crimetime.co.uk

Jeremy Dronfield's second novel is a tense, psychological thriller cast in the Barbara Vine vein. Three women meet at the funeral of one of an old friend from college, killed after a fall at the French chateau of the La Simarde family, into which she married. Dronfield deftly blends layers of narrative, short stories, diary entries and even the rather novel inclusion of a computer adventure game to lead the reader through the past of the three women, their dead friend, Lydia, and her husband, Salvador, musical genius and scion of the sinister La Simarde family. Dronfield leads us back through their past relationships at college, and the history of the La Simarde, piling revelation upon revelation until the truth about Salvador and his monstrous mother is seemingly laid bare. Dronfield's skill as a writer is in no doubt, and his prose, although over-written in places and teetering on the brink of pretension, is more than sufficient to explore the past and present psyches of the main characters, and to create a dark, claustrophobic atmosphere. His sense of place when describing college life at Cambridge is faultless, particularly when exploring the intimate geography of the town and colleges, and he shows a remarkable taste for the neo-Gothic, shot through with welcome flashes of humour, in his recreation of the snow-bound, replica French chateau in rural Devon. His characters are also fully-fleshed and relatively sympathetic in their angst and self-doubt, although a touch of parody is occasionally evident here and there. Barring a fairly meaningless sub-plot about wartime French collaborators and the slightly hysterical climax, Resurrecting Salvador is an ambitious novel that succeeds very well, and Dronfield a writer to watch.

Reviewed by Dan Staines