Dead Woman Scorned is Book Two in The Patience of a Dead Man series and takes a different run at the dark shadow that is Mildred Wells than Book One did. (Read my review of The Patience of a Dead Man here) While we already know that Mildred is more than a disembodied haunting, Clark takes us back to the beginning, revealing exactly how developed into what she is and how she acquired her power.

Surprisingly, the picture of Mildred Wells that comes into focus is one to be almost shockingly sympathetic towards. While there is no denying that she is this rage-filled vengeful creature, she might truly have reason to be. Her past was certainly not kind to her. In fact, you could almost say it purposefully molded her. As they say: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Tim and Holly get a break from being the object of her furor as she absconds on a terrifying spate of revenge. All is not well, however, and Mildred's absence from the farmhouse is only a temporary respite.

Once again, the pace of the novel leaves no downtime for the reader to worry about getting bored. We are cast about from character to character, from past to present, as the story weaves strain and apprehension around everyone involved. There are even new characters to get to know—some more temporarily than others—like neighbor, Bob Simmons, police officer and relative to Elizabeth the writer of the scrapbook found by Tim in the farmhouse. While quite a chunk of the story focuses on the past, it's only setting the stage for when Mildred returns now that we are all fully aware of what she is capable of.

The departure from the farm house and Tim and Holly's story was a bit disorienting, especially after the abrupt ending of Book One. While this allows for fully explore Mildred's past, the nail-biting disquiet permeating Dead Woman Scorned wasn't felt as much here. I look forward to Anger is an Acid, which hopefully will bring Mildred's tale full circle.


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