Deborah Lawrenson: The Lantern

I picked this new novel up when I read something about it being reminiscent of Rebecca. I'm actually not going to review it, but I did want to post about it since the author mentions that novel in the work and is obviously going for a contemporary, updated version... in some form.

When Eve meets the mysterious, handsome Dom, she is swept off her feet. They seclude themselves in the French countryside, but questions about his first wife's disappearance plague Eve. What really happened to his wife, and what secrets does the villa they live in hold?

I'd call The Lantern Gothic (lite), but I think it falls far short of DuMaurier territory. There are ghosts, and there is a husband who can't quite be trusted, but there is really nothing of the extreme menace and off kilter, creepy characters of Rebecca. The house is bland in many ways with not enough description for my tastes, and the prose is thick and literary. I wanted more spooky and less showy diction. But that's just me.

If you like novels set in France and high literature, I think you'll enjoy it-- and I do enjoy high literature, but I want my Gothics Gothic. I think I wasn't bowled over by it because it is a split plot (past and present) story, and it didn't have much suspense... at least not to me. Any thoughts? Have you read it? Here's more about the novel:

The Lantern