The brutal rape and assault of a middle aged woman is at the heart of this British police procedural.
For two years, the woman has been in a persistent vegetative state in a nursing home. There’s discussion now of shutting down life support. That will turn the case into a murder.
She’s called “Elise” because the last words she said when she was put in the ambulance was “Poor Elise.”
As Chief Superintendent (CS) Fran Harman takes another look at this cold case before it turns into a murder investigation, she learns that Elise had been caring for her elderly parents until their deaths. She was left lonely and exhausted.
When the last parent died, she emptied and sold the family house, then bought a flashy yellow sports car and a chic apartment in the heart of Birmingham. She was reinventing her life and making up for what she had missed.
Instead, her life all but ended in the undergrowth off a lay-by on a freeway southeast of Dover.
Fran, a high ranking, respected woman police officer, sees her future in Elise’s life. She’s wearing herself out driving to her parents’ house every weekend and then returning to London in time for work on Monday.
Her parents expect her — not her favored brother — to take care of them. They are unwilling to make compromises to make it easier for Fran. She’s started thinking about retirement and a deadening life at her parents’ beck-and-call.
At work, Fran is about to break under the burdens of her job, covering for a colleague on leave, and taking on administrative and policy committee assignments. When she looks tired at work, the gossip mill talks about her age and whether she’s up to the job.
Thanks to a perceptive and caring supervisor, Assistant Chief Constable (ACC), Crime, Mark Turner, Fran’s work assignments are redistributed. As Fran and Mark’s relationship deepens, he tries to persuade Fran that she can make sure her parents are cared for without being the one to cook, clean and manage their health.
This is an interesting perspective on the roles expected of women — both by society and by themselves — and the deadening burdens of caretaking when options outside the family aren’t available or aren’t accepted by those needing care.
LIFE SENTENCE (2005), was followed by:
- COLD PURSUIT (2007)
- STILL WATERS (2009)
- BURYING THE PAST (2012)
- DOUBLE FAULT (2013)
- GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND (2015)
There is so much background and character development in author Judith Cutler’s books that it’s wise to read them in order.
Cutler does a good job of showing the ageism in both society and the police department where Fran works. Looking old or tired in this world become competency issues. Fran sometimes comes across as almost saintly in her concern for team members and her ability to unravel information no one else catches.
This story seems dated when Fran and Mark begin a sexual relationship that would be entirely unacceptable in current “Me Too” times. It’s not clear why Fran is able to uncover information about Elise that earlier investigations didn’t. Some characters seem two dimensional. Ultimately, this is an interesting, but flawed, story.
The Author: Judith Cutler
Judith Cutler is a prolific author who has written nearly 30 books. Her novels are mostly set in or near Birmingham. In addition to the CS Fran Harman series, she has written eight other series and several stand alone novels.
She has taught creative writing at Birmingham University, and has run writing courses in other places, including a maximum-security prison and and an idyllic Greek island.
She now lives in the Cotswolds with her husband author Edward Marston.
