The title seems at first a bit of a
misnomer. There is no wicked mastermind at work here, all the damage is caused
by unwise love and misguided good intentions. This does not diminish the
melodrama that is Wilkie Collins’ familiar house style; but it places the
reader in unfamiliar territory without clear villains to hiss and heroes to
cheer.
Instead we have a (so far) upright husband,
the good wife and their precious child; then the young, vulnerable but pretty
governess arrives (not the wisest appointment as pointed out by the opinionated
mother-in-law). Things happen, as things will, and suppressed desires emerge
and moral dilemmas multiply with the involvement of the brother, the lawyer and
the philanthropic but mysterious ex-sea captain.
It is an intellectual challenge to keep
track of who knows what about whom as paths criss-cross with folk popping in
and out of doorways in the various locations – Scottish estate, seaside guest
house, London hotel – missing each other narrowly to keep the tension high.
The challenge emotionally is with whom to
sympathise, as the balance of blame shifts about with the vagaries of human
behaviour, all too often at the bidding of their ‘bad angel’ – presumably the
evil genius of the title.
So although lacking the high criminal drama
of ‘The Moonstone’ and ‘The Woman in White’, this still draws the reader into a
gripping story of uncertain outcome.
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