06/10/2024
Irish writer Le Fanu may be best known for horror fiction such as Carmilla, a vampire story predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. However, as listeners will discover in this gothic thriller, this prolific Victorian writer didn't need supernatural elements to create nightmarish tales. Sixteen-year-old Maud enjoys living with her somewhat distant father on their grand English estate, until he hires the terrifying French governess, Madame de la Rougierre. Georgina Sutton's narrative talents are on full display as naive but clever Maud struggles to make her distracted father see Madame's dark side. When Sutton dons Madame's velvety, sinister voice, listeners cower right alongside poor Maud. After her father dies, Maud is sent to live with her father's brother Silas, a reclusive social outcast and former murder suspect. Maud may be in the middle of nowhere with her odd, somewhat creepy uncle, but at least she is away from Madame…or so she thinks. Perfectly capturing the novel's oppressive atmosphere, Sutton transports listeners into Silas's decaying mansion and provides wonderfully varied voices for Le Fanu's entertaining cast of characters. VERDICT Given Sutton's sublime performance, fans of historical as well as contemporary suspense fiction will likely enjoy this spine-tingling classic.—Beth Farrell
