Touch not the cat (by Mary Stewart)

(Amazon UK link)

I read one or two of Mary Stewart's books as a teenager. I enjoyed them, while finding them slightly disturbing, sometimes. They tend to be romantic thrillers, with an emphasis on eerie or slightly supernatural events, although mostly grounded in realism.

The writing is always good, and the endings satisfying, so over the years I've collected more of her novels, mostly second-hand. I hadn't previously read 'Touch not the cat', and I very much enjoyed it when I finally picked it up a couple of days ago.

The story is about Bryony. When her father dies, she returns from her work abroad, knowing that her cousin Emory would now own the family estate. Since childhood she has a kind of psychic communication with one of her cousins, but does not know for sure which one of them it is.

Strange things start to happen after she returns, as she tries to unravel the meaning behind her father's last words. Inevitably she finds herself in some danger before the dramatic, unexpected, and reassuring conclusion.

Definitely recommended.

(You can also read my rather longer review of 'Touch Not the Cat' after I re-read it thirteen years later)