I first discovered Gregory Hall back in 1996 with his first and much-acclaimed novel "The Dark Backwards" - one of the best and most chilling thrillers I have ever read. His next 2 novels, although also good, were in my opinion not quite up to the same level. But that was until I recently read "A Sleep and a Forgetting". Not only is it up to the same standard as TDB, but is even better; certainly one of the best books I have read this year.
The story commences when Catriona Turville, a brilliant and dedicated but remote and mistrustful university professor with a paranoid dislike of human contact, receives a suicide letter from her sister Flora, a housewife living what appears to be an idyllic existence with her scientist husband & teenage daughter in a Gloucestershire village. From the very beginning of the book, we know that both sisters share a dark secret from their childhood which has haunted them for ever. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not believing that her sister could possibly be dead, Catriona decides to investigate - and opens up a veritable Pandora's box.
The story twists and turns brilliantly, as the author uncovers, layer after layer, with shocks and red herrings galore, both mysteries. The characters are extremely believable - I personally did not like Catriona at the beginning, but grew to love her by the end!
If you are a fan of the psychological thriller, this book is a total stunner! Well done, Gregory Hall.