The Devil’s Caress

The fourth in Dark Passage’s reissue series of crime mysteries by June Wright, The Devil’s Caress (originally published in 1952) is an atmospheric psychological thriller set on the wild southern coast of the Mornington Peninsula, outside Melbourne.

Young medico Marsh Mowbray is invited to spend the weekend at the country home of her revered mentor, Dr. Kate Waring. But as storms rage outside, the house on the cliff’s edge seethes with hatred and tension, and two suspicious deaths quickly follow.

Doubt is the Devil’s caress , one of the characters tells Marsh, as her resolute efforts to get to the bottom of the killings force her to question everyone’s motives, even those of Dr. Kate. This is a classic country house mystery with shades of Agatha Christie, but with the psychological edge of Daphne du Maurier.