** spoiler alert ** A young family moves to a small English village. The two boys know someone is watching them from the graveyard but their parents don't believe the oldest boy, Tom. His younger brother Joe says nothing to support his brother thus making things even worse for Tom. Strange things seem to be happening around Millie the baby of the family and in tandem with the family's story we begin to her about another young mother who lost her young daughter via her conversations with a local psychiatrist. In the meanwhile a new vicar comes to town and he too is subject to mysterious happening. In the meanwhile the villagers are up to some creepy old customs involving the harvest, not the least of which includes slaughtering all the old/weak animals in the middle of the town. During all these goings on Millie disappears and is found at the top of the cloister in the church about to plummet to her death. The vicar saves her and Tom redoubles his efforts trying to get his parents to believe that someone is watching them.

Eventually the bodies of three little girls come to light in the graveyard and murder is suspected. Could Millie be the next victim?

I loved the first part of the book, very gothic and atmospheric. So much so that it creeped me out a bit. The later half of the book, while good, becomes more of a standard thriller/mystery.


I also was hoping for a better ending for the psychiatrist and the vicar so was a touch disappointed when they went their respective ways.

Am really eager to pick up this author's first two books.