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The Dark Backward : A Novel of Suspense
Mary Reynold's new weekend country cottage becomes the site of a series of mysterious goings-on--including her husband's death--that lead a woman to some disturbing discoveries. A first novel.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Hall
8 books5 followersGregory Hall lives in the famous city of Bath, founded almost 2000 years ago by the Romans, who chose the site for its hot springs. It is now the favourite destination of many contemporary visitors, for its Georgian architecture and its literary associations with Jane Austen.
The highly praised author of four previous psychological thrillers, Gregory's latest novel, Hot Water, is published exclusively on Kindle. It will be of particular interest to former and intending tourists to his home city. A blackly comic murder mystery, in which a few myths about olde England are gleefully demolished, Hot Water's combination of stylish writing and dazzlingly intricate plotting will delight the discerning reader.
Gregory loves his family, cats, sunshine, France, red wine and black coffee.
The highly praised author of four previous psychological thrillers, Gregory's latest novel, Hot Water, is published exclusively on Kindle. It will be of particular interest to former and intending tourists to his home city. A blackly comic murder mystery, in which a few myths about olde England are gleefully demolished, Hot Water's combination of stylish writing and dazzlingly intricate plotting will delight the discerning reader.
Gregory loves his family, cats, sunshine, France, red wine and black coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 31, 2009
Started out better than it finished, but was an enjoyable suspense novel. The setting and premise were really cool. I felt the heroine got a bit dumb after a while, I hate it when I know more than the hero, but a good rainy day stand-alone.
May 6, 2017
Newly married Mary and Geoffrey Reynolds buy an isolated cottage in Norfolk as a weekend retreat from their life in London and the cottage promises to be an idyllic place to relax until Geoffrey dies very suddenly and Mary begins to realise there are significant inconsistencies in the life history he has given her and begins to investigate.
The initial difficulties of finding any deeds to or paper work relating to the sale of the house lead
Mary to begin looking more deeply into the circumstances of the sale and and Geoffrey's finances which in itself leads to more questions than answers regarding other people in the village, the local landowner, the publishing house Mary works for and a mysterious scientist and his family who had previously owned the cottage.
This novel began with huge potential and incredible atmosphere. The mystery was gripping and interesting complex and it was not immediately evident how this would pan out. For a considerable part of it it was heading for 3/4 * rating too but the final quarter really let this book down. Reading this 22 years after publication meant that in some aspects, particularly technology, the storyline felt dated while the rest of the circumstances still remained current, however to sheer complexity of and the conspiracies in the mystery ended up making it seem almost ridiculous and made me wish that the book had been brought to a conclusion at least 50 pages if not more earlier. The ultimate ending was quite frankly ludicrous. To be fair the author did, by the end, securely tie all the ends up which can be irritating when this does not happen but this does not detract from fact that there were still far too many ends to tie up.
Disappointing because this book has so much potential.
The initial difficulties of finding any deeds to or paper work relating to the sale of the house lead
Mary to begin looking more deeply into the circumstances of the sale and and Geoffrey's finances which in itself leads to more questions than answers regarding other people in the village, the local landowner, the publishing house Mary works for and a mysterious scientist and his family who had previously owned the cottage.
This novel began with huge potential and incredible atmosphere. The mystery was gripping and interesting complex and it was not immediately evident how this would pan out. For a considerable part of it it was heading for 3/4 * rating too but the final quarter really let this book down. Reading this 22 years after publication meant that in some aspects, particularly technology, the storyline felt dated while the rest of the circumstances still remained current, however to sheer complexity of and the conspiracies in the mystery ended up making it seem almost ridiculous and made me wish that the book had been brought to a conclusion at least 50 pages if not more earlier. The ultimate ending was quite frankly ludicrous. To be fair the author did, by the end, securely tie all the ends up which can be irritating when this does not happen but this does not detract from fact that there were still far too many ends to tie up.
Disappointing because this book has so much potential.
July 25, 2012
The Dark Backward by Gregory Hall is a fiction suspense novel set in London and the Norfolk countryside.
It's about Mary Reynolds, an American publisher, who is married to an English journalist. They purchase an idyllic English country cottage but soon after moving in tragedy strikes and Mary works to unravel the mystery surrounding her husband. As she faces burglary, stalking and even an attempt on her life she comes to realize that the man she married is not who she thinks he was.
