By Vitina Molgaard
Carolyn Haynes’s Lord of Darkness is a gorgeous gothic work written under the pseudonym RB Chesterton. The tension in this novel is often nerve-wracking as we travel through the American South to a place called Columbus, Alabama. This is a small community where the rich and famous came to play in the 1940s, and all freedom and desire were unquestioned. In this small town, residents are completely free to do as they please without concern or interference from others.
Chesterton transports the reader here, in the summer of 1974, when much of the brilliance and splendor of the once beautiful home has been reduced to decay and ruin. Here we become acquainted with the story’s protagonist, Mimi Bosage, who tells the reader in detailed narration about her life in Bellefleur, where she has served as a live-in tutor to the Henderson family. This job brought her great joy until the family took in the mysterious teenage orphan Annie (no, not That Orphan Annie).
Anne has lost her memory, but she has many secrets waiting to be discovered. Life will never be the same again for anyone in this family, especially Mimi, who realizes from the beginning that something very wrong and dark is happening to the little girl. Before long, death and fear sweep through the family.
The story unfolds as an extended look back into the past, then circles back to reacquaint the reader with Mimi 40 years later, as she once again prepares to face the evil that tormented her decades earlier. Chesterton deserves the credit for his seamless interweaving of time, murder, mystery, and outright horror.
Lord of Darkness is a chilling book that will keep your hair on the ground as the plot and incredible creatures keep teasing us. It is a ghost story in the truest sense of the word, but with enough twists on familiar horrors to keep us glued to the page. Lord of Darkness is well worth a read for those who enjoy a gothic read. If you are not familiar with the works of RB Chesterton or Carolyn Haines, this is the perfect introduction.
Order yours here.
score:4/5
