The Ice Twins

The death of one of the twin daughters of Sarah and Angus Moorcroft jump-starts this superb tale from the pseudonymous Tremayne. A year after the tragedy, the once well-to-do Moorcroft family leaves London to live in a lighthouse on Eilean Torran, a remote Scottish island that Angus inherited from his grandmother. Angus’s fond memories of the island give way to harsh reality: the place, accessible only by boat, is nearly uninhabitable with rats, leaks, and mold. But the dilapidated building and the island’s eeriness pale next to the family’s deterioration. The surviving twin, seven-year-old Kirstie, insists she is Lydia, the child who fell to her death. The girls were monozygotic, or perfectly identical twins, but Sarah could tell them apart. Did the parents, whose fragile marriage continues to corrode, misidentify the deceased child? Tremayne effectively delivers a psychological gothic thriller with supernatural overtones while avoiding clichés. Grief’s debilitating effects on children and adults further elevate this gripping story. [em]Agent: Jay Mandel, WME Entertainment. (May) [/em]