cover image Sweet Heart

Sweet Heart

Peter James. St. Martin's Press, $18.95 (278pp) ISBN 978-0-312-06477-8

When Tom and Charley Witney, young Londoners desperate to conceive a child, decide a move to the country will relax them (per doctor's orders), they purchase Elmwood Mill, a secluded 15th-century building, and begin a rural existence that proves to be anything but relaxing. It seems the place is inhabited by the spirit of a nasty woman who once lived there, and Charley soon falls victim to horrific visions that leave Tom untouched. Charley experiences an odd familiarity with the house and begins ``regressive therapy'' to find out whether she had a past life that involved Elmwood Mill. James ( Possession ) uses these therapeutic sessions to chilling narrative effect as the regression continues and Charley's discoveries mount up. Readers will want to lock all the doors and light the lamps. ( Dec. )