The Mist in the Mirror (Vintage Original)
Leaving his gentleman’s club one dismal evening in the company of a younger member, the elderly Sir James Monmouth uncharacteristically reveals the existence of a manuscript he has written about his mysterious youth, and hisses an ominous entreaty to his confidante. The document reveals Monmouth’s lifelong quest to chronicle the journeys and observations of Conrad Vane, a peripatetic explorer whose tales of travel and adventure greatly influenced Monmouth’s own nomadic life. Having returned to his native country of England after a lengthy absence spent tracing his muse’s steps, Monmouth vows to uncover Vane’s background, only to be met at every turn with increasingly dire warnings and dramatic concern for his safety and sanity. Monmouth forges on, eventually arriving at desolate Kittiscar Hall, where he discovers Vane’s sinister connection to his Monmouth ancestors. There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned ghost story, and the masterful Hill authentically channels such giants of the Gothic genre as Poe and Doyle in this eerily atmospheric yarn of restless spirits, both temporal and corporeal. --Carol Haggas