USA Today bestselling author Amy M. Reade writes
women's contemporary and gothic fiction. Her books have been compared to
authors such as DAPHNE DU MAURIER, PHYLLIS WHITNEY and VICTORIA HOLT. Most
recently, she’s been working on The Malice series, set in the United Kingdom.
Amy tells me her favourite of her own
novels is THE HOUSE ON CANDLEWICK LANE.
Art historian Dr. Greer Dobbins is a Scot living in
the USA when she experiences every parent's worst nightmare. Her daughter has
been kidnapped by her ex-husband and spirited across the Atlantic to a hiding
place in Edinburgh, Scotland. Greer follows but the medieval alleys of
Edinburgh hide a thousand secrets. At the centre of things is the dark and
forbidding house on Candlewick Lane. As
the nightmare deepens, Greer herself will become a target, along with everyone
she holds dear.
Edinburgh
In locating her story in Edinburgh, Amy is following
in the tradition of writers as diverse as Robert Louis Stephenson (Kidnapped, Catriona) Muriel Spark (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) Irving
Welch (Trainspotting) and Ian Rankin
in his Inspector Rebus novels.
Movies viewing different aspects of Edinburgh:
John Laurie and James MacArthur in ‘Kidnapped’ (1960)
Maggie Smith in ‘The
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ (1969)
Ewan McGregor in
‘Trainspotting’ (1996)
And whilst Edinburgh is rightly celebrated as a place
of vibrancy and culture, with its famous festival every August, there’s also
been darkness in the city’s underbelly dating back to the sinister ‘body
snatcher’ murderers William Burke and William
Hare.
They committed 16 murders over a
period of about ten months in 1828, then sold the corpses to Doctor Robert Knox for dissection at
his anatomy lectures.
Burke was caught and hung in 1829.
Hare escaped justice and the date of both his birth and death are unknown.
William Burke (1792-1829) and William
Hare
Naturally the mysterious house and
the fact that Amy has been compared to Daphne du Maurier made me think of the gothic fiction staple Rebecca and the movie ALFRED HITCHCOCK
made of it in 1940.
Joan Fontaine and Dame Judith
Anderson in ‘Rebecca’ (1940)
Manderley, the brooding house at the
centre of ‘Rebecca’
Reviews of CANDLEWICK LANE:
‘I really
can't say enough good things about the book. The characters are unique and well
developed and I quickly came to care about them, especially the main character,
Greer… If ever a book deserved five stars, this is it!’
‘Will
meet the needs of any reader who enjoys suspense.’
‘Incredible
book that captures you from the start! Although I read an advanced
copy, I had to purchase it because I enjoyed it so much. Don't start until you
have the time to read straight through! It will captivate you.’
‘A thoroughly
delightful and intelligent mystery that moves along briskly. The plot has
enough false leads and surprises to hold the reader’s attention.’
‘The
haunting beauty of Scotland, and the customs and cuisine of its people, are
intricately woven into this well-paced mystery.’
‘With a
cast of interesting and well-developed characters, the author had me suspecting
just about everyone, and she did a fabulous job of keeping me on the edge of my
seat from start to finish.’
‘A
satisfying read with everything a reader requires in a great mystery.’
