The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I am a big fan of Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe, so I was curious to see what his next movie after completing the HP Franchise would be. When I saw the previews for The Woman in Black I was interested as I am a big fan of horror movies - the suspenseful/thriller kind, not the blood and gore kind. However, I have a strict rule - I always read the book BEFORE seeing the movie. I don't think I have ever seen a film that I loved (or even liked) more than the book. I have to read the book first because more often then not, the movie ruins the book for me. So with the release date of The Woman in Black quickly approaching (February 3rd) I decided to pick this up.

I think I might have been expecting more than I got with this book. It really is a simple ghost story, written in the Gothic style. It tells the story of Arthur Kipps, a young, rising lawyer, who is sent to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral and handle the estate of Mrs. Drablow, a client who has passed away. Upon arrival, Arthur learns that there is much more to this story and that the town is haunted by a woman dressed in black - a relative of Mrs. Drablow. Through the course of his duties, Arthur is forced to spend some time in Eel Marsh House - Mrs. Drablow's house and has several encounters with the Woman in Black.

The story wasn't all that terrifying and it was somewhat predictable, but it was well written and I did enjoy it. I liked how the book was presented - having Arthur look back on the events years later after putting his life back together and reaching some level of peace with the haunting events that rocked his world. I have a feeling that it will translate well to film, and that some license will be taken to make it more suspenseful and scary.