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A Dark-Adapted Eye

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 2,504 ratings · 100 reviews

The award-winning author and acclaimed mistress of suspense delves deeply into the heart of a family to uncover the circumstances that lead to murder more than thirty years ago. The story of a family's long-buried secret past is revealed--and the deadly consequences. Mystery Guild Selection. Doubleday Alternate.

Paperback, 278 pages

Published October 1st 1993 by Plume (first published January 1st 1986)

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Dec 05, 2009 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: MARIA, KELLY

Recommended to Barbara by: CYNTHIA , TERESA & MERILEE

Shelves: mystery, suspense

This book was apparently Ruth Rendell's introduction as Barbara Vine. One could not, by any means, classify this as a typical suspense mystery. It is clearly,as we have become better acquainted with Vine, one of sophisticated, intricate and complex plotting. To rehash the details of this tale is unnecessary here, for many others have done so.It is not a fast moving novel, but one of subtlety and careful, deliberate attention to details.

This is the story of an English family, traced through the...more

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May 20, 2008 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

Not your typical mystery, for what is in doubt here is not whodunnit or what they have done - we are told from the outset that Vera is to be hanged for murder - but who the victim is and why the crime was committed.

Using flashbacks (something I usually dislike, but which Vine is an absolute master at) Vera's neice tells us how the whole situation came about, using as a frame to the novel the fact that someone wants to write about her aunt's crime and trial.

And so the reader is dragged into a tig...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

When a journalist contacts Faith Severn in the interest of writing a book about the execution of her aunt Vera Hillyard, Faith slowly reveals and unravels the story of the Hillyard family complete in it's complicities and claustrophobias. After her parents' death, Vera leaves her young son and military husband in the care of others and undertakes the role of mother to her younger sister, Eden. Vera and Eden's relationship is extremely close and secretive, often excluding all other parties. Livin...more When a journalist contacts Faith Severn in the interest of writing a book about the execution of her aunt Vera Hillyard, Faith slowly reveals and unravels the story of the Hillyard family complete in it's complicities and claustrophobias. After her parents' death, Vera leaves her young son and military husband in the care of others and undertakes the role of mother to her younger sister, Eden. Vera and Eden's relationship is extremely close and secretive, often excluding all other parties. Living in virtual isolation during World War II, Vera makes Eden her top priority and constant concern, and becomes a profoundly obsessive and controlling woman. It's here that Faith spends many vacations and holidays, enduring Vera's casual cruelty and myriad insecurities while secretly idolizing the young and beautiful Eden. As time moves on and Faith grows older, she witnesses multiple changes in Vera and Eden's relationship, the return of Vera's son, Francis (a merciless young man), and Eden's eventual flight from the nest. Even so, things are not what they seem in the Hillyard house, and the family secrets will eventually spark an explosive, painful conclusion that leaves the reader sorting through the myriad clues to find a definitive answer to this intensely satisfying psychological thriller. Is Vera's madness really self-induced, or does it come from a more sinister direction? What are the circumstances behind her execution, and what part does her family truly play?

This was a fascinating and, eventually, quite devastating book. The author has a way of laying out the story and prose in a quietly thorough way, keeping the more disquieting elements couched within the normal everyday attributes of a wartime family. Knowing that a murder had occurred but not knowing the circumstances surrounding it, nor even who the victim was, was a particularly interesting way to tell this story. The technique had me reading with trepidation to discover where the cracks would appear, and how the murder would eventually take place. The story has an aura of foreboding attached to it, it was ominous from it's skeleton to it's details, haunting in a wonderful way. Because Vera was not a particularly pshycopathic person, the murder behind her execution seemed all the more interesting. Yes, she was restrictive and cold, and it was very clear that she was also repressed and secretive, at times she could be embarrassingly hysterical, but her character also seemed to be very controlled and conscious of propriety and modulated. Reading along I became convinced that this murder was an act of desperation and madness, instead of an act of calculated cruelty.

