The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill

The Woman In Black, by Susan Hill, tells the story of Arthur Kipp. The book begins with Arthur and his family gathered in their country house for Christmas. One soon finds out that Kipp is a retired solicitor, whose family consists of his wife, Esme`, his step-children, and his step-grandchildren. The family is gathered around the fireplace, telling ghost stories, when the step-children ask Arthur to tell one of his own. Arthur tries to back out, saying he has nothing to tell, but the step-children insist. Finally, Arthur tells them that he will not tell a story and abruptly leaves the room. After walking outside to regain his composure, Arthur reveals to the reader that he does have a ghost story, a true one, one that he has not told anyone and which has haunted him for ages. He then returns to the house and decides to commit his thoughts to paper, in an attempt to escape the turmoil that the past events have caused.
When Arthur was a young man, engaged to a woman named Stella, he was sent to the town of Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of a Mrs. Alice Drablow and settle her affairs. Almost as soon as he arrives, Arthur is plunged into a world of intrigue. While the townspeople are friendly, they avoid the topic of Alice Drablow and her house, Eel Marsh House, as if it were the plague. Even more mysterious, is a woman in black, who Arthur sees at Mrs. Drablow's funeral, and who appears on the grounds of Eel Marsh house, even though they are supposed to be vacant. There are strange sounds on the marsh and noises in what should be a silent house. While Arthur tries to explain these away but, soon his answers only lead to more questions and he is forced to come to the conclusion that not all things can be explained.
This book has a great beginning. Before the first chapter is over, the reader is hooked. As the story progresses, tidbit by tidbit of information is added to form a mystery. It builds up to Arthur finding out the back-story of Eel Marsh House and the Woman in Black. However, then it ends a bit too soon. While Arthur does find out why the Woman in Black is haunting the house, he never does anything about it, even after it impacts him rather drastically. Of course, many people, if they were in his shoes, would be too terrified or distraught to try to end the haunting. However, the book feels like there should be one more scene to it. Maybe a scene where Arthur returns to the house to try to put a stop to the Woman in Black, or maybe one last encounter, face-to-face. Instead, we find out what the Woman in Black did to Arthur, and then the story is over.
All in all, this book is worth the read. The prose is lovely and most of the story is entertaining. It will keep readers focus and keep them guessing. The only problem is that it ends a bit too soon. I'd give this book a four out of five.