[books 2009] Sarah Rayne
Jun. 29th, 2009 09:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inulro36. The Death Chamber by Sarah Rayne
I read two of her books back-to-back last year and really enjoyed them, trashy modern takes on the gothic potboiler that they are.
The plot revolves around an old prison/place of execution in Cumbria called Calvary, with three plot threads set in 1917, 1938 and the present day. In the present day, a TV crew is making a documentary about places with bad vibes and using the prison and a young woman has just received a legacy from a great-grandfather she never knew but who used to be the doctor there. The two strands from the past revolve around executions that took place at Calvary, blackmail, psychic research, a black widow and plenty of intrigue.
The Death Chamber was OK, but either not as good as the other two or I've been spoiled by having recently read the two Kate Morton novels that do the same sort of thing but much better.
Rayne has written a few other books and I'll probably read them at some point despite being a bit disappointed by this.
I read two of her books back-to-back last year and really enjoyed them, trashy modern takes on the gothic potboiler that they are.
The plot revolves around an old prison/place of execution in Cumbria called Calvary, with three plot threads set in 1917, 1938 and the present day. In the present day, a TV crew is making a documentary about places with bad vibes and using the prison and a young woman has just received a legacy from a great-grandfather she never knew but who used to be the doctor there. The two strands from the past revolve around executions that took place at Calvary, blackmail, psychic research, a black widow and plenty of intrigue.
The Death Chamber was OK, but either not as good as the other two or I've been spoiled by having recently read the two Kate Morton novels that do the same sort of thing but much better.
Rayne has written a few other books and I'll probably read them at some point despite being a bit disappointed by this.
