The first mystery/suspense novel by Serena Mackesy, author of three mainstream novels, is a winner. Ghost stories are traditional fare in Britain around the holidays, and this one may be the perfect winter read. Bridget "Sweeny," adopts her mother's maiden name to confound pursuit and she and her small daughter Yasmin surreptitiously leave London to escape Kieran, Bridget's monstrous and abusive ex-husband. Kieran, who cannot conceal his violent personality, hires a private detective to find his prey.
Bridget's only connection with her past life is her friend Carol and a cell phone, and she soon finds an isolated new home, an enormous, centuries-old mansion in Cornwall called Rospetroc where Bridget has taken a job as housekeeper. Located near Bodmin Moor, deep in Daphne du Maurier territory, the house is cut off from the nearest village, has erratic electricity, and more importantly, is haunted. The family who owns it avoids it, because of their unhappy history there, and Bridget and Yasmin are all alone unless paying guests rent the house--many of whom are driven away by the spooky atmosphere at Rospetroc.
Mackesy splendidly evokes the Cornish countryside, the locals, and the loneliness of the house cut off from the rest of the world by bad weather. This is a fine suspense novel, and I, for one, stayed up way too late to find out what happened at the end. I look forward to Serena Mackesy's next mystery.