Bride of Darkness by Margery Lawrence, 1967

[evilscientist42]

An "I married a witch" story narrated by the husband. Young, rich (and, frankly, quite boring) Keith Randolph marries Italian seductress Gilda, but turns out Gilda is only in it for the wealth and power, and she is also a Satanic witch. Keith is helped out by his (non-blood-related) virtuous cousin, Chloris.

The supernatural element is real. The setting is vaguely "contemporary", although most of the main characters (esp. Keith, who is in the antiquary business) are rather old-timey in taste and manners. The only modern thing is the television they watch... I was surprised by how openly the narrator discusses sexuality, but ultimately there is a hint of judgment about female promiscuity.

The "mystery" is revealed to the narrator in a pretty ham-handed way - Gilda writes down all her dirty deeds in her diary and doesn't really hide it. The twists are not too surprising, but there is some tension around the middle point, when Keith openly confronts Gilda about her witchy ways.

Overall, a mediocre book.

[paigenumber]

The book cover looks familiar but I don't believe I have heard this title.