library copy ( )

A long-ago crime continues to menace the present in this spine-chilling tale of supernatural suspense.

When Michael Flint is asked by a colleague to investigate a reputedly haunted house, he is intrigued. Leo Rosendale’s childhood was blighted by a macabre tragedy in the grim Deadlight Hall – a tragedy that occurred towards the end of World War II, involving a set of twins who vanished. The fate of Sophie and Susannah Reiss was never discovered, and Leo has never been able to forget them.

When Michael, together with his fiancee Nell, begins to explore Deadlight Hall’s history, he discovers that in the 1880s another pair of sisters vanished from the house – and that there may also be much older and darker secrets lurking within its walls.

As Michael and Nell gradually peel back the sinister layers of the Hall’s unhappy past, they are unprepared for the eerie and threatening resonances they encounter – nor for the shocking truth of what took place there one long-ago midnight.

Miss Rayne is a storyteller par excellence, you know you are going to get weaving multiple threads of plot set in different eras that come together to make up a satisfyingly, atmospheric story. Also a trademark of this author is a fascinating exploration/explanation of some archaic saying or behaviour such as “The Silent Minute” that takes place in this novel.

However, I cannot abide Nell West and Michael Flint, they are just so annoyingly twee!

I much prefer her stand alone supernatural novels and her little known Celtic fantasy novels she wrote in the 90s under the pseudonym Bridget Wood stunning... ( )

Deadlight Hall is the fifth novel in the Nell West and Michael Flint series of novels from author Sarah Rayne, and is due for release next year.

The cover is probably the best in the series and certainly sets the tone for a creepy mystery involving a set of twins. I'm a sucker for stories about twins and this one takes place during WWII with Michael taking the lead investigative role after being asked by a colleague for advice.

I enjoyed seeing the two characters Nell and Michael draw even closer, although I was surprised to find my favourite part of the novel was when Nell was considering and making plans to expand her antiques shop. I don't know why, but I really enjoyed seeing her work out if she could afford it and what she might do with the additional space.

I was relieved to find the required visits to the sinister building (in this case Deadlight Hall) were fewer than in previous books, and also relieved that Beth (Nell's daughter) and Wilberforce took more of a back seat this time.

Having said all of that, I did find myself yelling at Michael to download the torch app on his smart phone and use it to light up the scary basement or to use as a reading light when it began to get dark. On that note, it'd be great to see Michael and Nell making the most of some of the more modern forms of research online to uncover the dusty past. I recently discovered a website that contains the names and details of all AIF solders to have fought in WWI, and it's amazing how much effort is being dedicated to digitising the past.

The conclusion of Deadlight Hall saw all of the loose threads in the mystery neatly tied up, but unfortunately I found the ending just a little too complete or perfect for my taste. ( )