After my review of The Devils by Aldous Huxley, not to mention my thoughts on Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, it will come as a surprise to no one that I slammed this back in one sitting and enjoyed it thoroughly. The Monk and the Hangman's daughter is a haunting, shivery sort of read, and the prose is perfectly matched to the impact of the narrative. It's part fairy tale, part horror movie, and a touch of pilgrim's progress, which works to bring the story a sort of whimsy that keeps it from veering into the sordid. The effect is somewhere between 'The Juniper Tree' and 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.' Delightfully creepy, and overall a great way to spend a few hours.