Unhallowed Ground

This book had alot of atmosphere, although it was more of a mystery than horror story. It wasn't scary until the last quarter of the book.

I really enjoyed this book even though I felt the ending wasn't very satisfying. I didn't think there was enough resolution and there were too many unanswered questions.

This book is splendidly creepy. The protagonist is a social worker who has retreated from the world in a rural English cottage which she inherited from her brother. All of the nearby neighbors are warped in different ways. Then she notices someone watching her from a nearby hilltop. The isolation becomes palpable, and we soon sense that whoever is playing tricks on the protagonist is a pretty sick ticket. I would compare this author to Mary Higgins Clark, with the caveat that this book is much more gruesome than anything Clark has penned. My only reservation is the ending which does not satisfactorily tie up all the loose ends.

When the child under her care died at the brutal hands of her step-father, the media, followed by the general public, blame social worker Georgie Jefferson. The consensus being she should have removed the lass from the violent household. Officially, her superiors clear her of any wrong-doing. However, the most reviled criticism of her handling of the case comes from within herself. Georgie believes her failure resulted in an innocent's death. She flees London in an effort to regain her sense of worth heading to the estate she inherited from her brother. Georgie travels to the isolated hamlet of Wooten Coney, population of twelve. None of her neighbors greet the outsider with the slightest hint of friendliness, but Georgie welcomes the lack of hospitality because she needs time to recover. However, a belligerent antagonist cuts off the heads of Georgie's chickens and pours blood all over a canvas the Londoner was painting. As the violence escalates, Georgie knows she must leave town for her own safety, but a nasty snow storm strands her with a vicious assailant as her solo company. UNHALLOWED GROUNDS is a contemporary gothic thriller filled with growing psychological suspense. That combination rarely seems to work well together, but British author Gillian White gracefully delivers a brilliantly blended book. The protagonist is a jaded individual who sinks into deep pits of self-pity. Still, the reader feels empathy towards Georgie even when the audience wants to slap her face to snap her out of her depression. This emotion happens when the story line turns from a general uneasiness to a revelation that a horrible catastrophe is going to occur. Ms. White paints a dark tale that will give much enjoyment to sub-genre fans.Harriet Klausner