This is a return to the old Mitchell, though more of a 'cosy' than Mitchell used to be. It deals with witchcraft (three witches - Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley, the Chaucerian Aunt Eglantine, and the mysterious Gloria Mundy, half her hair red, the other half black, her ancestor burnt as a witch). Gloria Mundy arrives unannounced at the house of her former lover, various accidents happen, and Gloria Mundy's body is found at the dower house - a red wig lying on the corpse. This is good mystification - but the next event is superb. Gloria Mundy, now deceased, is seen working in a dress-shop by a young journalist narrating the story. If Gloria is dead, how did she manage to come back from the dead? This is good Mitchell - good mystification, bizarre events, and a good plot. While similar to Helen McCloy's classic THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, the book is distinctive - and the ending is excellent: surrealistic and dream-like with witchcraft, voodoo dolls, and ancient British barrows mingling... The only reason that the book does not have 5 stars is that better Mitchells exist: COME AWAY, DEATH; THE RISING OF THE MOON; DEATH AT THE OPERA; THE 23RD MAN; ST. PETER'S FINGER.
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