KEY POINTS:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This is a book for people who love books. Setterfield's debut novel is a glorious gothic mystery that echoes one of the works it references, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
It has it all, desolate moors, big spooky houses, disturbed and hidden people. It's the story of bookish Margaret Lea who is summoned to write the biography of the famously enigmatic and reclusive novelist Vida Winter. Now near death, Vida has decided it is time to revisit her past and reveal the one story she has never told.
The tale that unfolds is disturbing and fascinating and Margaret finds herself turning detective to uncover more of the truth about the Angelfield family, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, the mysterious presence in the house where she is staying and, ultimately, the mystery that lies behind her own life.
There is a lot going on but Setterfield has a deft touch and handles her busy plot and crowded cast of characters masterfully, slipping effortlessly between Vida and Margaret's stories.
I found The Thirteenth Tale a most delicious read. I savoured every moment and the strange, gothic atmosphere of the story stayed with me long after every last shocking secret had been revealed.
* Orion, $27.99
The Woman In The Fifth by Douglas Kennedy
If the secret to writing a bestseller is to tease the readers with lots of secrets and mysteries to keep them turning the pages, then Douglas Kennedy is on to a winner here.
This book is one big mystery.
What is the scandal that has driven lecturer Harry Ricks from his home in Ohio to a rundown part of Paris? What is going on in the locked room of the building where he ends up working as a night watchman? Why will his elegant lover only see him for a few hours, twice a week? And why does bad stuff happen to those who do him wrong?
It's a page-turner all right, but if you believe that the one thing binding a fiction writer is plausibility then this novel is going to be a disappointment.
The ending is far beyond plausible and what begins as a sort of a cinema noir thriller becomes something else entirely. Kennedy's many fans will most likely still enjoy this book, but it's simply not up there with his previous novels.
Nor is Kennedy's brilliance at portraying female characters much in evidence.
*Random House, $36.99
- Detours, HoS
