Bone Deep

British author Ireland makes her U.S. debut with this chilling psychological thriller set in the Scottish town of Fettermore. In need of a girl Friday, retired folklore professor Margarita “Mac” Muir hires a young woman named Lucie, who has been kicked out of her mother’s house, to type the longhand notes for Mac’s new book, Fire, Sleet and Candlelight, a collection of fictionalized local legends. While Mac and Lucie work well together, it’s clear that both women are hiding parts of their past. Lucie’s secrets begin to catch up with her when her sister’s boyfriend, who caused her to be kicked out of her home, makes a surprise visit. Meanwhile, Mac dives deeper into a folk legend about two sisters in a nearby castle and the man who comes to court them. Soon, the lines between fiction, history, and reality begin to blur. The hypnotic narration shifts between Lucie and Mac, who both tell different sides of the same ancient story. Fans of contemporary gothic tales will find much to like. [em]Agent: Jenny Brown, Jenny Brown Assoc. (U.K.). (June) [/em]