Dance with Me

Originally published in the U.K. in 1996, Doughty's intriguing psychological thriller weaves together the lives of two very different women. Outgoing, cynical and ""promiscuous as hell,"" Bet Walker relates the ""facts"" in a deliberately affectless first-person narrative. Peter, her boyfriend of three weeks, has died in a car crash, having just altered his will and left his considerable fortune to her. Bet obviously needs to learn more about her mysterious boyfriend. She talks to his two best friends, Alex and Sophie, and gradually discovers the secrets left in Peter's house, which she has inherited. Bet's story alternates with the third-person account of shy, conservative Iris, who works alone in an oppressive office as an Internet ""information consultant."" Troubled by blackouts and sensing she is being stalked, Iris discovers that her workplace was an insane asylum during the Victorian era and is now haunted by past victims. Bet's narration has touches of humor, but Iris's fragile mental state is chillingly rendered, and the suspense and uncertainty mount as the two women's stories begin to converge. Doughty's final twist is agile and shocking. (Jan.)