It’s an interesting story. Anne Silver’s journalist brother Michael has
been investigating a crime ring. He’s been attacked and hospitalised, and
Ann wants to carry on, but needs help. She turns to Julian Aries, a
mysterious government agent she’d met briefly, six months before. Sparks
had flown, but Julian had left on his final mission. He swore he’d be back
for her. He never came. Instead, he’s retreated to a remote mountain
shack, where Anne finds him recovering from wounds and fever after the
mission went belly up.
JAK’s always hot on images and as you’d gather from the title, Ghosts are
the theme of the book – unresolved conflicts haunt Julian and Anne like
ghosts from the past, a hallucination haunted Julian on his mission,
spurious ghosts are “exorcised” by the gang of thieves as they gain entry
to their victims houses, and there’s Carlotta - a real ghost who’s a
central part of the plot. Even the name Silver hints at moonlight and the
insubstantial. (Though I’m not sure of Aries the Ram as a name for the
hero – even if is named after a zodiac sign that’s strong and supportive).
Julian’s one of my favourite character types. JAK has a nice line in
wounded males with broken bodies and scarred psyches. They go into covert
government work with naïve enthusiasm, grow cynical, and need rescuing.
Julian’s wounded and defensive, doesn’t believe he has anything to offer
to Anne any more, and fears his help is all she wants.
Together, Anne and Julian set off for the Creswell estate with its
amazing, fantasy bedrooms. There, Anne discovers that although the ghost
hunters are fakes, she has an affinity at least one particular ghost.
She’s the only person who is aware of the dead Carlotta’s presence.
Together, Julian and Anne face murderous con-artists, foil their plot and
solve the puzzle as to what happened to Carlotta on the day she died.
It’s an enjoyable read, but not one of JAK’s best. The only reason Anne
has for holding Julian at bay seems to be to keep the tension between them
going, and it isn’t good enough. The battlelines are drawn on her arrival
in that cabin, and there’s plenty of time to sort out their problems – the
first third of the book is set there. However strongly written, their
adventure is then crammed into the remaining two thirds of the book.
Anne herself is a feisty woman who’s always been on the bossy side,
according to her brother. I like women who can stand their ground, but
much of the conflict between Anne and Julian is because Anne insists she’s
in charge of the operation, not Julian - even though she went to him for
his specialist skills. While I see that if she was emotionally vulnerable,
that’s how Anne would feel, a stronger, sensible woman wouldn’t need to
react like this. There’s a petulant edge to Anne. And as for Michael, her
brother, he’s mentioned to move the plot along, but we never see him nor
get to know him.
Even so, it’s full of good points as well. Carlotta the ghost doesn’t say
a word, but she certainly makes her presence felt. Sara looks ethereal but
her gun is very substantial. There’s clifftop drama, a race against time
and tide, plenty of villainly, and Julian finally realises he has
something to offer Anne.
Phyllis Brighouse
