A SMALL DECEIT

Yorke likes to disturb the smooth-surfaced but often frustrated lives of her characters with a malignant outside force (Intimate Kill, etc.). In this outing the cat among the pigeons is William Adams, recently out of prison after serving time for rape. His other crimes, including murder, have gone undiscovered. The chanciest of encounters brings him into fleeting contact with Colin Drew, the judge who sentenced him. Now, in addition to his sleazy con games, Adams can add sadistic spice to his life with a series of vaguely menacing calls and messages to the judge and his lonely, submissive wife Felicity—a practice that eventually escalates into murder. Sensitive and suspenseful, with convincing people living unfulfilled lives that are changed forever by the blackhearted deeds of William Adams. Quietly engrossing and among the author's best.