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When Harry is assigned to a project in Hartley for his job, he and Clarisse encounter a clash of myth with reality in the Australian ghost town. Hartley may have few inhabitants, but it is host to an entity more frightening than just an ordinary ghost. Wanting to be free of his cage, the cursed spirit of Father Grimaldi seeks out Clarisse as his replacement to appease the devil. Harry being a skeptic, Clarisse is left to fend for herself against the conniving evil spirit. But the deal Father Grimaldi has to offer is a tempting one: sell her soul to the devil in exchange for the power to see the future and save her loved ones.
Coming from a culture filled with superstitions, Clarisse is not surprised by Father Grimaldi's haunting of Hartley and the mysterious history and deaths that occur. He is not the first of his kind that she's come across. In the face of uncertainty, temptation, and danger, Clarisse's bravery is key to outsmarting the evil spirit. In fact, Tremayne's characterization of Clarisse (which includes not only her courage but also her curiosity) is what keeps the reader interested in her as she continues to unravel the mysteries that surround Hartley. In this second installment of the Haunting Clarisse series, Tremayne succeeds in making this book stand alone even if the reader has not yet read the first book. The introduction starts slowly, but as soon as the plot jumps into the present day, the story picks up speed, keeping readers engaged. As a result, this book is easy to read in one sitting.