Anne Wyn Clark

The Secrets of Mill House is a multi-layered story that became more and more intriguing as it went on. It begins in the 1970s with a kidnapped baby in Flora Lanyon's small community, a shocking event that she never forgets. Flora had a tough start to life with loss and abuse sadly forming a large part of it. Years later, in 2001, she is drawn for various reasons to a job at a watermill, looking after Agnes Homity, but with the sinister presence of Abraham Homity and the couple's son, Hector, Flora quickly wonders if she's made a big mistake even setting foot in Mill House.

It's actually really hard to talk about all the different strands of this book without ending up going into too much detail. There is such a lot going on and I really liked that about it, as Flora made more and more discoveries about the past and about the Homity family. Alongside the 2001 story we follow Flora as she grows up, and we witness some of the events that eventually lead her to Mill House.

I loved the eerie setting of the watermill. Not only are there some strange things going on there but the idea of the wheel and the water surging around it gave me the creeps. The story itself is quite disturbing at times and full of twists and turns. There were no big surprises for me but I enjoyed finding out if what I thought had happened was correct.

I was reminded of some of Lesley's Pearse's more recent books when I read this one so if you like those then you'll like The Secrets of Mill House. I certainly did. It's atmospheric and unsettling and it kept me gripped.… (más)

Newly married, pregnant, and slightly neurotic, Stina moves into a rural cottage with her husband, where they plan to raise their child. In case you are confused that this cottage shares a wall and an attic with their elderly neighbor it's what would be a duplex in America, but a semi detached cottage in England. Stina is home alone most of the time while her husband is working as a veterinarian. She strikes up a friendship with her neighbor Mrs. Barley, an elderly widow who seems to be disliked by most of the other people in town. At first Jack and Stina can't believe anyone could be hateful towards such a sweet old lady, but after hearing some rumors that she might be a witch and seeing how quickly her moods can change Stina starts to wonder if perhaps people have good reason to avoid her. That along with some strange night time noises and a visitor only Stina seems to see, put her on edge and make her question whether this is a safe place to bring up a new baby.

I was expecting a psychological thriller but this reads more like a slow paced mystery. I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. The villagers were quite fond of gossip, and Stina seemed too easily swayed by it. Some people may be shocked at the possibility that a person could be a witch, but in this day and age when religious persecution is supposed to be long past I don't think most people would begrudge someone their beliefs or practices.
Jack and Stina have their own secrets which are very slow to be revealed. The end was surprising but I think this book could have been shortened by about 60 pages. It did mostly hold my interest but I did not need or care for the flashbacks to how Stina met her only friend, or how she fell in love with Jack.
I received an advance copy for review.… (más)

A new start in the country for Stina and Jack takes them to Avoncote and Wisteria Cottage. Their only neighbour is Mrs Barley at Rose Cottage and naturally they become friends. As time goes on, however, Stina, being at home all day, starts to hear things and see things that make her wonder if Mrs Barley is all she seems to be and the rumours in the local village about her don't help.

Stina is an unreliable narrator. It's clear her past has been a bit troubled and I was constantly wondering if she could be trusted. The same goes for Mrs Barley who seemed very nice but was there something malevolent lurking under the surface? Anne Wyn Clark does a great job at keeping the reader guessing and all the way through I had no idea how it was all going to turn out in the end.

The setting is strong and although the book is largely character-driven, I felt like the setting was almost another character in its own right. The two cottages are quite remote and I could absolutely picture them in my mind's eye. The whole small village feel and mentality is captured really well.

The pacing is very good too and I found myself looking forward to picking it up and reading a bit more. I found the story to be engaging and well thought out with a couple of nice surprises near the end. In short, I thought Whisper Cottage was an excellent psychological thriller debut, eerie and twisty. I shall look forward to Anne Wyn Clark's next book.… (más)

The blurb and the cover piqued my interest. I do love a mystery and this sounded right up my street. It did not, however, live up to my expectations, and left me with a number of unanswered questions.

Whisper Cottage is Stina's story. We learn about her past; her upbringing, her friend Reggie, how she met her husband Jack, and her present.

Jack and Stina move into a run-down cottage next door to an elderly lady on the edge of the village. Theirs are the only two cottages in the area. Jack is a vet and works all hours at his practice while Stina writes at home, and prepares for the birth of their first child. The couple have a list of repairs to be done to the cottage, and after a leak, immediately arrange for the roof to be rethatched. The thatcher makes a discovery which could be explained as some sort of witchcraft. And from then on I questioned everything.

I was intrigued by the strange neighbour Mrs Barley, who the locals thought was some kind of witch. They attribute several unfortunate events to Mrs Barley's practice of the dark arts and avoid her. Stina's own experience of Mrs Barley is at odds with local belief, and she cannot quite reconcile their tales with the lovely gentle woman who is, or seems to be, a good neighbour.

There were a couple of things that didn't seem entirely plausible to me, but which led me to think there was something more to be revealed.

I thought the story was slow-paced. Much was made about things which ultimately did not amount to anything. I was not gripped by the storyline but felt I needed to read to the end to find out what was really going on. The ending tied up some of the threads, and there was a final and shocking twist that I did not see coming.… (más)