Product Description

The big new novel by the bestselling author of WHISPERS IN THE SAND: a gripping tale of witchcraft and romance, past and present, as her modern-day characters are caught up in a battle that has been raging for hundreds of years. Across the peninsular the mist rolled in, its icy fingers curling up the cliffs. Inside their houses people stirred in their sleep and children cried in the dark. The parish of Manningtree and Mistley has a dark history. In 1644, with England in the grip of a Puritan government, Matthew Hopkins, Cromwell's Witchfinder General, tortured scores of women there, including Liza, the herbalist, whose cottage still stands in Mistley, and Sarah Paxman, the daughter of the manor. And today the spirits of Hopkins and his victims haunt the old shop in the High Street, they say. Emma Dickson has given up her high-flying career to live in Liza's cottage, but now she is being driven half-mad by visions of the past; of Sarah's battle to save herself and Liza from the Witchfinder. In despair, Emma turns to the local rector for help, but he, too, is in the grip of something inexplicable -- something which threatens Emma. And, as the feast of Halloween approaches, Emma is caught up in a struggle that has been raging for centuries, as old enemies reach out across the years for their revenge. Can she stop the forces unleashed from the past wreaking their devastation in the present?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #217911 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 736 pages

Review
'Readers of Barbara Erskine are held in thrall' Woman's Realm 'Stephen King meeting Ruth Rendell' Frank Delaney 'Barbara Erskine's storytelling talent is undeniable' The Times

Frank Delaney
‘Stephen King meeting Ruth Rendell’

From the Publisher
Hiding From The Light is a fantstic tale of romance and suspense.

Customer Reviews

SUPER SUPERNATURAL STORY
I have enjoyed every book that Barbara Erskine has written and Hiding from the Light is in my opinion another winner!
I could not put it down for long,.
It is an 'on the edge of your seat' story about Emma who feels
compelled to buy an old cottage in the village that she remembers from her childhood days. As she settles in there, Emma begins to hear voices in her head and share someone else's memories. That 'someone else' being a witch from the 1600's. The story progresses into supernatural happenings which have you biting your nails and the past and present collide, with dramatic results. My only negative thought on the whole book is that it did seem to end too simply. But,it was brilliant. I loved it!!!!

hiding under the duvet more like!
wow this book is addictive! i have read quite a few barbara erskine books with this one being the latest and managed to read it within a week. I just couldn't put it down and oh it can scare you! just like midnight is a lonely place this book is about ghosties and things that go bump in the night in the deep essex countryside. I wont go into too much detail just to say that it is halloween in the book, there are witches and a witchfinder general all back for revenge! enter a good looking vicar ,an independent ex-london girl and a local modern day witch -this book keeps you gripped right up till the last page! if you like ghost stories, romance and good v's evil this book should be for you! buy it !

GHOSTIES AND BEASTIES AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT..
I have been a fan of this author ever since I read her wonderful bestselling book, "Lady of Hay". So, I looked forward to reading this, her latest book, which has supernatural portents and characters from another place and time.

In this book, the mid-seventeenth century and the present converge. Ghosts from the time of Oliver Cromwell, when Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, unjustly persecuted women in some rural communities in North Essex for being witches, are stirring. With Halloween on the horizon, it is only a matter of time before they make their presence felt.

Emma Dickinson, a high-powered business executive finds herself inexorably drawn to a quaint cottage in a rural community in North Essex, where, as a child, she had spent some time. Leaving behind her lover and significant other, she buys her dream cottage, which long ago belonged to a herbalist named Liza who met her end at the hands of the Witchfinder General. When Emma moves into the cottage, she begins having a series of nightmares of a past that she cannot bear to remember.

Unbeknownst to her, Mike Sinclair, the handsome new rector of her parish, likewise finds himself consumed by images of the past. A voice in his head interjects concepts and feelings that are alien to Mike. He is at a loss to explain what is happening and does not know that he is barreling towards a climax that will be decisive in determining whether the forces of evil or good will prevail.

The author, a master storyteller, weaves a tale that is engaging, but the quality of the writing, however, is uneven, and some of the characters are not fully-fleshed. Moreover, the book could have benefited from some better editing. Nonetheless, while the book falls somewhat short of the standards that this author herself has set, it is still a moderately entertaining book that fans of the author will, in some measure, enjoy.