The Four Tales of Intrigue are:
Conversations with the Moon – This was by far the longest of the four tales. In this story, psychologist Paul Warburton finds himself in the depths of despair when his wife unexpectedly leaves him. Overcome with grief, he drowns his sorrows in alcohol and finds solace in unexpected conversations with the moon. From the title and brief description, I was expecting a more whimsical story. It was not quite that. The short summary was only the tip of the iceberg. Much more happens in this story. It was a darker story which kept me guessing until the end. I was interested in seeing how it would all come together.
Castle Steps – Like Conversations with the Moon, this story had different points of view that came together in the end. Castle Steps follows Oxford graduate Aisling who manages a multimillion fund. Despite her successes at work, she cannot seem to shake off her gambling addiction. Meanwhile, lonely businessman Russel Steel has a recurring vision of meeting a beautiful dancer. Are their paths destined to cross? While I was again interested in seeing how it would all come together, I found the ending less satisfying than Conversations with the Moon.
Dream – In Dream, a woman’s life takes an unsettling turn when a mysterious photo appears on her phone. But when dreams and waking moments become entwined, is it all in her mind, or is there something else involved? Although this story had a fascinating premise, I had a hard time following it and again found the end unsatisfying.
Abrielle – In Abrielle, Ella’s record-breaking scuba dive resulted in her needing full-time care from her husband. On his weekly outings with other women he offers a lift to a young woman, walking in deep snow. What prompted Abrielle to walk alone, in snowy conditions dressed in flimsy clothes and shoes? This tale had very interesting details, but I still do not grasp the meaning of the ending. For this one tale alone, I wish I had read with a book group so that I could discuss the ending.
Peter Kershey writes descriptive meandering prose. I sometimes got lost in his changes of points of view and between characters who spoke in third person and others who spoke in first person, within the same story.
For some reason, I had expected each of the four tales to be approximately the same length. That was not the case. The first one was quite long – almost half of the total book length. Each following story was shorter and shorter, with the last one being the shortest of all.
All four tales did have the essence of intrigue – although not necessarily in the traditional sense of intrigue. Each story did keep me interested to find out how the various parts of the story would come together in the end.
While this book was not really right for me, I think others may appreciate it.
Content warning: suicide and mild eroticism.
Thank you to Troubador Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.