The Book Diva's Reads

William Bellman commits a horrible deed as a child and, unbeknownst to him, that one small deed will overshadow the rest of his life. William grows into a rather mature and responsible young man, settling down and helping to take care of his mother, as well as actively participating in his father's family business. He quickly becomes his uncle's assistant and is soon expanding the business with suggestion after suggestion. He grieves his mother's death and gradually moves on, marrying and raising a family. But then his life seems to fall apart with death after death and grief beyond all bounds. It is William's grief that brings his introduction to the mysterious man in black.

It isn't really possible to describe Bellman & Black without giving away the storyline or the ending (if I did that you wouldn't have to read the book . . . read this book!). Suffice it to say there are a number of unexpected twists and turns that kept me on edge and thoroughly engaged until the end. Bellman & Black is just as lyrical and linguistically entrancing as Ms. Setterfield's debut work The Thirteenth Letter. It differs in that this is a true gothic ghost story but with panache. The underlying premise of the story is that small actions may bring about major repercussions in our lives and we never know when those repercussions will arrive. I generally try not to read other reviews before I write my own for fear of being influenced by what others have written, but this was not the case with Bellman & Black. Others were disappointed and felt that this book was too different from Ms. Setterfield's first. I thoroughly enjoyed this story as well as the differences. I found the characters very realistic, engaging and all too human with their flaws (some major and others minor). Ms. Setterfield is quite adept at drawing her readers into the scenes and truly paints a picture with her words. If you enjoy reading well-written stories and gothic ghost tales, then Bellman & Black is one book you definitely want to read.