In fact, all the characters in this book were exquisitely portrayed. From the obnoxious and perverse Francis to the furtive and beautiful Eden and the reluctant and inquisitive Faith, each character was finely detailed and and exceptionally rendered. It felt like I knew these people, knew how they would react, where their buttons were and could see what would push them. There was a tremendous amount of exposition given over to these characters, a lot of time spent on the mundane and everyday, but it was far from boring. In fact it was a very illuminating and clever way to get the reader invested in the drama of the storyline, and the eventual destruction of a family.

The story dealt with many sensitive issues, and without giving away the mysteries of the story, it would be hard to touch on and identify them all, but the one that stuck out was the repression and emotional constraint of those in England during that time. It was evident in Vera's entire character, in her sister Eden's choice of lifestyle, and eventually in Faith's reticence to tell the story of her aunt. Repression ran like a thick vein down this haunting and dark story.

Another thing that I liked about this story were the atmospheric touches. There was much discussion of war time rationing and the procurement of luxurys items, such as food and cosmetics, during the lean times of war. I thought this was an interesting touch that gave the story believability and flavor. It seemed that the author accounted for all the variables in this time period and those minute touches really amplified the credibility of the story.

The conclusion of the story was also handled brilliantly. It skipped the exposition and definition and instead recounted and laid bare all the facts for the reader to deduce the motives and culpability of this murder. By doing this, it refrained from passing judgment on the killer and let the reader see that there was more to the story than just the black and white of the slaying. As in some real-life murders, the details were murky, the facts sometimes cloudy. One could almost discount Vera's madness and responsibility, could see from the facts alone that she was vindicated. Almost. And in the end, that is what this story came down to. The confusion and reaction of a somewhat normal woman, spurred into to a hideous act that forever changed the landscape of her family's life.

If you can't tell by now, I thought this book was superb. It had an intensity and control that I truly appreciated. I loved the meandering way that the story was fleshed out, and felt that in this way the suspense was built into an almost unbearable measure. I had heard so many good things about this book, and was so excited to read it. In no way did it disappoint. Though it is written by a mystery writer, this book is more of a psychological suspense story. A very intelligent and thought provoking read. Strongly recommended. (less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Juanita Rice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I really liked this book: I kept marveling at how the author captured a certain subtle cruelty in families, creating an exact replica of the kinds of little digs that are truly wrenching to a child or adolescent who cannot find either a response or any way to identify what's going on. I wince with the narrator every time she visits her father's two sisters who "disapprove" of her so snippily.

The book is a reminiscence reexamined. Faith stays with her two aunts frequently; one is her father's twi...more I really liked this book: I kept marveling at how the author captured a certain subtle cruelty in families, creating an exact replica of the kinds of little digs that are truly wrenching to a child or adolescent who cannot find either a response or any way to identify what's going on. I wince with the narrator every time she visits her father's two sisters who "disapprove" of her so snippily.

The book is a reminiscence reexamined. Faith stays with her two aunts frequently; one is her father's twin--Vera--who is a "grass widow," that is, her husband is in the military and it's never quite convenient that he be home; the other is a much younger sister, almost Vera's daughter--Eden, she is called. Vera seems to idolize Eden, and they both are critical of Faith and of Faith's mother. In stinging ways.

Vera met me on the station platform at Colchester, and having lightly
stung my cheek with her lips, held me at arm's length, and pronounced:
"What a pity your hair has got so dark!"
The tone was accusing, the implication that I had carelessly allowed this
darkening process, if not actually helped it along. I said nothing because I
could think of no answer, a frequent reaction to remarks of Vera's. I smiled,
I tried to seem polite while with a corner of my handkerchief trying to rub off
the lipstick I knew Vera's mouth must have deposited on my cheek. . .
"I wouldn't have bothered to kiss you," she now said, "if I'd known you were
going to make such a fuss about it."

And then within a few years Vera kills her sister Eden and is hanged. And Faith's father never mentions it--he only surreptitiously packs away all photos or correspondence with reference to his sisters.

