Author:J. Le Fanu,Victor Sage

One of the most significant and intriguing Gothic novels of the Victorian period and is enjoyed today as a modern psychological thriller. In UNCLE SILAS (1864) Le Fanu brought up to date Mrs Radcliffe's earlier tales of virtue imprisoned and menacedby unscrupulous schemers. The narrator, Maud Ruthyn, is a 17 year old orphan left in the care of her fearful uncle, Silas. Together with his boorish son and a sinister French governess, Silas plots to kill Maud and claim her fortune. The novel established Le Fanu as a master of horror fiction.
Outstanding, a sheer pleasure to read. Dunmore is a remarkable storyteller
—— Daily MailPart love story, part tragedy . . . Dunmore on dazzling form. Everyone should read her work
—— Independent on SundayEvery character is richly drawn and makes for compelling reading ... top-quality fiction
—— Daily ExpressRichly ambitious . . . there isn't a dull page. A remarkable achievement
—— ScotsmanExtraordinary . . . combines a luminous delicacy of observation with raw emotional power to haunting effect
—— Sunday TelegraphVivid and exciting . . . Dunmore creates a beautiful sense of stillness . . . she conveys a passion for Finland's icy landscape
—— ObserverBeautifully written . . . a story about us all
—— Evening StandardA very human and profoundly moving introduction to one of the darkest moments in history.
—— The Good Book GuideSeven Lies...has a way of enlarging the spirit and refreshing the mind far more comprehensively than many books with twice its 200 pages
—— James Buchan , Guardian[T]his seems to be an artful evocation of the effect of totalitarianism on the individual. But if this sounds drably psychological, I am doing the novel a disservice: it is short, intense, powerful and superbly crafted
—— Chris Power , The TimesIntricately plotted and structured, its prose both elegant and poised, Seven Lies could be read as a fable about the political and spiritual corruption endemic in a totalitarian state. It is, however, very much concerned with the human cost of deception and betrayal
—— Tim Parks , Sunday TimesA brilliant and darkly funny tale of politics and paranoia
—— Christina Patterson , IndependentA must-read for empty nesters ... this is Trollope at her most poignant
—— Guernsey Now