Hester Fox has such a unique writing style - The Widow of
Pale Hollow is the second of her titles I have read. This one is a classic take
on the theme "It was a dark, stormy night", because her stories are
filled with dark, stormy nights. This is the story of Gabriel Stone, recently
relocated to Pale Harbor to begin a transcendental church in his late wife's
honor. Gabriel arrives on a dark, stormy night, and in the neglected church
where he is to preach, he stumbles on a grisly find in the nave of the church.
He is warned to stay away from Sophronia Carver (what a great name!) by all the
townsfolk; she is reported to be a spell-casting murderess who got away with
killing her husband.
Gabriel begins visiting town-folk; as the new minister he
knows it is his duty. All have the same terrible warning; stay away from the
Widow Carver. As fiction deems, he accidentally does meet Sophronia, and they
are immediately attracted to each other. Things are not always as they seem,
however; the town and Helen, Sophronia's housekeeper, are vying to keep the
couple apart.
Sophronia is the editor of her late husband's magazine, and
she has been receiving disturbing requests for publication, along with even
more sinister and disturbing messages references to Edgar Allen Poe's stories.
Together, Sophronia and Gabriel try to solve the mystery of the Pale Harbor
evils, while at the same time remaining enamored with each other and trying to
keep their growing bonds secret.
I thoroughly enjoyed the development of all of the
characters in this book, from the spoiled, rich, one-dimensional people of the
town, to the deeply dark character of Helen, and the depth of Sophronia and
Gabriel both. It's a haunting, dark story centered around some completely
horrific clues, hints of witchcraft and magic, along with the bitterness that
can ruin a life. I found it to be old-fashioned enough in tone yet written on a
level I could appreciate. I look forward to reading more stories by Hester Fox!
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