Tower of Silence [Mass Market Paperback]

Sarah Rayne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Selina March has lived in the remote Scottish hamlet of Inchcape for nearly 50 years. When she reluctantly takes in a paying guest, her secluded life changes forever. Crime writer Joanna Savile has come to interview the inmates at nearby Moy, the asylum for the criminally insane. Her secret aim is to question former child murderer, Mary Maskelyne, Moy’s most infamous patient. Joanna’s prying will yield unexpected results, for although they have never met, Selina March and Mary Maskelyne are connected by a shared family tragedy—an act of unspeakable cruelty that took place in India 50 years earlier.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'She has a crisp and intelligent style, and a real way with tension' MO HAYDER 'Clever and atmospheric... A compelling read' Good Book Guide 'When you get halfway through, you won't be able to stop... The varied cast of characters are so well drawn that they get under your skin long before you reach the gripping climax' Big Issue 'Rayne's wealth of intriguing characters and situations has you continually putting two and two together and making five, but when the truth emerges, you wonder why you didn't see it coming. Clues to all the bizarre twists are there, but so well constructed that each time you are taken by surprise' Western Daily Press" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Selina March has lived in the remote Scottish hamlet of Inchcape for nearly fifty years. When she reluctantly takes in a paying guest, her secluded life changes forever. Crime writer Joanna Savile has come to interview the inmates at nearby Moy, the asylum for the criminally insane. Her secret aim is to question former child murderer, Mary Maskelyne, Moy's most infamous patient. Joanna's prying will yield unexpected results. For, although they have never met, Selina March and Mary Maskelyne are connected by a shared family tragedy: an act of unspeakable cruelty that took place in India fifty years earlier. And there are secrets in Selina's more recent past, as well. Secrets that are about to be uncovered with the most horrifying consequences... Sarah Rayne is the pseudonym of a well-known, highly praised British novelist.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743450892
• ISBN-13: 978-0743450898
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Rayne's first novel was published in 1982, and for several years she juggled writing books with working in property, pounding an elderly typewriter into the small hours in order to meet deadlines.

Much of the inspiration for her dark psychological thrillers comes from the histories and atmospheres of old buildings, a fact that is strongly apparent in many of her settings - Mortmain House in A Dark Dividing, Twygrist Mill in Spider Light, and the Tarleton Theatre in Ghost Song.

She has written more than 20 books to date, and her work has met with considerable acclaim, with Tower of Silence being long-listed for the 2005 Theakston's Award. Her books are also published in America, Germany, Holland, Russia and Turkey.

To find out more about Sarah Rayne visit her website or YouTube channel-
www.sarahrayne.co.uk
www.youtube.com/user/SarahRayneAuthor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping suspense, January 2, 2007

By 

Lynn S - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tower of Silence (Mass Market Paperback)

Tower Of Silence kicks off by introducing us to Selina March, a timid spinster who leads a sheltered, if not reclusive, life. Horrified by the prospect of Teind House, her home for the last four decades,having to be sold due to lack of money, Selina reluctantly decides to open a bed and breakfast. Crime writer Joanna Savile comes to stay while doing research for her latest novel. Teind House is close to Moy, an asylum for the criminally insane. Housed there is Mary Maskelyne,a notorious Sixties murderess.

I won't give too much away but a dark, devastating secret links the women. A tragedy that occurred in India nearly fifty years ago continues to impact the lives of many. Admittedly, the climax stretches credibility a tiny bit but you'll be too engrossed to care by then.
As well as being gripping and chilling, it shows the ripple effect a tragedy can have. If you've never read Sarah Rayne before, start now!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping psychological suspense, August 19, 2006

By 

L. S. Jaszczak "servant of the secret fire" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tower of Silence (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Maskelyne, an infamous teenage murderess from the 1960s, now in her forties, is transferred to Moy, a remote Scottish institution for the criminally insane. Selina March, a colorless, proper spinster, short of money, converts her house to a bed and breakfast. Mystery writer Joanna Savile arrives in the village of Inchcape, near Moy, to do some research and specifically to interview Mary Maskelyne. The stage is now set for events that began with a shattering atrocity in the tumultuous India of the late 1940s to play out to their final conclusion.

Sarah Rayne is supposed to be a pseudonym for a writer who is already well-known in Britain for horror fiction. Remnants of this may be seen in some of the particularly gruesome events that take place in _Tower of Silence_, but they don't seem to be out of place or done just for shock value. I, for one, am glad that she decided to switch genres; her other novels may be well written but I probably would not have found them, and I would imagine that psychological suspense gives her much more scope for her talents. Her writing is superb and even poetic at times. Her characters, even the worst of them, are imagined from the inside, and vividly drawn. The portrayal of Mary Maskelyne, manipulative, narcissistic and attention-seeking, is one of the most chilling fictional examinations of the sociopathic mind that I have ever encountered. Other, more sympathetic characters include Emily Frost, the colorful and many-faceted daughter of one of the doctors at Moy, who volunteers to work with some of the patients; the sad, traumatized and extremely dangerous patient known as Pippa; and the attractive, strangely charismatic Joanna.

Unfortunately, for the most part Rayne does not seem to portray male characters nearly as vividly or sympathetically, although I did like Joanna's husband, the half-Hungarian Krzystof Kent. Also, she may push coincidence a bit too far for some people in bringing all of these people together in the same place, but if you're like me you will be too caught up in the plot and the characters' lives to care.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BOOKS! BOOKS! AND MORE BOOKS!, December 17, 2008

By 

J. Stillman "Royal Hoyden" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tower of Silence (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all of Sarah Rayne's books and recommend them to
people who like to read odd little mystery stories with quaint
characters, unusual settings, with inriguing circumstances
occurring to them. She write charming books in a day when
gore and sex run rampantly through literature without a thought
to whether it enhances the story. I recommend ALL her books to
everyone but many would find her a bit slow moving and dull.
They would just be wrong about it for themselves, not for others.
Wish I knew her as a friend