Nine months after her abduction and rape in Darkness Falls, criminal attorney Clara Pascal is recovering but still plagued by a long list of trauma symptoms and suffers panic attacks every time she enters court. As a result, her friend Michelle "Mitch" O'Connor gives her a job in family law. However, Mitch ends up talking Clara into an ugly murder case involving photography teacher Amy Dennis (death by hammer.)

The prime suspect in the murder is Ian Clemence, student of Amy and ex-con. With the same MO and a mountain of circumstantial evidence against him, it seems to be an open and shut case. As Clara wades deeper into the case, she has her doubts about Clemence’s guilt and considers he may have been framed by a greedy land developer.

At the same time, Clara meets Chris and Diane Tobin. Chris says he slept with a friend resulting her pregnancy. The couple had visitation rights to see the child, Helen, but the mother was found dead and they seek full, permanent custody of Helen. You would think this is fairly cut-and-dried custody case, but it’s only the beginning. Another Tobin family friend -- also a single mother, and lover of Chris -- is found dead.

Sensing a trend? A few corpses, but even fewer answers.

Despite being slowed by the distraction of translating British to English, this is a well-plotted, tense, and smart legal thriller. Clara is an admirable character, convincing in her dogged in her pursuit of the truth even while suffering from such horrid psychological issues. The addition of the strained relationship Clara has with her husband, Hugo, and her daughter, Pippa, makes this novel believable and human.

For fans of British mysteries, Weaving Shadows should be a hit.
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Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Leisure Books; Reprint edition (August 2006)
ISBN: 0843956682
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