"Fascinating tale"
In the small village of Shenstead, England Colonel James
Lockyer-Fox, decorated war hero and ex prisoner of war,
mourns the death of his beloved wife. During the funeral,
his children ignored him and walked away from him without
saying a word to him. This gives rise to rumors that the
colonel murdered his wife. After the police question him
for two days, the post-mortem proves she died from natural
causes and the blood found near her body was that of an
animal. Some of the villagers think he is guilty no matter what the
police says and start harassing him by phone, claiming ugly
things about his children and the illegitimate
granddaughter that was given away at birth. He believes it
is his two children who are out of the will that are
supplying the neighbors with information that only they
should know. He falls into a deep depression that lifts
when he is reunited with his granddaughter who gives him a
reason to live. What he doesn't know is at least two
people living in the village are willing to go to any
lengths to destroy him. The queen of Gothic, Minette Walters, has written a
fascinating tale that explores the nature of true evil; a
story that captures the essence of the human condition when
confronted with a person so demonic that the rules of
acceptable behavior don't apply. There is no hero in this
enthralling melodrama, just an ordinary individual trying
to survive the death of a loved one and a feeling of being
left behind and all alone with no friends to help him. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 10, 2003
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