[LIBRARY EDITION Audiobook CD format in sturdy Vinyl Case with cloth sleeves that keep compact discs protected.] [Read by Simon Vance] In this tantalizing tale of Victorian ghost stories and family secrets, timid, solitary librarian Gerard Freeman lives for just two things: his elusive pen pal Alice and a story he found hidden in his mother"s drawer years ago. Written by his great-grandmother Viola, it hints at his mother"s role in a sinister crime. As he discovers more of Viola"s chilling tales, he realizes that they might hold the key to finding Alice and unveiling his family"s mystery -- or will they bring about his untimely death, as they seem to foretell? -- Harwood"s astonishing, assured debut shows us just how dangerous family skeletons--and stories--can be.