Book Review -- The House of Silence -- Linda Gillard

Gwen is a girl who has been orphaned when her Mother, Aunt and Uncle all died from curses ranging from drink, drugs and living an immoral life!

She works as a wardrobe mistress on film sets and this brings her into contact with the mysterious Alfie, who invites her, reluctantly, to spend Christmas with is disfunctional family at Creake Hall. Normally she would spend Christmas alone, so thinks it will be nice this time to spend it with a family.

This family Christmas does not turn out quite as she expected, and Alfie is behaving quite strangely. All is not as it seems. His mother is a childrens author and spends all her time in her room, refusing to mix with the rest of the household, even at Christmas. She lives in her own little world which is a mixture of the present and the past. She talks in riddles and when Gwen gets to meet her, she feels something with this family is not quite as it seems, especially when she see's family photos which don't quite ring true, and bits of torn up letters which seem to hide some secrets. Everyone tries to hide things from her. The only person she seems to have any faith, comes in the delightful guise of the handsome older gardener.

When she puts it all together it is quite a shock, and many secrets unfold.

This is a great book with some really interesting characters. I immediately warmed to Gwen and really felt for her. This book is well written and keeps you wanting to read on. Try as I might though I could not piece any of the clues together and was kept guessing right until the end. A really great read.