Right from the very start, Dale hints at the Evanses’ true motivations for befriending these fellow Brits, with Maisie targeting Lena while Josh works his magic on Mrs F.

It’s bloodless in its entirety, yet quite chilling in its portrayal of the cruelties and interactions of everyday life. In truth, Lena is selfish, irritable and impatient – qualities that Maisie soon turns to her own advantage by listening to Lena’s woes. While Maisie is somewhat reluctant to have an outsider in the house, potentially disrupting their treatment of Mrs F, Josh is more willing, particularly given the girl’s attractiveness. while it’s very obvious this was written in the 60’s and some of the old british terms went right over my head, this story fully unnerved me.

She’s as happy as a sandboy with me and Josh knowing just what she likes, and anything coming in new from the outside might only upset her again. The novel is on the surface a nasty little tale about an abusive and manipulative couple who take in elderly ladies who don't have family to rely on. I’m broadly supportive of assisted suicide in appropriate circumstances, but the safeguards have to be in place to avoid misuse/coercive control. I really enjoyed the story that is on its face rather benign, following a middle aged English couple and their elderly house guest, but what at first seems ordinary turns quietly horrific as Celia Dale unmasks what is really going on in this quiet suburban home. She presents a suburban setting, seemingly ordinary and mundane, but the tension builds, the sense of unease is soon apparent, but it’s all done with subtlety.

Josh and Maisie Evans are a seemingly ordinary middle-aged couple on holiday in Italy, where they meet Mrs. A Helping Hand is a remarkably compelling slice of suburban horror, ideal for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Shirley Jackson – it really is that good.Poor Cynthia is first besotted, then befuddled by Josh but he’s a lecherous old creep with eyes only for young woman and his sordid scrapbook. I read this in one day and loved it for the way the author was able to depict the horrible ordinariness of a certain kind of evil. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without written permission from this blog’s author is prohibited.