The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - set in Salem as I've mentioned before. A very spooky book but not really for the obvious reasons though witches did feature. The witches who appeared were mainly for the tourists except that some of the 'real' ones read the future through patterns in hand made lace. Towner - christened Sophya - returns to Salem when she's told of her Great Aunt Eva's disappearance whilst swimming. But Towner's childhood is full of shadows which she will need to confront before she can move on with her life.

It is difficult to tell at times what is real and what a figment of the narrator's imagination and sometimes the only sane person in the story seems to be Rafferty - the cop. One of the most frightening aspects of the book is the strange religious sect which appears totally out of control and which participate in the terrifying ending. I thought it was well written but a shade difficult to follow at times, but worth reading.