Family, friendship, deception and doubt permeate Greenwich Park, British journalist Katherine Faulkner's debut novel. The suspense is heightened by the risk to three pregnant women and their babies, linked by family as well as secrets.
The mystery begins with an "Afterward" section on page one of Faulkner's story, an unsigned letter to Helen from Her Majesty's Prison that says "I hope you know I never meant for things to end the way they did." The plot then unfolds from Helen's first pre-natal class. Twenty-four weeks pregnant, she's on maternity leave, bored and drawn to overly friendly Rachel, in spite of her painted, chewed nails, her too-dyed hair and her "wolfish" smile. Ignoring a sense of foreboding, demure Helen accepts Rachel's "coincidental" insinuations into her days, as Helen's husband is distracted by work, and her brother and sister-in-law, Serena, who is also expecting, become oddly blasé toward her.
Alternating first-person narratives from Helen, Serena and their family friend Katie, a journalist, abound with foreshadowing and clues, in a complex story that invites speculation: Who became the prisoner, and what was the crime? Brief descriptions of rushed trysts between unidentified lovers in the leafy recesses of Greenwich Park and recurring reflections on an event a decade earlier add intrigue.
Faulkner's psychological thriller is precise and tight, as unreliable narrators present suspicious twists. One credible voice and a comforting summary slowly ease the meticulously crafted suspense of this chilling, fast-paced tale. --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.