Voices in Darkness by
Susan Hepburn
pbk out February 03
(Piatkus)
at £5.99
Dr. Rhianna (Anna) Summers has been recalled to academic work after a
breakdown resulting from a personal tragedy; she has been engaged to undertake a family
history research project. Her key interviewees are a pair of elderly sisters, Molly & Alice
Webb, and to facilitate the project Anna takes up temporary residence in Swifford Lea, one
of a group of remote villages. Hardly has she arrived when a young girl is murdered, her
father also slain, although by whose hand is not certain - and from then on the plot swoops
from murder to murder, mystery to mystery, secret to secret. It is a breathless ride.
The narrative is punctuated by the meetings of a group of four people, collectively The
Guardians of the Keepers of the Old Knowledge but individually known as "The One", "The
Second" and so on. Their identities can gradually be pieced together but their purpose
remains unclear. The origins of the mystery and the motivation behind the murders lie in the
past - but whether it is the recent or the more distant past is in itself another puzzle. It
seems that the elderly sisters hold the key - but to what? There are heavy hints, a lot of
clues, clearly many past mysteries. Remarkably few people are who or what they seem to be,
and although the Guardians of the Keepers can identify who is at risk, they are unable to
prevent murder upon murder.
Another dimension to the novel, heralded by the ritual nature of the Guardians'
meetings, is the strong atmosphere of belief in the supernatural. Anna herself (her field of
study being folklore) predisposes her, perhaps, to such beliefs, but ultimately there are
minor characters who don't see what the believers see, so that the reader is free to accept
or reject this element of the story as s/he pleases.
This novel is staggeringly imaginative, there are certainly well-drawn characters and plot twists to enjoy, and indeed some very good writing. The plot though, moves along at a frenetic pace ( as was the case in Hepburn's first novel, "Missing"). One may find this stimulating but one may rather wish for a calmer, more considered tale.
Voices in Darkness by
Susan Hepburn
