bugs me is Dad.... He didn't try to help me.'' The men are caught and imprisoned, but the impact of their actions lives on. Hannah, struggling with depression and an inability to form intimate relationships, moves to Scotland to work on a nature reserve. The Jarvis marriage crumbles, and Janet sets out to work in an economy that does not welcome middle-aged ex-housewives. Meanwhile Derek, the unhappy object of Hannah's contempt and rejection, crafts a plan for revenge that will restore his bruised manhoodas soon as Hannah's rapist finishes his too-brief prison sentence. Without sacrificing entertainment to message, this absorbing, utterly unsentimental narrative reminds us that behind crime-related headlines live real people whose futures are marked by the crimes' effects. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Veteran British crime writer Yorke's most recent book is a riveting tale about the devastating effects of violence. When Hannah Jarvis is brutally raped during a burglary, she is physically and emotionally devastated, not only by the rape itself, but also because her father failed to protect her. In the aftermath of the crime, Hannah moves to an isolated Scottish village and severs all ties with her father; her parents, Derek and Janet, divorce; and the Jarvis family is virtually destroyed. When the rapist is freed from prison several years later, Derek determines to avenge his family and extract his own measure of revenge for the terrible devastation the rapist has wrought. In a completely unexpected, thoroughly satisfying climax, Derek shows how one man confronts and banishes evil with dignity, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. Yorke's low-key but riveting writing, a cleverly conceived plot, complex and appealing characters, and a thoughtful and provocative commentary on the devastating effects of violence add up to an outstanding thriller. --Emily Melton
Library Journal Review
Prolific British author Yorke (e.g., Dangerous To Know, LJ 1/94) offers yet another mystery of psychological suspense. Hannah's rape during the course of a burglary shatters her family's happiness, but she makes matters worse by blaming her father. Her father, in turn, seeks a singular and surprising revenge on the rapist, released after a very short prison term. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.