This spine-chilling tale is set in contemporary London, just before the turn of the millennium. As a result, when the phone rings, it's a landline. And something unexpected could be on the other end.

THE MIDNIGHT SIDE begins with Isabelle De Witt waking in South Africa, summoned from sleep by the telephone. Her cousin Alette is calling from London, but the connection is poor, and they get cut off. Isa shrugs and calls her back, to no answer. She only finds out later that Alette died in a car crash two days previously. Now she learns that Alette has left her a town house, with conditions. Travelling to London, Isa is given a letter in which Alette claims that her ex-husband Justin was stalking her.

Justin owns a company which is running clinical trials on a new wonder medicine. Alette asks Isa to undermine the company shares to get back at Justin. Understandably, Isa really isn't sure that she wants to get involved.

Contrasts abound between South Africa's bright sun and colourful birds, the Zulu spoken by cane cutters, with city streets and garrulous taxi drivers. Isa hears an intruder and realises that she has no idea of the emergency phone number in the UK (it's 999) so she's on her own. When phone calls keep coming, and dreams of her lost friend intrude, Isa recalls folk tales she was told in Natal, which claim that the newly dead may linger to see wrongs righted. And just what kind of road accident killed Alette anyway?

Bordering on the horror, the eerie tale presents unpleasant imagery such as a painting of skeletons, oddly placed in a bedroom, and African marriage dolls burning in a cremation along with their late owner. Horror fans will enjoy this story; those like me who prefer thrillers will take comfort in the staid normality of a red postbox and manila envelope, which may or may not bring down a pharmaceutical firm. I was unconvinced that Isa, friendless in England, would start seeing a man who by all accounts was a stalker. London would hold many more potential boyfriends. However this twist does add great tension to the tale.

Natasha Mostert is a South African novelist, screenwriter and kickboxer. THE MIDNIGHT SIDE is a lively introduction to her work.