Whisper Cottage

Whisper Cottage is a psychological suspense novel by Anne Wyn Clark.

The narration starts with a chilling prologue which is happening in 1964 in Avoncote. The main story set in 2012 revolves around Stina, and Jack a young couple who move to Avoncote to start afresh when Jack gets a lucrative job offer.

Avoncote, a sleepy village in Warwickshire countryside, seems to be the perfect place for the family to settle down. Wisteria Cottage, their new home is a bit run-down as compared to the Rose Cottage adjoining theirs. Mrs. Bailey, the owner, is an old widow living alone. She is quite infamous in the village, as the residents distrust her and suspect her of indulging in witchcraft, but Stina and Jack don’t let their opinions mar their views about the old lady. However, a couple of stray incidents make Stina wary about her neighbor who is otherwise friendly with them.

I have not read Clark’s stories before, and picked up this book because of the cover and the description. It seemed to be a racy suspenseful read, and it piqued my curiosity. The author has done an amazing job with the setting. The idyllic village of Avoncote, and its residents are brought out well. There are a lot of major and minor characters; a couple of them fairly well developed. Jack, a doctor, is a supportive husband. Stina is an interesting character and has skeletons in her closet, which even her husband isn’t aware of. Mrs. Bailey is the strangest of them all. She has many secrets to hide.

But that’s as far as I liked anything about the book.

Clark builds a suspenseful environment with ease. The presence of strange dolls, hints of paranormal presence, and the suspicious characterization of Mrs. Bailey held me glued, as I wanted to know where it was all leading. However, the resolution regarding the mysterious presence was dissatisfactory. For such a great build-up, I was expecting a phenomenal revelation. Unfortunately, it lacked fizz!

Also, many of the untoward incidents which were projected as Mrs. Bailey’s doing resolved without proper reasoning and a decent closure.

Whisper Cottage has a good storyline, but the execution and fruition are terrible.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon Books in exchange for an honest review.

Wordsopedia rating 2.5/5

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