Sepulchre
by Kate Mosse
Orion HK$128
Until 2006, Kate Mosse was best known for sounding like a supermodel and dreaming up two of the worst book titles of all time: Eskimo Kissing and Crucifix Lane. Then she wrote Labyrinth (one of Waterstone's Top 100 novels of the past 25 years) and no one confused Mosse with a vacuous clothes horse ever again. The follow-up, Sepulchre, shows she has become a master of the single-word moniker: it is ominous, intriguing and memorable all at the same time. But while a bad title might put you off a good book, does a smart one mean an enjoyable read? The answer, here, is yes. Sepulchre winds between modern times and a plot involving an American academic (Meredith Martin) researching the life of Debussy, and 1891, where the story centres on Leonie Vernier, a 17-year-old Parisian. Leonie moves to her aunt's spooky rural home and uncovers an even spookier sepulchre. Past and present begin to fuse: Meredith sees visions of a girl's face in a river and ghosts in the countryside. But what else would you expect from a tale driven by tarot cards and set near Rennes-les-Bains, a location familiar to all Da Vinci Code aficionados? This is a ripping, atmospheric yarn filled with France, phantoms and a lot of fun.