Vera — Elizabeth Von Arnim

A foreboding and darkly comic period thriller considered the inspiration for du Maurier's Rebecca, Vera is a deftly plotted masterpiece woven with intrigue When Lucy Entwhistle's father dies suddenly, she is left alone in the world struggling to find her place in life. But on the very same day she happens to meet the recently widowed Everard Wemyss. Their shared grief brings them together as they find in each other someone to talk to and in whom to confide, and Lucy finds a comforting hand to guide and protect her. As Wemyss' control over Lucy strengthens, an engagement seems imminent, only Lucy's aunt seems to apprehend some danger in the unsettling Wemyss. Returning from their honeymoon, Lucy takes up her place as mistress of "The Willows," the Wemyss family home. But the ghost of Wemyss's first wife seems to hang heavy in the air. With Everard's ever increasing controlling behavior, the claustrophobic atmosphere deepens, and Lucy becomes more obsessed with the mysterious Vera. The oppressive situation threatens to build to crisis level. How did Vera really die? Can Lucy ever be happy at "The Willows?" First published in 1921, Vera is a forgotten thriller by a master of the genre, a brilliant exploration of the nature of control and love in the relationships between men and women.