Criminal Damage
by Margaret Yorke
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Description
Something murderous is about to happen in Middle Bardolph. The sunny village seems as neat and proper as the orderly life of Mrs Newton, the grey-haired widow in an impeccably kept house. Yet a trifle more scrutiny will soon reveal a darker picture of this picture-postcard existence . . . one where acts of greed and obsession are about to turn Mrs Newton's prim life upside-down. Unknown to Mrs Newton, an ex-convict and some unsavoury associates are as near as next door, her recently jilted show more grown daughter is going murderously mad with grief, and her middle-aged son is so desperate for his inheritance he just may try to collect it prematurely. Any of the above could endanger an elderly lady's life, but there is something more. A most sinister secret belongs to Mrs Newton herself - and the truth will come out with perhaps deadly results . . . show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I have enjoyed every book by Margaret Yorke that I have been able to get my hands on and Criminal Damage was no exception although it was a rather slow moving story. The plot revolves around a rather prim and reserved widow and her grown children. The suspense builds slowly and I was surprised a couple of times with the direction the story took. The author developed an atmosphere of psychological tension but when things finally start to happen, the tension serves to give each character a reason to examine and make changes to their lives.
A prolific writer, with her first book published in 1957 and her last in 2001, so far I have found her books to be varied and full of unusual twists and turns. In Criminal Damage she creates an show more interesting cast and uses robbery, obsessive love and violence to keep the action moving but ultimately this is a story about traumatic family relationships and the damage they can do. show less
A prolific writer, with her first book published in 1957 and her last in 2001, so far I have found her books to be varied and full of unusual twists and turns. In Criminal Damage she creates an show more interesting cast and uses robbery, obsessive love and violence to keep the action moving but ultimately this is a story about traumatic family relationships and the damage they can do. show less
Every Margaret Yorke I pick up is another good escapist mystery, steeped in the English country village Agatha Christie genre with a little psychological edge of Ruth Rendell. A young woman, abandoned by her long term boyfriend, develops a dangerous obsession with his new girlfriend. As she is developing her skills as a stalker, and refusing to listen to her lawyer she is distracted by a visit to her mother back to the suburban community outside London which seems so safe. Looks can be deceiving. Enjoy this book on a cold night with a blanket.
-- CRIMINAL DAMAGE is a classy whodunit. Yorke inserts words associated with Britain like Ovaltine, sherry (mild or dry?), Hob Nob biscuits, Aga cooker, peregrinations, & flat-hunting. Spelling is British, too, like programme & cheque-book. When a young woman's boyfriend leaves her for a younger woman the scorned woman is naturally angry & hurt. Scorned woman's mother is the protagonist with a secret. Nobody is killed in CRIMINAL DAMAGE but there's plenty of action & interesting characters. --
I should have known better, since I read one of Yorke’s books before and found it boring and tedious. This one wasn’t much better – no plot, no point and definitely no suspense. I will be avoiding this author scrupulously from now on.
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Books Read in 2002
197 works; 8 members
Author Information
51+ Works 1,840 Members
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 show more 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) show less
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Mrs. Newton
- Important places
- Middle Bardolph, England, UK
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 62
- Popularity
- 500,187
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.67)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 12
