Book Review: Sleeping Cruelty

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Sleeping Cruelty     Amazon UK HC
Lynda La Plante
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Macmillan; 2000; £16.99; pp 374
Classification: Adult fiction (thriller)

Sir William Benedict has always dreamt of being accepted into society's elite. When Tory MP Andrew Maynard enters his life, it looks as though his dreams are going to be realised. However, a scandal erupts around him and Benedict decides to have his revenge - on his island paradise, with the help of Justin and Laura Chalmers.

This is a different direction for Lynda La Plante, who has recently been writing police procedurals or very English crime thrillers, the main exception being the Lorraine Page series. This novel, mainly set on a Caribbean island shows that she is branching out.

'Sleeping Cruelty' is a captivating novel. Her characters are rich and develop throughout the novel, with William Benedict showing side after side. However, her writing may well put off quite a few people. She tackles homosexuality and writes some somewhat 'steamy' sections, involving both men and women. However, she does say that she omitted scenes that were even more sexual, which does make the mind boggle.

The pace is fast and La Plante keeps the reader's imagination until the end. You will never be sure about exactly what is going to happen. The ending is also interesting, as it is quite unexpected and I think it will surprise most, if not all readers. Once again, La Plante has written a good novel that will keep her growing amount of fans happy.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com