Tallis, F.R.

Tallis (The Sleep Room) sets his stand-alone psychological thriller during a time when traditional gender roles were being challenged and cleverly uses the supernatural to underscore the claustrophobia of an increasingly fractious marriage. The eerie voices, the heat, and the oppression that Laura feels, as well as Chris's frustration with his career and a wife who is no longer his ideal, all come together to create an insidious, creeping dread in this subtle yet ultimately terrifying yarn. Recommended for fans of thrillers in the gothic tradition, such as Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby and Shirley Jackson's work. Readers who enjoyed Sophie Hannah's The Orphan Choir might also want to consider this title.

Short-listed for both the Edgar and Dagger Awards, Tallis knows how to build suspense. By layering in real-life doctors and descriptions of the experiments they carried out in 19th-century France, he builds a credible universe that makes the supernatural elements all the more shocking. There are genuinely creepy moments, and the horror show of Christian mythology isn't for the squeamish. The plot-driven chills will attract readers who don't mind being kept up late.

Edgar Award-nominated Tallis ("Max Liebermann" series) is in fine form in this gothic flavored chiller set in the 1950s. The remote, seaside village makes the perfect venue for this mystery with ghostly elements, which is punctuated by moments of violence made even more shocking by the old fashioned tone. The twist, when it comes, may not come as a complete surprise, but the journey is a very creepy, rewarding one.