I compared this book favourably to Susan Hill's The Mist in the Mirror in my review for the latter. Both are wonderfully atmospheric, gripping, expertly written ghost stories, but The Woman in Black has the added advantage of a superb ending, which is both unexpected and horrific.
Notwithstanding a great appreciation for M.R James, H.P. Lovecraft etc, this is the best ghost story I have read. I recommend it to all lovers of the genre.
Comparison with The Woman in Black is inevitable, and unfortunately The Mist in the Mirror is not quite in the same class.
The reason? Well, to echo most other reviewers, I feel Susan Hill missed a great chance to turn out a fantastic ghost story by copping out on the ending.
For instance, there's Vane standing in the chapel, heralding (so I thought) a terrifying and spine tingling climax, and.......? He's not mentioned again. Too many loose ends generally.
It's almost as if SH got fed up after 180 - odd pages and decided to finish off the story there and then, any which way.
Having slated the ending, I must clarify that the rest of the book is… Read more
