The Silence
Antiques dealer Nell West and her friend, Oxford literature professor Michael Flint, return in another spooky outing. Nell, who was recently widowed, is going through her late husband’s family home. Once upon a time, an older home stood here, one that was the center of a scandal—a woman poisoned her husband—and the property is said to be haunted. Nell soon begins to notice strange goings-on, and it isn’t long before a century-old evil manifests itself in the present day. Each of the three West novels explores the same theme—the sins of the past absolutely refusing to stay in the past—but with enough variation to keep us from feeling like we’re just reading the same book again and again. Nell, too, is a sympathetic and likable protagonist (Michael Flint is more of a supporting character than a costar), and, as always, Rayne keeps the story moving at a steady but not breathless pace. Fans of this veteran author (her first book appeared, under a pseudonym, 30-odd years ago) will be well pleased. --David Pitt