On touching plants Ann is able to visualise colours and auras denoting health, vibrancy and well-being. Or death, trauma and disease. Most of these plants Ann fingers emit a screaming red streaked with black - they are in deep distress. Ann has been invited to Glendale Hall to illustrate the spectacular plant findings of well-travelled naturalist, Michael McEvoy which are the pride of his mentor, the botanical collector, Lord Cannock. The older generation are covered in gruesome facial tumors, young babes are being miscarried in disproportionate numbers.
Folk are fearful going outdoors at night.
Ann is frightened. The addition of the romance element, at times, reads a little forced, a little too directed. Occasionally, the scene-shifts into the romance sections need to be more subtle. More tension, too, might have been generated by inserting more suspicion about all the possible protagonists at various times, including the gardener. Overall, this should be a satisfying read for those with an interest in things slightly off-kilter, or those who are looking for something just that little bit different.