The Vanishing by Sophia Tobin

Well, this is a great read. I really enjoyed it. Lots of layers of intrigue to unravel. First of all, the setting is great. It’s an area I know – I used to live in Oxenhope – and this really took me back to the moors. It’s set just across the valley from Haworth, which seems entirely appropriate for this gothick twister. It reminded me a little of Wuthering Heights – and, bizarrely, of the Secret Garden – in the way the landscape becomes a character in its own right. The atmosphere is well drawn, and the secluded house the main part of the story is set in is vividly described. The heroine is strong and thoughtful, with a mysterious birth story, and manages to sort her own life out, with the support of exactly the right man. The villain has his own tragedy, and complications. There are duplicitous servants, complex plots and, and, and….it’s definitely well worth a read.