The title of Hilary Norman's eighteenth novel refers to the obsessive-compulsive disorder suffered by Frankie, a cleaner who can never be clean enough. Frankie suffers from other compulsions too, including that of acquiring the beautiful home of her client Roz - even if it means killing both Roz and a plumber stupid enough not to leave when he should have. The bloody aftermath of two murders and the stinking reminder under the conservatory mean that Frankie needs to find another home. Like that of speech therapist Alex Levin and builder Jude Brown, two people thrown together by a building accident.
The premise of a deranged obsessive entering the lives and homes of ordinary people and murdering them suggests Ruth Rendell: think of A Judgment in Stone or A Sight for Sore Eyes. Occasionally, the writing style has a faint echo of Rendell's lyrical, atmospheric, almost languorous prose: "It's never forgotten, just shoved into the back of her mind, stuffed in bin bags in spaces in her head, messily, muckily, the way Frankie would never dream of storing anything." Most of the time, however, the writing is staccato, which is particularly effective when giving an insight into Frankie's obsessive thought processes:
And now she's perspiring, which means she has to shower again.
And again.
And again.
Or this powerful, rhythmically charged description of Frankie's horror at the bloodshed she has caused: "... but not really seeing the man, only seeing the blood, and oh, God, there so much of it, pumping at first, like when they struck oil in Dallas, but his is red and warm and it smells, and there's so much, and oh, dear Jesus." The writing style is also particularly effective when describing a mud-splattered nighttime chase in the middle of a storm. It's less successful elsewhere, when the "bared to the bone" delivery can risk sounding affected or even banal:
But there was something.
Special.
He turned, saw her looking at him.
Smiled at her.
At times like this, most readers may crave a change of rhythm and some painting
in of background and atmosphere. Occasional stylistic lapses aside, however,
this is a compelling and occasionally gruesome page-turner, suitable for those
who like their crime novels to have a dark, psychological edge with a bit of
romance thrown in
. --------
Julian Maynard-Smith
Hilary Norman has written 18 novels, the first being published in 1986. Although
her earlier output consisted of contemporary sagas such as Shattered Stars and
Chateau Ella, in recent years she has concentrated on crime.