DEADLY RELATIONS

by D.G. Finlay ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1986

Volume three of a quasi-Gothic occult series (Watchman, The Grey Regard) takes the half-gypsy Bayless clan and their malevolent English mansion, Lavenham, into the 1800's, where clan members are raked over the brimstone with gusto, a touch of sadism, and coincidence galore. As in previous volumes, Finlay frames the action with comments and intervention by ""The Watcher,"" a presence that lurks at Lavenham for reasons yet unexplained. Here, The Watcher intersects with the tales of Tom Bayless Heritage, a young American imprisoned by the British, and his English cousin, Charles Bayless, who by chance is the prison's contractor. After treating Tom to gross tortures, Finlay permits him and his black pal, Moses, to escape. They head towards Lavenham, where Tom plans to hide, despite the house's evil reputation. At a waystop, Tom's knee--injured during the escape--is tended by a ravishing gypsy gal who, it turns out, is another cousin, Dudie Smith. Near Lavenham, Tom and Moses are recognized as cons by an elderly couple, who coincidentally favor Americans, and who harbor the pair. Dudie, who happens to know the couple, joins them; she and Tom fall in love. At this point, the narrative takes an odd turn as it switches to Charles' point of view, retelling much of the past action. Also, it is revealed that Charles has courted and impregnated Dudie; and that he has learned of her new love for Tom and plans to capture him. Now Finlay reverts to Tom's perspective: he flees to Lavenham, where, quickly enmeshed in its evil grip, he senses a force, ""The Power,"" growing in him. Dudie and Moses show up and persuade him to flee--a decision hastened by the same scares provided by The Watcher. When Charles intercepts their escape, Tom uses The Power to strike Charles dead. Finlay's otherworldly manifestations are as crude as her plotting, but her insistent focus on the base side of humankind does result in a forcefully dark--if distasteful--vision. Not for the squeamish, or the discerning.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Century Hutchinson--dist. by David & Charles

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION