The Risk of Darkness — Susan Hill

The Risk of Darkness, even more compulsive and convincing than its predecessors, explores the crazy grief of a widowed husband, a derangement that turns into obsession and threats, violence and terror.

Meanwhile, handsome, introverted chief inspector Simon Serrailler, whose cool reserve has broken the hearts of several women, finds his own heart troubled-by the newest recruit to the Cathedral staff: a feisty female Anglican priest with red hair.

With the complexity and character study that got raves for The Pure in Heart, and with the relentless pacing and plot twists of The Various Haunts of Men, The Risk of Darkness is truly the work of a writer at the top of her form.