For many, many years, Winston Graham has been -- almost without remission -- one of the de luxe storytellers in the business -- at his best with a hybrid of romantic suspense combined with slightly gimpy psychological characters -- cf. Marnie and The Walking Stick to which this is almost comparable. Set in Wales in Morb House -- a broody name for a place with an unhappy history -- to which Norah comes at the casual invitation of Althea Syme who presumably owns it. Althea makes questionable sexual approaches; then there's her revulsive son Gregory; a pietistic old clergyman; and especially a nephew Simon who has been away (institutionalized), who was much too much in love with a sister Marion who died (how?), and whom Norah has hopes of rescuing now at risks which become increasingly overt. A most attractive distraction for that certain readership -- just look in any mirror.