The publication of her historical novel "Annabel" should have been a joyous occasion for Professor Olivia Sweetman. Instead, her world was falling apart. It had started eighteen months ago when dowdy housekeeper Vivian Tester showed Olivia her startling discovery: Victorian Surgeon Annabel Burley's diary.

With its intriguing premise, I couldn't wait to dig in THE NIGHT VISITOR, but it was not the fast-paced psychological thriller I expected. THE NIGHT VISITOR is rather a modern gothic that unfolds at a very slow pace. Lucy Atkins's superbly evocative prose conveys a true gothic atmosphere, and her attention to detail is stunning. However, I felt this novel would have worked better as a novella, the storyline mired as it was in mundane and superfluous details, too many of them entirely irrelevant to the plot. At first, I was fascinated by the glamorous Olivia, brilliant academic, but I soon began to dislike her for her self-centerdness, selfishness and sense of entitlement. Vivian, although odd and not any more pleasant, was way more interesting as a character, possibly because her first person point of view did not meander as much as Olivia's, whose POV is written in the third person.

Ms. Atkins does paint a scathing picture of academia and of the hardships of the life of an academic turned celebrity darling. When I read thrillers, I love to be shocked by unforeseen plot twists, and unfortunately none of the big reveals came as a surprise -- especially the most important one, because of one specific detail -- however, I did not expect the last turn of event. But at least, in the end, justice prevailed.

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