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The Small Hand and Dolly    by Susan Hill Amazon.com order for
Small Hand and Dolly
by Susan Hill
Order:  USA  Can
Vintage, 2014 (2014)
Softcover
* * *   Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto

Susan Hill is the modern master of the ghost story. Her two newest novellas go to show how skillful she is with atmosphere and pacing.

The Small Hand is an old-school ghost tale about a rare book dealer who stumbles upon an overgrown country estate, and the small ghostly hand that reaches out to him. Hill lets this story go by slowly, allowing the suspense and chills to build to a climax with a stunning revelation. The Small Hand is a must for fans of Hill's The Woman in Black, and would also make an excellent movie.

Dolly is more of a psychological horror story than The Small Hand, but it is no less fascinating. In it, two cousins are called together for the reading of a will, neither one suspecting that the time they spent one summer at an aunt's house will haunt them into adulthood. On this story, Hill lets the tale run, building to a twisted close.

While Susan Hill's style is prominent in both novellas, this pairing of The Small Hand and Dolly really shows the range of her work. Anyone looking for a good chill needs to pick up The Small Hand and Dolly.

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