This is a book full of suspense and mystery and keeps you guessing. The end is so fast-paced, it's breathtaking as everything unravels and comes to a head. Great for those who like mystery, suspense and a bit of educated sleuthing.
It's about Mary Reynolds, an American publisher, who is married to an English journalist. They purchase an idyllic English country cottage but soon after moving in tragedy strikes and Mary works to unravel the mystery surrounding her husband. As she faces burglary, stalking and even an attempt on her life she comes to realize that the man she married is not who she thinks he was.
This is a book full of suspense and mystery and keeps you guessing. The end is so fast-paced, it's breathtaking as everything unravels and comes to a head. Great for those who like mystery, suspense and a bit of educated sleuthing.
May 31, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoy Julia Buckley's cozy mysteries so I found this little gem, which appears to have been written in her earlier years. It is very Mary Higgins Clark-ish and had the same feel I get when I read her books. It was well-written and had enjoyable and clear characters and a fighting main female lead, which I always enjoy. Pretty good for a stand-alone mystery.
October 31, 2022
DNF at 100 pages. Pacing was strange and confusing. Story had promise but did not get to the point.
April 5, 2014
AUTHOR: Buckley, Julia
TITLE: The Dark Backward
DATE READ: 04/04/14
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Mystery/2006/Mignight Ink/217 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: S/A
TIME/PLACE: Early 2000's
CHARACTERS: Lily Caldwell/PI ; "Nob" Stevens/governor
FIRST LINES: Lily barely manager to hide her distaste for the man who sat across from her in the diner. He had hired her, & he was entitled to her time as long as she was billing him, but she didn't have to like him in the privacy of her own heart.
COMMENTS: Chosen for "book roulette" carpe librum swap. The roulette #'s were 3-3-23 So, go to your bookshelf. Start at the bottom right hand corner (3), then count up 3 shelves (3), then count 23 books over from the right (23). Got a book? Right, that is your challenge. The book was The Dark Backward by Julia Buckley. Yes, it had been on my shelf for several years -- I had heard of the author most likely on one of my on-line bookgroups. I don't recall if I purchased it or traded for it. I really didn't have pre-conceived opinion about the book except the cover. It is Not appealing -- it looks like an alien skull w/ a crack from the top of the head to between the pupil-less eyes & to me as nothing to do w/ the story. If I was to choose a book by the cover -- this would not be chosen. However, what was inside was very enjoyable to me. Lily used to work for the police dept as an officer until she was fired. She and her partner Danny were out on a call when they were both shot. Danny was killed and Lily almost died. When she is revived, she is sure she had seen her would-be murderer - a very well-know public figure. Her husband and co-workers are convinced that Lily is misunderstood & this is something she imagined while being technically dead. Lily is convinced that she is right and will not let go -- she is perceived as unstable & not herself anymore -- she is fired from her position as police officer & her husband moves out. About a year later, Lily is supposedly mugged -- only muggers don't usually know your names… this leads to her finding other ties to her partner's murder & Nob Stevens, the governor. There were a lot of twisted relationships that even if not surprising were still all part of a good story.
TITLE: The Dark Backward
DATE READ: 04/04/14
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Mystery/2006/Mignight Ink/217 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: S/A
TIME/PLACE: Early 2000's
CHARACTERS: Lily Caldwell/PI ; "Nob" Stevens/governor
FIRST LINES: Lily barely manager to hide her distaste for the man who sat across from her in the diner. He had hired her, & he was entitled to her time as long as she was billing him, but she didn't have to like him in the privacy of her own heart.
