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The House on the Cliff    by Charlotte Williams Amazon.com order for
House on the Cliff
by Charlotte Williams
Order:  USA  Can
HarperCollins, 2014 (2014)
Softcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Jessica Mayhew has a thriving practice as a psychotherapist. However she also has problems of her own. Her husband, relieving his own guilt, tells her of a one-night indiscretion. Now he feels better and fully expects her to forgive him and that life should go on.

So she has this to deal with along with a sixteen-year-old daughter who is trying to cut the apron strings. How can she forgive her husband? Is this the only time? Was he looking for more than she could give him? Can she ever trust him again? She knows she can't trust her daughter.

Her daughter is determined to become a pop star and is willing to disobey the family rules to achieve her goal. Then Gwydion Morgan walks into Jessica's office complaining about a phobia of buttons! He also has bad dreams of when he was a child and he is certain that if he can find the cause of a certain dream, he will be well. She feels he is mentally fragile.

He lives with his mother and his father, a famous stage director, who is demanding and whom Gwydion fears. They live in a lovely home on top of a cliff overlooking the rocky Welsh coast. Their former au pair drowned over five years ago. Could this have been an accident, a suicide or murder!

So much to mull over. Jessica needs some time to herself. But her mind won't shut down for some R and R. The frightening ending is very well done.

It's good to welcome author Charlotte Williams to the mystery genre. She portrays her protagonist as a very believable character. Her tightly written story drew me right in. I look forward to more of her work.

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