Brian Ball - Malice of the Soul

[severance]

Brian Ball - Malice of the Soul - Linford Mystery Library (2008)

Okay - so technically this isn't a NEL, but I feel that it is in spirit at least. Wasn't aware of the existence of this novel at all until KC's recent post about 'Lesson for the Damned' being re-issued for libraries, and I can't find it in any of Ball's bibliographies, so I wonder what the story behind it is - it's copyrighted to 1992, but I've been unable to find any printing other than this one.

Anyway, here's the back-cover blurb:

When elderly Mrs Peters appears to suffer a stroke at her nursing home, only Diana Knightson knows the truth: her colleague, Marguerite, has deliberately terrified the old woman and isn't as she seems. Then when Phil Walsh, Diana's fiancé, is seduced by Marguerite he turns against her and her life is in danger. But Diana gains an ally in Jarvis, Mrs Peters' son. He's determined to avenge his mother's death - and together they fight the forces of evil.

It turns out that Marguerite and her mother are really 'revenants' - visible ghosts or animated corpses that, in folklore, were believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living - from the French revenir - "to return." Burnt as witches at the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, they initially use the psychic powers of Mrs Peters as an energy source, then turn to Diana for the same reason.

While not as gripping as The Venomous Serpent, this is certainly worth your time if you can get it from your local library, if they have it of course. The ending has Diana and Jarvis ferrying over to France to do battle with the revenants once more - so I wonder if Ball meant this to be the first of an intended series? And if so, did they get written??

[killercrab]

Thanks for the alert on this - sounds pretty good actually! I wonder what other BB's are being reissued?

KC

[dem bones]

Definitely going to order this and Lesson for the Damned from the 'idea's store' next time i can penetrate the mob of sinister black clad security hoods on the doors. Is there any contact address listed for Linford Mystery Library? it's doubtless changed plenty since the mid-late eighties, but the William Kimber hardbacks were also primarily aimed at libraries and in their case they provided a certain amount for sale in (mostly remainder) bookshops. Maybe Linford do the same?

[pulphack]

all of those library reprints and new issues - particularly those that are large print, get sold off quite regularly. i picked up a francis durbridge that would otherwise have been prohibitive in normal print second hand. and some john lymington.

mr harbottle knows better than me because of his agenting work, but a lot of library large print publishers (well, there's only really a few, but you know what i mean) like republishing as it's cheap and hits their demographic - and a lot of the older writers are only too happy to see print again, hence the new titles that may be sold to the publishers for peanuts and pin money.

[Dr Terror]

I can't find it in any of Ball's bibliographies, so I wonder what the story behind it is - it's copyrighted to 1992, but I've been unable to find any printing other than this one.

I'm wondering if it appeared under a different title and maybe even under a female byline. I think you'd like this one, Dem.

[dem bones]

what, you mean it's all sick and twisted, like?

Linford certainly seem fond of Mr. Ball. Along with Malice .... and Lessons, they've gone for:

Death On The Driving Range (2007)
Montenegrin Gold (2007)
The Venomous Serpent (2008)
Devil's Peak (2009)
Mark Of The Beast (2009)

I've not had time to check but the word on the street is that some Basil Copper novels have also been exhumed.