Every once in a blue moon, a masterful writer dives into gothic waters and emerges with a novel that--like Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, Minette Walters's The Breaker, and Donna Tartt's The Little Friend--simultaneously celebrates and transcends the tradition. Welcome Margaret Leroy to the clan.
What's the matter with Sylvie?
Such a pretty girl. Four years old; well loved by her young mother, Grace. But there's something . . . off about the child. Her deathly fear of water; night terrors; most of all, her fixation with a photo of an Irish seaside town called Coldharbour.
"Sylvie, tell me about your picture. Why's it so special, sweetheart?" My heart is racing, but I try to make my voice quite calm.
"That's my seaside, Grace." Very matter-of-fact, as though this should be obvious. "I lived there, Grace. Before."
Haunted and haunting, Yes, My Darling Daughter is a wonderfully original, deliciously suspenseful mystery, "a haunting book and a tantalizing read" (The Providence Journal).
"Stunning . . . gothic fiction at its best." --Katherine Bailey, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
"Eerily lovely. . . one of those rare books you'll sit with till your bones ache." --Cathleen Medwick, O, The Oprah Magazine
"A poignant ghost story . . . Leroy is an evocative writer who expertly conjures up the cloud of fear enveloping a mother struggling to reach her child." --Muriel Dobbin, The Washington Times
"Leroy's fourth novel is engrossing, almost chilling, and yet, a joyous story . . . For literary readers who like a touch of the otherworldly Rebecca in their reading." --Diane Stresing, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
"Yes, My Darling Daughter is a charming page-turner. It is Margaret Leroy's fifth novel, and clearly the work of an accomplished writer--a haunting book and a tantalizing read." --Lois d. Atwood, The Providence Journal
"Fans of old-fashioned gothics will welcome this tale of love, betrayal and death from British author Leroy . . . Leroy's prose lures readers into a disturbing murder mystery. Her characters are as realistic and intriguing as her locales in England and Ireland." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)