London. Women are being sexually assaulted. Out of half a dozen who have lodged complaints, all have refused to further pursue the matter, and two are dead. Prosecutor Helen West is on the case. Helen is soon to be married to her long-time boyfriend, Senior Police Officer Bailey, when his friend, Detective Sergeant Ryan is arrested on suspicion of rape. The accuser, 17 year-old Shelley Pelmore claims he hit and abused her. DS Ryan is suspended from his police duties but is free to go until more evidence comes up. Handsome DS Ryan, is well-liked by his colleagues but is also a known womanizer.

Rape and sexual assaults of all kinds are too often dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service, if there is a smidgeon of reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the perpetrator, as is the case with DS Ryan, so as not to waste the taxpayers' money. Helen's assistant, Rose, tells her in confidence that she would like her to have a chat with her cousin who has been sexually molested and needs someone to talk to. Helen reluctantly speaks with Anna. Anna is a homely, plump woman who secretly pines after a doctor at the clinic where she works; a doctor who presents some peculiar bedside manners...then Shelley Pelmore is found dead.

WITHOUT CONSENT A Helen West Mystery, as the title implies, is about rape but deals mostly with the psychological side of this horrendous crime and offers very few graphic details. The chapters chillingly begin with excerpts from British law, which coincides with the storyline to make the matter even more bone-chilling.

The female characters involved in the plotline are an adventurous teenager, a lonely single woman, and a good Catholic wife. All the characters in this story are people we know, people we work with, everyday people. Their stories converge in a tightly plotted suspense that will leave you turning pages as fast as you can.

Frances Fyfield has a fine eye for detail. The character development is superb, and as befits British mysteries, the plot leads to a somewhat unexpected conclusion. At times, I was gasping in wonderment at the spectacular beauty of the prose, as well as at how such magnificent writing could make me shudder in disgust, recoil in horror, and bring me to the edge of tears, because it paints a painful subject in so many nuances. I seldom read a book in one sitting, but I did WITHOUT CONSENT, a most fabulous read!