| Synopsis: |
The West Family at Moortop Farm should have led settled and happy lives. They were affluent, had a superb old farmhouse, and were blessed with three daughters, Hyacinth, Hilda - and Honoria. But even from childhood Honoria cast a pall of fear and suspicion over the family. Violent and unpleasant things happened and although they were dismissed as accidents, both Honoria's parents and her older sister, Hyacinth, became increasingly alarmed. As the years passed, Honoria's worst excesses were concealed from the world, but even so, in her new life in Liverpool, her evil affected those about her - Yvonne, struggling to escape from an unhappy marriage, Karam, embroiled in an unorthodox love affair, Philip Pointer, trying to hide his own guilty secrets from those about him. But it was April, frail and struggling against a serious illness, who was to be the one to finally destroy Miss Honoria West. Rich in character and action, Ruth Hamilton's gritty and masterful writing builds to a resounding and powerful climax in yet another unforgettable novel. |