Mary Farren went into the gun room one morning about half-past eleven, took her husband's revolver and loaded it, then shot herself. The butler heard the sound of the gun from the pantry...The fourteen haunting stories in this collection span the whole of Daphne du Maurier's writing career and explore every human emotion: an apparently happily married woman commits suicide; a steamer in wartime is rescued by a mysterious sailing-ship; a dull husband breaks loose in a surprising fashion; a con woman plays her game once too often; and a famous novelist looks for romance, only to meet with bitter disappointent. Each meticulously observed tale shows du Maurier's mastery of the genre.
Since finishing this collection last night, I've changed my mind - 3, not 2 stars.
Du Maurier's short stories are - for the most part of this collection at least - just not as engaging and atmospheric as her novels. I think it's mostly because there is such a difference in quality between the stories, maybe partly because they are ranging from early works to some later ones.
I loved the first and the last story ("No Motive" and "Split Second") and enjoyed "Panic" and "Adieu Sagesse", but the rest of the stories didn't appeal to me and some just were a bit bland.
