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The big new novel by the bestselling author of WHISPERS IN THE SAND: a gripping tale of witchcraft and romance, past and present, as her modern-day characters are caught up in a battle that has been raging for hundreds of years. Across the peninsular the mist rolled in, its icy fingers curling up the cliffs. Inside their houses people stirred in their sleep and children cried in the dark. The parish of Manningtree and Mistley has a dark history. In 1644, with England in the grip of a Puritan government, Matthew Hopkins, Cromwell's Witchfinder General, tortured scores of women there, including Liza, the herbalist, whose cottage still stands in Mistley, and Sarah Paxman, the daughter of the manor. And today the spirits of Hopkins and his victims haunt the old shop in the High Street, they say. Emma Dickson has given up her high-flying career to live in Liza's cottage, but now she is being driven half-mad by visions of the past; of Sarah's battle to save herself and Liza from the Witchfinder. In despair, Emma turns to the local rector for help, but he, too, is in the grip of something inexplicable -- something which threatens Emma. And, as the feast of Halloween approaches, Emma is caught up in a struggle that has been raging for centuries, as old enemies reach out across the years for their revenge. Can she stop the forces unleashed from the past wreaking their devastation in the present?
A modern woman living in a historic cottage finds herself besieged by the lingering, malevolent spirits of a 17th-century witch hunt. Emma Dickson, having retreated from a high-pressure career to the quiet of Mistley, discovers that her new home is tethered to the traumatic history of Matthew Hopkins, the infamous Witchfinder General. As she experiences vivid, terrifying visions of the past, she becomes an unwilling conduit for the suffering of those persecuted centuries ago. Caught between the present-day reality of her local community and the encroaching darkness of the past, Emma must navigate a supernatural conflict that threatens her sanity and her life. The narrative weaves between these two timelines, utilizing the atmospheric setting of the English coast to heighten the sense of encroaching dread.
This work is characterized by the author's signature blend of historical research and supernatural suspense, a hallmark of her long-standing career in the genre. The narrative relies heavily on the tension between the mundane modern world and the visceral, often brutal reality of 17th-century persecution. Readers likely find the atmospheric descriptions of the English landscape to be a primary driver of the story's sense of unease. The dual-timeline structure serves to bridge the gap between past grievances and present-day consequences, creating a sense of cyclical history that defines the protagonist's struggle. The book functions as a study in how the past refuses to remain buried, particularly when rooted in locations with deep, dark histories.
Page Count:
736
Publication Date:
2002-08-05
Publisher:
Harper Collins Pb
ISBN-10:
0006512089
ISBN-13:
9780006512080