The Silent Garden
Review:
The
Silent Garden unravels an atmospheric mystery of a small coastal town where
secrets proliferate like the ivy that envelops the deserted manor at the town’s
heart. The novel intertwines suspense with delicate metaphor, thus winning the
reader to a domain where each character conceals a motive and every chat
glances at treachery.
The
pace moves along quite methodically, with tension being very well interwoven
between characters' viewpoints, while the major riddle is revealed just enough
to leave the readers guessing. The writer is very good at creating the image of
the scene that can be felt, whether it may be the sound of the old stairs or
the sea air heavy with salt.
Although
the ending provides good closure to the story, some of the secondary characters
might have been more complete. Nevertheless, the novel manages to combine the
atmospherics of the gothic with the psychological intrigue of the modern world,
and thus, it is a captivating read for the followers of Tana French or Louise
Penny.
Verdict:
A
suspenseful and richly descriptive mystery that hooks the reader until the
final page.
