Roots of Evil

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It wasn't quite the mystery that _A Dark Dividing_ was and the plot wasn't quite as intricately developed but there was a similar layering effect to and an element of mystery that I found quite fascinating. It was just really terrific! I loved the inclusion of WWII, but I admit I was surprised that as dark as this novel was, it didn't go even darker... Still, I really liked it. It was nearly as impossible to put down as _A Dark Dividing_ was. What a talented author! I am really looking forward to reading more of her books! I just wish they were a bit easier to find in this country!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book. Certainly not what I got. This is a compelling, scary, and absorbing read that had me cringing many times but never bored me. I never felt I knew exactly where the story was going and I never lost interest in these characters or their stories. I would ding the author a little bit for the slightly sappy finale but overall a very good book.

Unlike the rest of her family, Lucy Trent has always rather enjoyed the legend of her grandmother Lucretia von Wolff, a screen siren of the silent movie era. Lucretia's life scandalously ended in 1952 in a film studio where a murder-suicide occurred. Decades later a body is found in the now derelict studio. The legend of the mysterious child called Alraune (the name of Lucretia's best known film) springs up again. Does Alraune even exist? Lucy delves into the well-buried secrets of her grandmother's past. Her quest spans the decadence of 1920s Vienna and the desolation of the concentration camps of the 1940s, all the while coming closer and closer to the truth about Alraune. This novel had me gripped from start to finish, I simply couldn't put it down. If you buy this (and I highly recommend you do) you'll probably be up all night finishing it.