Publisher: Hammer
SYNOPSIS:
1963: Rowena Crale and her family have recently moved into an old house in a small English village. But the house appears to be resisting all attempts at renovation. Walls ooze damp. Stains come through layers of wallpaper. Ceilings sag. And strange noises - voices - emanate from empty rooms.
As Rowena struggles with the upheaval of builders while trying to be a dutiful wife to her husband and a good mother to her five small children, her life starts to disintegrate. And then her eldest and prettiest daughter goes missing. Out in the village, a frantic search is mounted - while inside the house reveals its darkest secret: a hidden room with no windows and no obvious entrance. Boarded up, it smells of old food, disinfectant - and death...
Set in a world where appearances are everything, and nothing is as it seems, Touched is unsettling, claustrophobic, and utterly gripping.
REVIEW:
OK this is a novella rather than a full blown novel and to be blunt, its one that sadly doesn’t work for me. It’s convoluted, the plotline a little all over the place with elements that seem to have been added to extend rather than add anything to the tale. Back this up with a slow pace and characters that didn’t become fully realised which left me feeling cold.
Sadly not a book I’ll be rereading again anytime soon and whilst I will give the author another try if the next one leaves me feeling like this I won’t be reading any other titles in the future.
