Rayne, Sarah [A pseudonym]

PERSONAL:

Daughter of an Irish comedy actor. Hobbies and other interests: Theatre, history, music, and old houses.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Jane Conway, Gordon Literary Agency, 1 Old Compton St., London WID 5JA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Previously worked in various areas, including legal offices and estate agency.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Tower of Silence, Pocket Books (London, England), 2004.

A Dark Dividing, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 2004.

Roots of Evil, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 2005.

Spider Light, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sarah Rayne is the pseudonym of a successful British author who has also written under other pseudonyms. As Rayne, the author writes psychological thrillers such as Tower of Silence, a tale revolving around a writer who goes missing after visiting a mental hospital while doing research for a book. Also central to the plot is a bed- and-breakfast owner who suffered a trauma during childhood. Denise Pickles, writing on the Mary Martin Bookshop Web site, noted: "The book is a tour de force."

A Dark Dividing features journalist Harry Fitzglen who, while doing a story on the artist Simone Anderson, discovers that her once conjoined twin sister has been missing for years. Rayne tells the stories of the Anderson twins as well as the related tale of the doomed London conjoined twins Viola and Sorrel Quinton, who were born in London eight decades earlier. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author "has crafted a memorable novel with the right mix of suspense, horror and emotion." Denise Pickles, once again writing on the Mary Martin Bookshop Web site, commented that the author "is remarkable in that she is able to detail horrors committed by society in beautiful prose which contrasts starkly with the dark deeds she portrays."

In Roots of Evil, Rayne tells the story of Lucy and her grandmother, Lucretia von Wolff, a one-time silent movie star who committed suicide and whose twisted past is now leading to new murders. "The novel contains interesting questions of identity as well as implications for the nature vs. nurture debate," wrote Mary Martin Bookshop Web site contributor Denise Pickles. "For those readers who enjoy their mysteries seasoned with insinuations of blood curdling horror, this is a must."

Spider Light revolves around former psychiatrist Antonia Weston, who is sent to prison for manslaughter. Upon her release, she finds herself living in a cottage on the family grounds of Quire House, a public tourist attraction and once the home of Thomasina Forrester, who had ties to the notorious Latchkill Asylum. Antonia senses evil around her that is somehow connected to the story of Thomasina, her lover Maud, and the murder of a man that Thomasina hired to get Maud pregnant. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the author "writes with impressive authority, moving seamlessly through multiple perspectives, her expertly balanced prose creating sustained suspense." Karen Chisholm, writing on the Euro Crime Web site, called Spider Light "a psychological thriller with a clever intertwining of the past and the present."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bookseller, February 4, 2005, review of Roots of Evil, p. 32; May 12, 2006, "The Beautiful Game: Football Fact and Fiction Join Crime Writing in the Panel's Picks for August" (includes review of Spider Light), p. 34.

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2006, review of Spider Light, p. 1105.

Publishers Weekly, March 27, 2006, review of A Dark Dividing, p. 64.

ONLINE

BBC Web site,http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (September 6, 2005), Sarah Rayne, "The Name's Sarah Rayne."

Euro Crime,http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/ (May 23, 2007), Karen Chisholm, review of Spider Light.

Mary Martin Bookshop,http://www.marymartin.com.au/ (May 23, 2007), Denise Pickles, reviews of Roots of Evil, Tower of Silence, A Dark Dividing, and Spider Light.

Sarah Rayne Home Page,http://www.sarahrayne.co.uk (May 23, 2007).