Thirty years later a journalist approaches Faith, wanting to write a book about her aunt Vera and what actually happened. Faith discovers that she does want to know. The book is the story of her pursuit of understanding the threads of her family.

I am writing this little review because I just recently bought another book by the same author, only under another name that she used more often for detective mystery books: Ruth Rendell. The other book Speaker of Mandarin was thoroughly disappointing...but then I'm not a great fan of detective mysteries.

(less)

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Oct 11, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like slow-paced psychological explorations

I read this because of the note I found at the end of Rendell's Shake Hands Forever, describing why she began the Barbara Vine series. Evidently she was always called by two names, since her mother's Scandinavian family had trouble pronouncing Ruth. And they came to symbolize two different personalities for her.

She describes them this way:
"Ruth and Barbara are two aspects of me. Ruth is tougher, colder, more analytical, possibly more aggressive. Ruth has written all the novels, created Chief In...more

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Oct 02, 2009 Stephen Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, our-books

Barbara Vine is a pen-name of Ruth Rendell, one of the most prolific authors of crime fiction today. Though the division is not absolute, the books she writes under her own name tend to be whodunits, and those she writes as Barbara Vine tend to be whydunits. This book fits the pattern. Right from the first page we know whodunit: Vera Hillyard was hanged for murder in 1950. Nearly forty years later a writer, Daniel Stewart, approaches people who knew Vera Hillyard as he wants to write a book, a r...more

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Aug 20, 2007 Mary Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really love Barbara Vine's (aka Ruth Rendell) books. They all have a very dark tone to them and place their emphasis not on "whodunit" but on "why."

This book is no exception. A woman whose aunt was hanged for murder tells the gripping story of how the murder came to happen. We know from the first page who the killer is and who the victim is, and yet as the book goes on, it becomes more and more interesting and harder to put down.

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Apr 14, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: edgar-best-novel-winners, fiction, mysteries, guardian-1000-novels, books-set-in-england

I didn't expect to like this book, although I knew it would be well-written from reading Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series. (Rendell writes some of her psychological suspense stand-alones as Barbara Vine, or did at one time; lately she seems to be using one name for everything.) However, I think it will probably be on my 10 Best List for older books for 2009. For one thing, it had two aspects that always draw me in -- it's set mostly in the past (written in the 1980s with the narrator look...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, fiction, crime

This came in a little below my very high expectations. It is well constructed, well told, but never has you completely thrilled or gives you the shiver of everything coming together perfectly like Ruth Rendell's Judgment in Stone gives.

A Dark-Adapted Eye begins with the narrator remembering the execution by hanging of her aunt for the murder of her other aunt. It then traces her attempts, many years later and to some degree prompted by a writer's inquiry, of the events leading up to it. This unr...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Chaitra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: guardians-top-1000, crime-on-guardians-top-1000, historical-fiction, suspense, read-in-2012, crime-fiction

I hadn't read any books of Barbara Vine or of her other name Ruth Rendell. I went in to this with no expectations whatsoever. What I found was a tightly plotted yarn, but at the same time, it moved at a glacial pace. There's a subversion almost, of the whodunnit mystery genre. Vine tells us immediately who the killer was, and who got killed. It's the whys and wherefores that we are concerned with in the rest of the novel.

Faith Severn, the niece of the hanged murderess Vera Hillyard, is approache...more I hadn't read any books of Barbara Vine or of her other name Ruth Rendell. I went in to this with no expectations whatsoever. What I found was a tightly plotted yarn, but at the same time, it moved at a glacial pace. There's a subversion almost, of the whodunnit mystery genre. Vine tells us immediately who the killer was, and who got killed. It's the whys and wherefores that we are concerned with in the rest of the novel.

