A Lesser Evil

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In the beginning of this book, Fifi Brown is in a coffee shop where she meets Dan, and it is love at first sight. Her mother doesn't approve though at all, so Fifi marries Dan in secret, then tells her parents after the fact. They then move on to London, where they a place in the slums on Dale Street. One of the first horrible neighbors they meet there are the Muckles. They are nothing but terrible trash, and have several kids unfortunately that are being mistreated. The saddest one is Angela, the youngest child, (about 6 years old), that is being abused both physically and sexually. Fifi keeps her eye out for the child, feeling sorry for her, and trying to act out of concern. Dan threatens Alfie, the daddy once when he sees him mistreating Angela, and hopes it won't happen again-but of course it does. One day Angela doesn't go with the rest of the family and seems to be left behind in the house alone. Fifi thought this was strange, so being the overly-curious person she was, she finds a way to let herself into the Muckle's home. Once in, she finds deplorable living conditions that would make anyone very sick. And after going into the bedroon, finds little Angela dead-after being seriously raped and laying there naked. Someone had covered her with a clean sheet-which was unusual to see in such a dirty mess. So she proceeds of course to call the police, and after this event, life goes steadily downhill. Fifi is questioned of course, the Muckle's are thrown in jail after getting home that night, and all the other neighbors questioned as well by the police. Fifi is left with a terrible memory, and can't shake it, and she and Dan's marriage begins to fall apart over her state of depression. The police never find the answers the really need for a long time-that is not until Fifi is kidnapped one day and held hostage in a barn with a cage enclosure where she can't get out. A little bit later, her neighbor, Yvette is thrown in with her. They are not found until Dan gets to the bottom of the man seen in a jaguar and his identity-of whom was a buddy of the Muckles. He barely reaches Fifi in time, but Yvette isn't so lucky. After this point in the story, (near the ending), everything comes together. Fifi and her parents get back together. They wake up to what a great guy Dan really is, and mother and daughter finally begin to mend fences.