Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire (USA 2014)

From the Publisher:
A woman's abandoned corpse is found in a shallow grave in a posh suburb. The death hits close to home for prosecutor Helen West as she and detective Geoffrey Bailey have just moved into a new house within the gated neighborhood where the body was dumped. But tensions continue to rise when the victim is identified as the wife of the developer who built the estates, and all of the neighbors begin to accuse one another.

As Helen and Geoffrey dig deeper into the secrets of their sleepy commuter village, they discover a hidden world of passion, envy, and betrayal.

This gripping mystery is perfect for fans of Louise Penny and Ruth Rendell.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire. A Helen West Mystery. Witness Impulse / HarperCollins, ISBN: 9780062301178 (August, 2014), 240 p., $11.99, eBook $0.99.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire (UK 2012)

From the Publisher:
When the naked body of a woman is found near the Essex commuter village of Branston the locals are as baffled as they are shocked. A crime of passion? Surely not here. But when Crown Prosecutor Helen West and Detective Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey scratch at the thin veneer of gentility they discover a hidden world of passion, envy and betrayal - primed and ready to explode...

This gripping mystery is perfect for fans of Louise Penny and Ruth Rendell.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire. Sphere, ISBN: 9781405520638 (October, 2012), eBook, 0.5 MB (ca. 240 p.), £7.00.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire (UK 1991)

From the Publisher:
A sleepy Essex Village seems like an unlikely spot for a crime of passion. But little else can account for the naked body of a woman found in a shallow grave in nearby woods. Beneath the surface gentility Crown Prosecutor Helen West and Detective Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey discover a hidden world of envy, lust and murderous rage - sprung to explode...

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire. Mandarin, ISBN: 074930376X (October, 1990), 255 p., £3.99.

Frances Fyfield: Not That Kind of Place (USA 1991)

From the Publisher:
The quiet Englash village of Branston seemed an ideal place for Crown Prosecucor Helen West and Detective Chief Inspector Geoffrey Bailey to nurture their new relationship. It was certainly an unlikely spot for a crime of passion - but what else could account for the naked, hastily buried body of a woman found overnight in the woods?

For Bailey, the trail led easily to Anthony Sumner, the local Engish teacher. He'd had an affair with the dead woman, and even admitted to an ugly scene that ended with his hitting the lady with has walking stick. Though Sumner staunchly denied stabbing her in the throat, only Helen doubted his guilt.

Barred from the case for being too personally involved - Sumner was the lover of Helen's best, and only, friend in Branston -- Heler began to do her own surreptitious digging. And behind the closed country doors in Branston, the found a hidden world of envy, lust and murderous fury that threatened to consume her in its fiery embrace...

FIRST-RATE... A FIRM RECOMMENDATION, PARTICULARLY FOR THE JAMES-RENDELL-GRIMES SET" -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

Frances Fyfield: Not That Kind of Place. A Novel. Pocket Books, ISBN: 067173945X (April, 1991), 214 p., $4.50.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire (UK 1990)

From the Publisher:
The sleepy backwater village of Branston in Essex seemed an unlikely spot for a crime of passion, but what else coud account for the naked, hastily buried body of a woman found overnight in the woods?

For Helen West and Detective Superintendent Geoffrey Bailey, his transfer to Branston seemed an ideal opportunity: a borrowed home, neither his nor hers, to experiment in living together; a simple move for Helen in the Crown Prosecution Service; the chance of a slower, more civilised existence.

For Bailey's staff, the trail led all too easily to Anthony Sumner, local English teacher and lover of Christine Summerfield, Helen's only friend in the district. Sumner could not deny having had an affair with the dead woman.

Neither Bailey nor the Crown Prosecutor who was Helens superior was in much doubt of his guilt.

Barred from the case for being too personally involved. Helen began her own surreptitious digging. She was nagged by a feeling that the evidence against him was just too pat. And behin the closed country doors of Branston, she found a hidden world of envy, lust and murderous rage that threatened to consume her in its fiery embrace...

From the owners of the loeal pub, whose constant bickering made it easie: to ignore their simple-minded son, to th greedy ambitions of a young policewoman, to a lonely teenager's stubborn malice, Frances Fyfield creat a fascinating cast of characters in a drama of heart-rending realism and breathtaking suspense.

Frances Fyfield: Trial by Fire. Heinemann, ISBN: 0434274275 (October, 1990), 240 p., £12.95.

Frances Fyfield: Not That Kind of Place (USA 1990)

From the Publisher:
"Frances Fyfield now joins that charred circle el murderous British females, from Sayers and Christie to Ruth Rendell and P.D. James," said Michael Malone upon publication of her debut novel, A Question of Guilt. Here Frances Fyfield takes us once again into her rich and compelling world, where crime and punishment are never simple...

To the northeast of central London, past the teaming East End, the once-dying village of Branston was flowering anew. The waves of upwardly mobile new residents crowed over finding such cheap homes "in the country," while the locals shook their heads in wonder.

For Helen West and Geoffrey Bailey, a Detective Chief Superintendent with the police, Bailey's assignment to Branston had seemed an ideal opportunity: a borrowed home, neither his nor hers, to experiment in living together; a simple transfer for Helen in the Crown Prosecution Service; a slower, more civilized existence.

It seemed a most unlikely spot for a crime of passion -but what else could account for the naked, hastily buried body of a woman found overnight in the woods?

For Bailey's staff, the trail led all too easily to Antony Sumner, local English teacher and current lover of Christine Summerfield, Helen's only friend in the district Sumner could not deny having had an affair with the dead woman, and even admitted, under Bailey's gentle questioning, to an unfortunate scene that had ended with his hitting the lady with his walking stick. Though he staunchly denied stabbing her in the throat and leaving her pale, still body in a shallow grave, neither Bailey nor the Crown Prosecutor who was Helen's superior were in much doubt of his guilt.

Frances Fyfield: Not That Kind of Place. A Novel. Pocket Books, ISBN: 0671676660 (May, 1990), 214 p., $17.95.