The Whip (1948) by Sara Elizabeth Mason
(5/10 stars)
“Afraid? I think I’ve been afraid all my life…”
Carlotta Ives poisoned her aunt Sophie. No one disputes that, least of all Carlotta. The only question is whether she was sane, and that is what Dr. Mark Sargent has been asked to find out. While Carlotta refuses to speak in her own defense, she does agree to answer two questions for the doctor: why she is so afraid, and why she hates her aunt. Dr. Sargent discovers that, behind the doors of her Chicago mansion, Aunt Sophie presided over a cruel little kingdom.
As far as police are concerned, the more Carlotta reveals, the tighter she pulls the noose around her own neck. Dr. Sargent isn’t so sure. All the members of the Willingham family are bound together by hatreds so strong that only a skilled psychiatrist can untangle the whole truth behind Aunt Sophie’s death. Continue reading “The Whip (1948) by Sara Elizabeth Mason”