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A crime binds a man and woman together in this "entertaining" novel ranging from Victorian England to Australia by a New York Times-bestselling author (Publishers Weekly). Young Angelet is fascinated by the haunting rumors surrounding the Pool of St. Branok--superstitious tales of its cursed, bottomless waters. The innocent Cornish girl shares the ghostly story with Benedict Lansdon, the handsome, illegitimate grandson of a family friend, and promises to show him the spot. But tragedy strikes when they meet at the pool, and Angelet and Ben become complicit in a crime that could send Ben to the gallows. Ben returns to Australia, but the pair feels bound by their terrible secret. After a whirlwind season in London, Angelet marries Gervaise Mandeville, a charming rogue with a weakness for gambling. As the casualties from the Crimean War mount, Gervaise decides to try his luck in the Australian gold rush. Angelet travels across the world with him, only to once again be ensnared in a fatal act of violence. Alone in the outback, Angelet faces her own day of reckoning from a long-ago crime--and gets a second chance at love.… (more)
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Like with “Midsummer’s Eve”, the Australian section often reads like non-fiction travel writing, which is fine if you don’t
Like the previous four books in the series, we have a plodding narrative with little action and lots of repetition. The repetition in this case occurs between Angel – the narrator – and Ben. Like with several other books in this series, they have almost identical conversations about their relationship – or the lack of one. Because the author has done this in several novels, we know what will happen, and aren’t surprised if an obstacle – that is, for example, a husband or wife – should conveniently die.
A few times, the author ruins the suspense with lines like these:
>And so innocently happy I rode out to the pool, not realizing that life was never going to be the same again.There came one evening at the house in the square which was to change our lives, although I did not know it then.I shall never forget that afternoon. During it I experienced some of the most harrowing hours I have ever known.