Faith Severn, the niece of the hanged murderess Vera Hillyard, is approached by a biographer who wants to write about Vera and the murder. This is years after the fact, and Faith re-examines everything relevant about the life of Vera, and of the woman she murdered, Eden - her sister. We know this: Vera killed Eden. Vera was hanged for the murder. Several witnesses saw the murder. Jamie, Vera's baby, was seemingly the motive. What made Vera, who was almost obsessively fond of her sister, kill her? What was Vera's life like? Would she have done it if the society were a bit more open? If she had some money of her own?

It was a refreshing change, for me at least, that this was more a character study than a murder mystery. Vera is a beastly person, but, no one can argue that she loved her baby. She's almost sympathetic towards the end, even when we know why she did what she did. The novel is also peopled with other rich characters, for example, Francis - Vera's other son, considerably older than Jamie and much neglected, Eden - a snob and a person who knows what she wants and how to get it, Chad - was he the father of baby Jamie? Or was he someone going out with Eden? It is cleverly plotted, the atmosphere is eerie and ripe for murder.

My quibble with the novel is not plot or characterization or the setting. It's that it is too wordy. This novel is a slog. It's strange, in the sense that I didn't think I was being told anything that didn't need to be told or something uninteresting was happening. I liked the information on the page, I only dispute the way it was presented. There's something old-fashioned about the construct and the language, and I had to struggle to engage with what I was reading. I was reading a 500+ page novel at the same time as this book which is 250 odd pages, and Eye felt twice as long. I wasn't exactly bored, but I was glad to see it finish.

All in all, this is a richly detailed mystery and I enjoyed the plot. I will read more of Vine/Rendell, it could be that I was just not in the mood for a wordy book.(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is Ruth Rendells first book as Barbara Vine. I seem to be reading them in reverse order, but since the books are not connected that's okay.

Ms. Vine once again takes us on a journey. We are told from the start who was murdered and who did it, but we aren't told the motivation for the murder until the end.

The title refers to Faith, the narrator, being left in the dark so long about her family that it has taken her many, many years to fully comprehend what happened 40 years previous. He...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Misha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, gothic, mystery-suspense-thriller, award-other, booklists, british, movie-series-available

"Dark Adaptation: a condition of vision brought about progressively by remaining in complete darkness for a considerable period, and is characterized by progressive increase in retinal sensitivity." - James Drever, A Dictionary of Psychology
The novel starts with the above sentence.
Faith Severn, the narrator, is the niece of Vera Hillyard , who was hanged for murder.
Vera , a snobbish woman , with an obsession with "respectability", who was greatly devoted to her much younger sister, Eden, igno...more "Dark Adaptation: a condition of vision brought about progressively by remaining in complete darkness for a considerable period, and is characterized by progressive increase in retinal sensitivity." - James Drever, A Dictionary of Psychology
The novel starts with the above sentence.
Faith Severn, the narrator, is the niece of Vera Hillyard , who was hanged for murder.
Vera , a snobbish woman , with an obsession with "respectability", who was greatly devoted to her much younger sister, Eden, ignoring even her son. Faith , who visited them in their country house, would often feel like an outsider.After Vera's death,Faith's family (her father was Vera and Eden's brother) tries to forget her very existence. However over the years , Faith keeps seeing books and articles about Vera.It is when an author contacts Faith about a book on Vera , that many dark secrets are revealed- this is when the "dark adaptation" happens.
A Dark Adapted Eye is an excellent psychological novel. As a student of Psychology , I tend to gravitate towards books with a psychological undertone. Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, I believe, has an astounding grasp of human nature, which reflects in her novels.
When we are first introduced to Vera , we see a "respectable" woman. As the story unfolds , we understand the what truly lies beneath this whole facade of "normality" and respectability.
This is an unusual mystery. It is more a study of hypocricies in human nature.On the exterior , everything maybe bright , but on the interior , lies the true darkness. Barbara Vine has explored the intricacies of myriad of human emotions - love, lust, jealousy, anger, pain and manipulation. Right from the start , we know the murderer and the victim. It is not the usual whodunnit. This book is not about who? But about WHY? Even the answer to "why" is so complex , it is not easy.
From the beginning of the book, there is a feeling of underlying menace. Barbara Vine has done a phenomenal characterization. As the book progresses, layer after layer of every character is revealed-our perceptions of them change throughout the book.
A Dark Adapted eye is not only dark but is creepy too. It makes us question -"What is normal?" Does "normal" even exist? What dysfunctions lie behind the facade of "normal"? This novel is a study of dysfunctions that befall families , that on the surface are the epitome of respectability. Barbara Vine , in every one of her novels, I believe , has redefined normality, exploring what is hidden behind the whole facade.
This is not a mystery that progresses at breakneck speed. It is an intricate and detailed study of human psyche.
I truly think that Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell's novels deserve to be placed within the bracket of literary fiction since all of them are so much deeper than the usual whodunnits. She has a way with words , that can make even the most normal things seem menacing.

