Property of A Lady (edition 2012)

Do you want your standard ghost story set in a dilapidated English manor? This one has it all: graveyards, necromancy, people walled up alive, a grandfather clock crammed with documents, and of course rapping and tapping. The ghosts are hunted by Oxford professor Michael Flint and newly widowed antiques dealer Nell West, who are both assisting the hapless Americans who have inherited this very special house. Romance is in the air almost immediately, but it's not laid on too thick for us non-romantics. I want to make fun of this book, but actually it really hit the spot. The narrative is reminiscent of Wilkie Collins - thanks to those documents in the clock and other letters and diaries helpfully left behind by the dead. It's cleverly plotted, occasionally quite creepy, and it's set in Shropshire. What more could you want? ( )

A creepy clock, a ghost, a hidden diary, all of these and more in this book. A gothic mystery with lots of twists and turns. An excellent story and a good ending. This is my first by Sarah Rayne but it won't be my last. ( )