The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill
As a huge fan of Susan Hill’s short stories, I felt hugely excited by this neat little hardback. Dr Parmitter, a collector of art, procures a sinister, enchanting painting of a Venetian carnival, which brings a curse to all who study it. Associates of the scholar start to go missing; the anguished faces of those kidnapped start to appear in the painting, striking fear into the hearts of all who observe it. Hill’s narrative is simple, fresh and macabre, being one of those stories that haunts you, igniting your imagination with imagery that lingers for days after reading it.