William Bellman killed a bird with slingshot when he was young boy. This one cruel act sets in motion mysterious events which affect his life in disastrous ways. He becomes a successful business man with the textile mill he inherits but loses most of his family to an outbreak of "fever." His daughter, Dora, survives but is an invalid. An encounter with a mysterious man in black leads to Bellman creating a new business, a funeral emporium that sells all the accoutrements for a Victorian era funeral from mourning clothes to caskets. The business is wildly successful until it isn't. Bellman makes "Mr. Black" a silent partner in the business because he believes that is the agreement they had. But who is Mr. Black? Does he really exist? Is he the devil, a ghost, a man, a figment of Bellman's imagination, or something else entirely? This is a good mysterious story but I don't think it compares to Setterfield's previous novel The Thirteenth Tale.
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