by Susan Hill
First published 1992
Arthur Kipps travels to a remote village to handle the funeral arrangements for Mrs Alice Drablow, who lived alone at Eel Marsh House. The isolated property sits at the end of a causeway, surrounded by marshland and shrouded in fog. During the funeral service, Arthur spots a gaunt young woman dressed entirely in black among the mourners. When he asks the locals about her, they refuse to discuss the matter, their faces growing pale at any mention of the woman in black. Arthur must venture to Eel Marsh House to sort through Mrs Drablow's papers, but the villagers warn him against staying overnight. As he explores the shuttered rooms and discovers the house's tragic history, Arthur realizes the woman in black has a connection to past events that locals desperately want to forget. The deeper Arthur digs into the mystery, the more he understands why the villagers fear her presence and what her appearances might mean.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, horror, supernatural, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: mystery, supernatural
Setting: Eel Marsh House, England
Period: 19th-century
176 pages · Paperback · Mandarin