COMMENTS: Chosen for "book roulette" carpe librum swap. The roulette #'s were 3-3-23 So, go to your bookshelf. Start at the bottom right hand corner (3), then count up 3 shelves (3), then count 23 books over from the right (23). Got a book? Right, that is your challenge. The book was The Dark Backward by Julia Buckley. Yes, it had been on my shelf for several years -- I had heard of the author most likely on one of my on-line bookgroups. I don't recall if I purchased it or traded for it. I really didn't have pre-conceived opinion about the book except the cover. It is Not appealing -- it looks like an alien skull w/ a crack from the top of the head to between the pupil-less eyes & to me as nothing to do w/ the story. If I was to choose a book by the cover -- this would not be chosen. However, what was inside was very enjoyable to me. Lily used to work for the police dept as an officer until she was fired. She and her partner Danny were out on a call when they were both shot. Danny was killed and Lily almost died. When she is revived, she is sure she had seen her would-be murderer - a very well-know public figure. Her husband and co-workers are convinced that Lily is misunderstood & this is something she imagined while being technically dead. Lily is convinced that she is right and will not let go -- she is perceived as unstable & not herself anymore -- she is fired from her position as police officer & her husband moves out. About a year later, Lily is supposedly mugged -- only muggers don't usually know your names… this leads to her finding other ties to her partner's murder & Nob Stevens, the governor. There were a lot of twisted relationships that even if not surprising were still all part of a good story.
December 27, 2023
When Lily Caldwell died, she didn’t float above herself, or see a bright light or walk down a tunnel - she saw the face of her murderer. Unfortunately, when the doctors brought her back to life no one believed her. For she had identified Governor Robert ‘Nob’ Stevens as the murderer of her partner Danny Donovan and the attempted murder of herself. She didn’t blame anyone for not believing her and for Chief Pulizzi for firing her from the police force, but she did blame Grayson Caldwell for not sticking by her.
Thirty years old and jobless, Lily Caldwell sets out to prove Nob Stevens is a killer. She has just one piece of knowledge that the shooting had given her the name of a girl she didn’t know, a teacher who’d been dead for seventeen years: Emily Martin.
Told from multiple points of view the book switches effortlessly between the main characters, sending the story along at a cracking pace. Although we know the name of the perpetrator from the outset, there is of course a deep secret at the heart of the story, which as Lily nears puts her in the gravest danger from someone who must keep this secret at all costs.
A good mystery. Recommended.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
Thirty years old and jobless, Lily Caldwell sets out to prove Nob Stevens is a killer. She has just one piece of knowledge that the shooting had given her the name of a girl she didn’t know, a teacher who’d been dead for seventeen years: Emily Martin.
Told from multiple points of view the book switches effortlessly between the main characters, sending the story along at a cracking pace. Although we know the name of the perpetrator from the outset, there is of course a deep secret at the heart of the story, which as Lily nears puts her in the gravest danger from someone who must keep this secret at all costs.
A good mystery. Recommended.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
August 21, 2022
This was absolutely one of the worst books I have read. It did not keep my attention at all. When I was reading it I literally fell asleep every time. I did have high hopes and this book failed drastically. I felt like I was being lectured on things that were not that difficult to understand until he started writing.
I gave a second star because he did finally tie everything thing up and had closure. I skimmed the last part til the big reveal.
Was definitely not a book for me.
I gave a second star because he did finally tie everything thing up and had closure. I skimmed the last part til the big reveal.
Was definitely not a book for me.
April 17, 2008
This book is rally sort of boring and predictable...why do I keep reading? Must be something about that title that made me think it would be awesome...
Having finished it, I realize that this had THE worst rendering of a female character by a male author EVER, and that I resented the main character for being so fucking stupid.
Having finished it, I realize that this had THE worst rendering of a female character by a male author EVER, and that I resented the main character for being so fucking stupid.
November 9, 2014
I picked this up on a whim at the library, based on the title alone. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Despite feeling over-long, with a second half that dragged, I enjoyed the suspenseful and intricately-woven plot. I also really liked the protagonist and found the book to be surprisingly feminist, which I definitely wasn't expecting.
September 15, 2008
I thought this book was slow, outdated & predictable but the drama of a town in the rustic English countryside was enjoyable. The drama is more intense at the beginning but sputters out & soon becomes disappointing.
January 18, 2012
This book was a page turner from the very start! Very well thought out plot and real characters. This book was not based on a "soap opera" as the other reviewer noted. This was the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read her next books!
March 11, 2010
Mixture of a typical cop sitcom show and a bad soap opera.
March 8, 2013
A really good mystery. It hits all my marks - takes place in England, great characterization and great story. I definitely recommend this book.
September 3, 2014
Set in the Norfolk countryside & London, not a great book but had some good twists and turns along the way.
Read
July 8, 2009"Rainy day" feeling throughout book
Read
May 21, 2011Great mystery writer
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews