The Judgement of Strangers - Paperback

by Andrew Taylor (Author)

'Complex, with lots of sinister implications... moves the traditional crime novel on to some deeper level of exploration' Jane Jakeman, Independent

It is 1970. David Byfield, a widowed parish priest with a dark past and a darker future, brings home a new wife to Roth. Throughout the summer, the consequences of the marriage reverberate through a village now submerged in a sprawling London suburb.

Blinded by lust, Byfield is oblivious to the dangers that lie all about him: the menopausal churchwarden with a hopeless passion for her priest; his beautiful, neglected teenage daughter Rosemary; and the sinister presence of Frances Youlgreave - poet, opium addict and suicide - whose power stretches beyond the grave.

Soon the murders and blasphemies begin. But does the responsibility lie in the present or the past? And can Byfield, a prisoner of his own passion, break through to the truth before the final tragedy destroys what he most cherishes?

Back Jacket

"Andrew Taylor was given the thumbs up long ago for beautifully crafted, well-written narratives combining subtlety, depth and that vital "Oh my God what the hell is going to happen next" factor, which is the driving force of the story-teller"
FRANCES FYFIELD, 'Daily Express'

It is 1970. David Byfield, a widowed parish priest with a dark past and a darker future, brings home a new wife to Roth. Blinded by lust, Byfield is oblivious to the dangers that lie all about him: the menopausal churchwarden with a hopeless passion for her priest; his beautiful, neglected teenage daughter Rosemary; and the sinister presence of Frances Youlgreave - poet, opium addict and suicide - whose power stretches beyond the grave.

Soon the murders and blasphemies begin. But does the responsibility lie in the present or the past? And can Byfield, a prisoner of his own passion, break through to the truth before the final tragedy destroys what he most cherishes?

'The Judgement of Strangers' is the second novel in Andrew Taylor's Roth Trilogy, linked psychological thrillers which, like an archaeological dig, strip away the layers of a psychopaths history.

"Complex, with lots of sinister implications... moves the traditional crime novel on to some deeper level of exploration"
JANE JAKEMAN, 'Independent'

Author Biography

Andrew Taylor is the award-winning author of a number of crime novels, including the Dougal series, the Lydmouth books, and The Barred Window. He and his wife live with their children in the Forest of Dean.