Eerie and masterly ghost story

Susan Hill is the master of the ghost story: I can't think of a contemporary writer who has her skill to conjure an atmosphere of malevolence and dread. Printer's Devil Court is wonderfully spooky.

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Interesting but implausible I hope

This was short but interesting. the idea though I hope is implausible since it’s pretty scary if it could actually be done. Other than that I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not an original style of writing and I’m not sure it quite matches ‘The woman in black’ but then what does? It’s not bad though and the naration is very good. Just because it is such an unlikely plot I gave it four stars only but really? if you only have an hour to spare or just a bit more then it’s a good read.

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Classic ghost story but sadly not classic S. Hill

Would you try another book written by Susan Hill or narrated by Steven Pacey?

Oh yes, both are great

If you’ve listened to books by Susan Hill before, how does this one compare?

Not that well, not in the same class as women in black, or the other short tales such as man in the picture or dolly

What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

He alway does a nice gentle reading tone, but not a mono tone or hyper as many readers tend to be.

Was Printer's Devil Court worth the listening time?

Yes, but a bit forgettable and a terrible title

Any additional comments?

Ok book, well read

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Could be creepier but enjoyable nonetheless!

Not quite as creepy as Susan Hill's other ghost stories but this is an enjoyable tale. The narrator has a perfect audio book voice - clear, with a pleasant timbre and adaptable to the various speakers without sounding contrived.

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Victoria sponge...

Any additional comments?

A young medical student has taken rooms in Printer's Devil Court in London, sharing them with three other medical men. One evening, the four men have a discussion as to whether the story of Lazarus could possibly have been true – is it scientifically possible to bring someone back from the dead? Two of the men hint that they have been carrying out experiments on the subject and ask Meredith and the fourth man if they would like to join in. The fourth man considers the whole idea to be blasphemous and refuses, but Meredith's curiosity wins out, and he agrees to be a witness to the experiments – a decision he will regret for the rest of his life.

Susan Hill has written this very much in the style of a Victorian ghost story although it's set in the 20th century. It feels very much like working to a recipe...

1 notebook revealing a terrible secret
1 creepy street name
4 medical students
2 or 3 graveyards to taste
2 corpses
1 late night adventure in a mortuary
1 man racked by conscience and haunted for the rest of his life

Mix all together with a wooden spoon until smooth, and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Unfortunately, the resulting cake is somewhat bland – a Victoria sponge without the jam perhaps. One feels that a vital ingredient has been forgotten...

1 generous splash of essence of horror

The quality of the writing and storytelling is quite high – it's just that it's a story we've all heard so often in various forms and Hill brings nothing new to the recipe. I felt she was so busily ensuring that she got it to sound authentically Victorian, which she succeeds in doing very well, that she lost sight somewhat of the fact that a ghost story ought to be scary, and in order to be scary it must have some element of unpredictability. I kept hoping there was going to be a twist that would turn expectations on their head, but I'm afraid it ran along too smoothly from beginning to end without deviating from the obvious route. And there's no added ingredient to make up for the lack of the scare factor – no great moral questions are raised, there's no element of humour.

The most effective bits are the mortuary scene and the first graveyard scene, in both of which the quality of the writing does manage to create a chilling atmosphere, but from there on the story meanders on, not really going anywhere at all, until it reaches a completely anticlimactic end.

I listened to the audiobook version which has a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes. The narrator Stephen Pacey does a good job with the material available, but I'm afraid that my spine remained untingled and my hair unraised.

NB This book was provided for review by Audible UK via Midas PR.

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12 people found this helpful

Creepy and satisfying

Very good and genuinely creepy story, rather in the manner of M R James in the way that it relies upon the reader to use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks.
One of Susan Hill’s best, I think.
It’s also a good length, and very well performed . I’ll look for more Steven Pacey.

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1 person found this helpful

Short horror story

Nice little short story to pass a couple of hours. It won't leave you quaking.

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Playing with fire comes to mind!

Spooky and narrated very well! Good story but not as much as The Woman In Black and Dolly. Her books are very entertaining and enjoy them.

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