Something in the Walls

Demons and ghosts pale in comparison to human monsters in this rewarding folk thriller from Pearce (The Missing). Recent child psychology graduate Mina is still wracked with grief over the death of her brother more than six years ago. To cope, she starts attending a counseling group, where she meets Sam, a journalist mourning the death of his daughter. The pair bond quickly, and Sam soon asks Mina to help him interview 13-year-old Alice Webber, whose strange behavior has caused some members of her rural English community to believe she’s possessed. Mina leaps at the chance to utilize her degree while secretly hoping that Alice might be able to help contact her brother. As Alice’s outbursts grow more violent, her neighbors become increasingly paranoid, their mob mentality making Mina fear for Alice’s safety. While poking around with an increasingly depressed Sam, Mina learns that the villager who’s stirring up the loudest commotion about Alice’s possession might not be as benevolent as he seems. What begins as a supernatural thriller gradually develops into a thoughtful meditation on grief and groupthink, with enough pathos and drama to keep the pages turning. It’s a winner. (Feb.)