Palimpsest

Atkins has created a blend of mystery, suspense, and sci-fi with this novel of the aftereffects of two friends meeting years after graduating. Although Morgan, the famous author, never appears in the story, her presence is felt throughout. It is, after all, her novel that is the catalyst for all that follows. When Nell arrives at Morgan's home for a planned visit, Morgan has disappeared. Nell's car has broken down, so she remains at Morgan's while parts are ordered. It becomes obvious to Nell that something has happened to Morgan and the neighbors are involved. Atkins builds mystery with the prevarications of the neighbors, suspense with the hints of hauntings, and sci-fi with the possibility of Morgan and Nell slipping in and out of some sort of rend in time. I'd recommend this book if you want to be scared, but not enough to leave the light on. The mystery can be frustrating at times because clues are more hinted at than obscured. There are a couple of inconsistencies in the book (if you walk counterclockwise around a hill, you would turn left to go up it, not right), but not enough to make me throw the book in disgust. I first borrowed this book from the library in the late 1980s. It haunted me enough to want to read it again, but it was gone from the library forever. I put it on my wishlist and didn't get around to it until recently because there are so many new books. Now I've put the other two in Atkins' Henry Beaumont series on my wishlist.