when i first picked up this book i was a bit disappointed. 'I' was a guy. and he wasn't as young as i am. besides, my sister was pushing me to read it which was why i finally picked it up (now that it is overdue).the book begins with the main character looking back with "if only"s. and then you meet his job and the girl he marries and travel to england on a project. that's when his half-brit wife, angela, begins to be pre-occupied with a fear of death. this leads Howard aka 'I' to find her a psychiatrist who, along with Howards doctor, calls for a change of scene. Angela finds a remote place along the sea and it's there that they are greeted with a ghostly menace.the rest of the story continues at a good pace and kept me in suspense until the final startling conclusion.different from the usual romantic suspense (m.m. kaye, elizabeth peters) but just as good nonetheless.