A review by gadrake
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

4.0

Dread and desperation permeate this gothic historical novel. A rook, a black large bird with an evil-looking beak, is the motif throughout the story. A young man with a questionable background creates a wonderful life including friends, a fun and loving wife, beautiful children, and a promising career in a textile mill in the 1800s. Once the author establishes his success, she systematically strips him of all that is good in his life, slowly and steadily. Dark and morbid in tone, this never becomes scary or violent. But don't make a deal with a man in black.