Overall :
A work of genius! There are not many authors with the deep understanding of human nature and its hypocrisies, that Barbara Vine has. A Dark Adapted Eye is intriguing , engrossing and shocking.

Recommended?
I recommend this to everyone who is looking for more than the usual mysteries. I also recommend "Fatal Inversion" and "Anna's Book" by the same author.

http://books-love-affair.blogspot.com/(less)

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Jul 23, 2009 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kate by: Mary Ann

Shelves: 2009, age-adult, mystery

This was recommended to me by a coworker who said it was very creepy...

Faith has lived under the shadow of her aunt Vera, who was hanged for murder when Faith was in college. Years later, she receives word from a man who wants to write a book about Vera's crime and her motives. This takes Faith on a trip down memory lane, where the reader gains insight into a strange family dynamic that leads to murder.

It was a slow read. I found it a bit difficult to get into. I was intrigued by the dynamics of...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Philip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

If I were asked to recommend a book that would give someone a good idea of what life was like for many British people in the years during and after World War Two, I would give them A DARK-ADAPTED EYE. If I were asked to recommend a novel about old sins having long shadows, and family secrets, and the destructive power of love, I would give them A DARK-ADAPTED EYE. If I were asked to recommend a brilliantly conceived and executed mystery, or even just an exceptional "novel of psychological suspen...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, authors-vw

Since I like Ruth Rendell, I thought I'd try her alter ego, Barbara Vine. This edition of Rendell's first book as Vine has an interesting little afterword by the author, discussing her decision to write books under another name, one she thinks of as another aspect of herself; she says she thought books by Barbara rather than Ruth would turn out "a softer voice...more sensitive perhaps, and more intuitive". Indeed, A Dark-Adapted Eye is more introspective and more slowly paced than those of Rende...more

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Apr 24, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rendell-walters-etc, desert-island-books

Wonderful, tragic, amazingly ambiguous book that demands to be read more than once. I love Vine/Rendell's courage in leaving the central enigma unsolved. I love the way she gradually creates sympathy for Vera, who in the beginning of the book seems absolutely unsalvageable... not because she's a convicted murderess, but because she was so unkind, exacting, hysterical, narrow-minded, and cold when her niece was young. It doesn't seem possible that this horrible woman could end as a figure of such...more

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Apr 29, 2012 L rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cleverly constructed, this novel is a mystery in reverse; we start off knowing the killer and spend the length of the book discovering who was murdered and why. Events of thirty years ago are recounted in surprising detail by the niece of the murderess. Although we never get to know her (Faith) on any level other than a narrator, I felt like her character was suited to be mere eyes and a voice of the past.

As the story progressed, unexpected details emerged that made me give pause to the directio...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because it was listed as one of Kate Morton's (author of The Forgotten Garden) list of favorites.
Not one of my favorites. I could see as a writer you may be intrigued by the way she develops this story only showing you little glimpses of the actual murder story as you go along.
I did not enjoy the ending or care much for the protagonist.

