A Whisper in the Dark

The book takes its title from the tale "A Whisper in the Dark," arguably Alcott's high-gothic masterpiece, a story of imperiled innocence. Also featured are: "The Abbot's Ghost," one of Alcott's few thrillers that employs the supernatural; "Perilous Play," a sensationalist story in which she suggests that with the appropriate stimulation—in this case hashish—even the innocent reveal a dark side; and V.V.; or Plots and Counterplots, fraught with passion and jealousy that introduces the mysterious Virginie Varens, the darkest heroine in all of her work.