A taut psychological thriller with fantasy/horror overtones. I bowled through this one, wanting to know who the un-named "instructor" of the child Jessie was. About four chapters in, a second plot strand is started, telling the story of that "instructor". Joyce lays some false trails here, and he lays them so effectively that I was disappointed that he'd identified the "instructor" so early - except that I was wrong over that identity! Equally, the book blurb indicates that " a tragedy" would overtake the characters, and again a false trail was laid and the tragedy itself, when it came, was not what I expected and handled in an effective and essentially truthful way.

'Nul points' to the Penguin (UK) designer for choosing a cover image depicting weather not encountered in the book! (A tornado.) ( )

This book is really hard to classify. It has tinges of horror as well as the supernatural and magical realism feel about it but doesn't really fit comfortably in any of those genres. What it is, is a beautiful building of tension in the relationships of a family and friends holidaying together in the Dordogne. Each of whom have their secrets that they either share with or want to protect from the others in the group. This group consists of James, a successful advertising executive, and his French wife, Sabine, and two daughters, Jessie and Beth, Matt, James' best friend and former employee, with wife Chrissie and rounding out the group is Rachel, another former employee of James and also one whom he had an affair with. One un-named member of this party is giving the already slightly disturbed Jessie instruction which seems to be making her personality even more strange than it already is.

Storm clouds are gathering both in the meteorological sense and the emotional. When it strikes will it clear the air or is it a sign of great upheaval within the household? ( )

http://www.engel-cox.org/text/the_stormwatcher.html ( )