Abigail Allen is tormented by guilt. She was responsible for the deaths of her parents and boyfriend in an accident when she was a teenager. The effects of the guilt on her behaviour and subsequent relationships are shown in the book. Whilst working as a cellist, she meets a photographer Silas Graves. He introduces her to his sister Jules. The Graves’ childhood was affected by the disappearance of their father. This loss and the way their mother coped with it had a big impact on their lives and personalities. Abigail and Silas become lovers but their happiness and that of Jules is threatened by their past.
Guilt has a fast paced plot with plenty of suspense. The characters
are interesting, believable and well developed. The book explores the complexities
of family relationships, manipulation, jealousy and guilt. The comments from
reviewers on the cover of this book made it appear a chilling horror story.
This put me off and made me initially reluctant to read the book. When I did
start to read it I was gripped by the story and unable to put the book down
till it was finished. Although there is some violence, it was not frightening
or graphic as the reviews indicated. I think Guilt is better classified as a
psychological suspense novel than as horror. It was the first Hilary Norman
novel I’ve read but certainly won’t be the last.
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Ruth Slater
Hilary Norman is the author of 13 books including Mind Games, Blind Fear
and The Pact