J. M. Varese

Braithwaite and Sons is company that mines copper and makes the most beautiful wallpapers but in the second half of the 19th century there is some concern about the effects of the arsenic in their goods. The company has been run by a trusted advisor since the death of Mr Braithwaite many years ago and Lucy's brother is in ill health so relies on the management. However when the manager dies, his successor takes over and Lucy becomes more and more uneasy both about the dangers of the papers and also Julian Rivers. There is tragedy in the past and now it seems to have reappeared.
This is quite a short book but it packs a punch. There was a scandal about the arsenic content of wallpaper in Victorian Britain, dense colours were enhance but when the aper got damp it released arsenic into the atmosphere. Added to this is a gothic tale of tragedy and haunting. It shouldn't work, too much in too short a book but it does work incredibly well.… (meer)