Summary: During the post WWI era, Sarah is working for a temporary agency, going from job to job to survive. She is hired by Alistair, who is wealthy and sophisticated, yet haunted by his wartime experiences. They are ghosthunting; hired by a harried and frightened woman who wants the tormented spirit of a former servant girl gone from her barn and out of her life. Sarah, Alistair and his associate Matthew take on the job, little dreaming of the terror they were about to endure.

Thoughts: This was my second read by Simone St. James. It is a radically different book from Murder Road however. The post-war country setting gives an entirely different atmosphere from the more modern Murder Road, although ghostly encounters are still the focus. Sarah is an interesting protagonist - a modern and independent woman fending for herself and experiencing the newfound freedoms women gained in that era. It is a shock to her to enter the stultifying environment of the countryside, where more traditional views persist. There is also a clear theme of female rage around patriarchy and violence towards women, as expressed in Maddy's violence. I struggled with Sarah's submissive attitude towards Matthew and her contradictory desire to be physically overpowered by him. Plus I don't enjoy romances and was not expecting that to feature so prominently in the novel. For that reason, this one is not a favourite.