Kathleen McKenna's explosive third novel, The Wedding Gift, excels in so many categories it defies them all. It is a spine-electrifying supernatural tale where a huge Southern-states mansion contains one of the most terrifying, violent, and indeed psychopathic ghosts to haunt any town. It is also a murder mystery - why did Robina Willets apparently kill all five of her young children, and her husband, before stabbing herself to death? And, if you are in the camp of believing that "justice....just is not", then this will have you frothing at the mouth with righteous social fury.

Add to that the vision of two exceptionally beautiful girls lying on a landing stage in the middle of a secluded lake, sleeping naked in the sun...and then see if you can find any consecutive 10 minutes in this book when you don't at least snicker at the heroine Leeann's sly, caustic, sometimes-knowing sometimes "too stupid to live" commentary.