Forget the “adultery” theme, I’m struggling to cope with a heroine who within seconds of learning of her best friend’s death in a plane crash starts getting turned on by her best friend’s brother’s “hardness of muscle” and “clean fragrance of skin” when he hugs her to comfort her shock/grief.
And then minutes later is putting on makeup and “wondering what he must think” of her puffy, tear-stained face and telling herself “not to get the wrong idea” about his intentions towards her.
Who thinks like this?!
The Other Woman (hero’s wife) may be an absolutely spoiled, self-centred bitch, but even she doesn’t reach the deranged sociopathy of the heroine.
So I’ve now finished this book. It got worse and worse. I don’t know what Anne Mather was thinking, because it was deeply unpleasant from start to finish. I found myself more interested in what the hell made her write this? Was she instructed to include certain elements? Was she having problems in her personal life and just dialled this in? Did someone else write this or edit it beyond recognition, and stick Anne Mather’s name on this?
No one’s reaction to the death of a beloved young couple was normal. Neither hero nor heroine had any redeeming qualities. I longed for them to die. So here’s an extended ending, to try and redeem this horror:
Matthew’s eyes caressed her. “Just how did you intend getting back to Sedgeley tonight ?”
“I didn’t,” she replied honestly.”
Just then the telephone rang. It was Mrs Lawford, and she was nearly too emotional to speak. “You’ll never guess what has happened! We’ve just had a visit from the police. They’ve found Susan and Frank, they’re alive! They survived the crash and have been living in a cave in the wilderness all this time, waiting for rescue! It turns out there was some terrible mix up over the bodies.”
It seemed too thrilling to be true. Feeling slightly piqued that her night of becoming Matt’s mistress now had to be postponed, Darrell forced a smile. “I suppose we’d better go to Sedgeley,” she said.
Matthew was also putting on a brave face. He’d got over his sister’s death long ago, after all he’d barely seen her in the years leading up to it. All he wanted to do was make Darrell his mistress. But he also supposed they’d better show up in Sedgeley.
Setting off from the farm, he drove them along the motorway. Just then there was a huge bolt of lightning. It struck the BMW, which skidded off the road and exploded into a fireball as it crashed over the side, down a steep precipice into a twisted mangled mess of burnt metal. Darrell and Matt were killed instantly, with no hope of recovery.
Fortunately for the Lawford family, the joy of having Susan and Frank returned to them safe and sound was more than ample compensation, and Darrell and Matt were soon forgotten. “Put the kettle on, Jennifer,” Mrs Lawford said. “Let’s have a nice cup of tea to celebrate.”
THE END