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Jul 29, 2011 Jayne Charles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a densely written, atmospheric read, OK if you don't mind not actually knowing what's going on for a fair chunk of the time. I kept wondering whether I was missing something, though it all made sense once I got to the end. I liked the style of writing, very much in keeping with the time period in which it was set. The upper-crust snobbishness of the characters came through very well

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Oct 08, 2008 Bea Alden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

Barbara Vine is, of course, a nom-de-plume of Ruth Rendell, the finest mystery writer writing today - (in the opinion of many book critics). She has been honored by the Queen for her literary achievements, by being made a peeress, a Baroness with a seat in the House of Lords.

Writing as Barbara Vine, she departs somewhat from the murder mystery plots of her Rendell books, and moves more deeply into the realm of psychological suspense.

A Dark-Adapted Eye begins with the protagonist, Faith, recalli...more

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Feb 06, 2008 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

There's a running joke between me and a friend of mine about jazz music. We'd be out at a club or jazz festival, and once the music moves into an obscure fusion phase, he'd lean over to me and say, "See, here's where the music gets too smart for me".

I had a similar feeling after finishing this novel. There were far too many characters to keep track of and I actually had to write down on a piece of paper the family tree to have any hope of continuing to read forward.
While I admire her for coming...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: loved-the-most, favorite-authors, mystery-thriller

I am a huge fan of Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine, and this is one of my favorites. A woman trying to piece together the circumstances and the secrets that have followed her since from the brutal murder she witnessed as a child is a recipe greatness. Vera is utterly fascinating/creepy/bizarre.

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Feb 04, 2010 Margo Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

The meandering prose of the author requires the reader to search in earnest through the words to find the story.

Sheesh. Apparently, the prose was too complicated for me. I don't want to SORT through the words or WORK to find the meaning. I just wanna read... and enjoy the journey.

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Jan 31, 2009 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the book....sort of. The writing is excellent, the story is compelling, and the characters are very well done. Anyone who is enjoys psychological analysis will love this family; there are unresolved issues at the end, but I think that is part of the point.

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Sep 08, 2011 Sharon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

When reading the book jacket, I was intriqued & thought how creepy this book could be. The jacket was misleading. The beginning was good and the end was even better, however the middle was nothing to be desired & I found it very difficult to stay engaged. It seemed to ramble & go off on tangents that made it hard to follow past vs. present. The premise of the book was very good and the author did weave a tale, but it was all too boring in the middle and didn't come together until the...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Faith's family has some dark secrets, secrets they have all tried to forget. However, one day a journalist contacts her because he is writing a book about her aunt who committed and was hanged for murder. Told through recollections, A Dark Adapted Eye, is a deeply psychological tale of the intense emotions, denial and circumstances that lead to this murder.

I was surprised by this mystery. Unlike your typical whodunit, the identity of the murderer is revealed at the beginning of the book. However...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Margie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

My first Barbara Vine book, though I've read lots of Ruth Rendell (Vine is a pen name).
I like the way the story unfolds. Though not a mystery per se, it kept my interest while I tried to figure out not whodunit, but why-she-did-it.

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Aug 24, 2010 Arlene Richards rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-mystery

Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine but the mystery is still rather grim,
a story of family secrets that results in the hanging of one sister and the stabbing to death of another sister. Complex with psychological overtones.

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Sep 07, 2009 rabbitprincess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, high-school, top-100-crime-novels

Couldn't get into it at all. I don't remember much of the plot, but I do recall the description was rather tedious for me. I've never been one for excessive description, and I guess I was just in the wrong mood for this book.

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Mar 18, 2013 Kelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoy the darker Vine pseudonym's books. And I remembered running right out to get another after reading this, but alas it has been too long ago to say more than I do remember this to be a creepy read.

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About Barbara Vine

Pseudonym of Ruth Rendell.

Rendell created a third strand of writing with the publication of A Dark Adapted Eye under her pseudonym Barbara Vine in 1986. Books such as King Solomon's Carpet, A Fatal Inversion and Anna's Book (original UK title Asta's Book) inhabit the same territory as her psychological crime novels while they further develop themes of family misunderstandings and the side effects...more

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