Not my favorite in the series because of the gri atmosphere.. It involves a house built on land gained by killiing a band of Aborigines in the past, if I recall correctly, leaving it apparently cursed. Now two corpses have turned up in a nearby lake and Boney investigates. ( )

Un opus différent, bien conçu et bien tiré par les cheveux comme il se doit ( )

Most people are content to leave the Answerth family alone. Their mansion, Venom House, secluded on an island nt he center of a treacherous man-made lake, doesn't exaclty lay out the welcome mat for prospective visitors. And there are the stories tjat Venom House is haunted by ghosts of aborigines slaughtered by Answerth ancestors to keep oustsiders away. But when a couple of corpses are found floating in the stagnant lake, Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte has a sudden urge to get to know the Answerths and their charming home much better.

This almost read like a gothic novel--creepy atmosphere, troubled family, complete with faithful (?) retainer, mentally ill brother, dominant sister, etc. But it was really good. I enjoyed the setting a lot and the characters were well done. ( )

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