Just finished listening to the audiobook of Clare Francis' 'A Dark Devotion' crime novel - quite disappointing. I couldn't warm to the characters or the plot, found it cluttered with annoying / unnecessary adverbs and damp squib ending. It's written in first person and narrated by Lindsay Duncan, both of which / whom I really like, but the Italian character's accent annoyed me. The twists didn't work for me including the point where have said that the sluice gates are tough for an adult to open but no-one queried when 10-year-old Charlie said he'd opened them on their own.This is my first Clare Francis 'read' and although I felt this warranted a 3/5 at best I will read others.
Beautifully written - expertly evokes the landscape and society of a small village beside sea marshes constantly in danger of flooding. Read the book and then the author history - didn't realise she was the round the world yachtswoman - which is a very good thing I think, the writing stands up on it's own. Of course in hindsight I spotted a few things that showed her previous life - correct names for parts of the flood defences etc - but this isn't a guide to sea and shore features. The people are well drawn and it's a great story
