By Horror Haunted

A second serving of spine-chilling Halloween tales from Celia Fremlin, ‘Britain’s Patricia Highsmith’ (Sunday Times)

‘Her Number On It’ is a compelling portrait of kleptomania; the ‘Unsuspected Talent’ of a dissatisfied wife has dangerous consequences; and ‘Don’t Tell Cissie’ upends our expectations of a ghost story. This latest collection of Cecila Fremlin’s Gothic miniatures is a showcase of macabre domesticity: controlling husbands rub shoulders with manipulative wives, parasitic visitors meet fatal accidents, there are nervous breakdowns, toxic relationships, sinister villagers and mob justice. With an unerring nail, Fremlin picks the scabs concealing domestic fault lines.