Hell for Heather by Pat Flower

Details: Cover shown is the 1962 first edition hardcover from Robert Hale (UK). 190p.

Bought for $2.00 at a library sale.

Blurb: "What happens when a man murders his wife and finds himself the victim of a subtle and vindictive persecution, a harrowing existence of terror and nightmare that brings him to the edge of madness? His grandiose plans are forgotten as moment by moment his safety is undermined. Is it all hallucination? Or will the "murdered" woman carry out her threat to be revenged - sometime, somewhere?"

Verdict: I never know quite what to think of Pat Flower. I like that she's an Australian crime writer, and that a number of her books are set in Australia (this one mainly features Sydney). She had some great plot ideas, but the actual stories tend to drag at times for me, apart from her brilliant Fiends of the Family. Hell for Heather is actually very readable, and Heather was a strong - if a little unbalanced - female character. I also liked the psychological aspect of the novel... all that suspicion, and all those mind games make for a thrilling read.