The Dancing Floor by Barbara Michaels

I was randomly reading the books by Barbara Michaels; but there are only a few left on the list that I haven't read, so I put them on the back burner. However, the local library had a copy of The Dancing Floor. The Dancing Floor is one of the last books that Michaels wrote under that pseudonym. The book was published in 1997, and only Other Worlds was published after it. Other Worlds doesn't really count, because it's not Michaels' typical romantic suspense book.

In The Dancing Floor, Heather Tradescant goes to England in memory of her father. He had recently died, and he and Heather had always planned to tour the gardens in England that were designed by a famous British gardener of the name Tradescant. Heather is at a loss, and she really wants to see Troyton House. However, Frank Karim, the rich owner is reclusive, and it doesn't look like Heather will get a chance to see the gardens. However, she finds her way into an old, thorny-hedge covered maze at the back of the house, and in a fright at one of the statues hidden in the maze, barrels out onto the lawns of Troyton. Frank is quite taken with Heather's last name, and thinks it's a sign that she should help him in the restoration of the garden. However, there is a force that seems to be trying to hurt Heather. Could it be because of the Witches of Pendle? Frank's son, Jordan, doesn't seem happy to have Heather around, and the security guard, Sean, also seems suspicious of her, although that doesn't stop his womanizing ways. Then there's the neighbor, Giles, who used to own Troyton, and is having issues with his troublesome wife and his hooligan young son, Bobby. As accidents happen to Heather, she starts to wonder if they are natural or supernatural.

Some of the later Barbara Michaels books were disappointing, but I found enjoyed reading The Dancing Floor. It reminded me more of some of the earlier romantic suspense books that Michaels/Peters wrote, only without a really strong occult feel to it. I'm really glad that I picked up the book at the library because it was a very enjoyable read.

The Grey Beginning by Barbara Michaels

The Grey Beginning by Babara Michaels is a good, old fashioned gothic mystery. Kathy Malone is devastated by the death of her young husband, Bart Morandini. After seeking help from psychiatrists, she finally decides that she should go to Italy to make contact with Bart’s grandmother, the Contessa Morandini. The Contessa hasn’t replied to Kathy’s letters, and Kathy wants closure. When Kathy finally makes it to Tuscany and gets to the Morandini estate, she finds herself getting sucked into life there. The Contessa misinterprets Kathy’s stomach emptying with morning sickness and assumes that Kathy is pregnant. Kathy discovers that a ten-year-old child, Pietro, or Pete, is living a strange existence there. Pete is locked in his room and kept under close supervision. Pete lost his father and mother in a plane crash and was recently ripped from his home in the US. Kathy is concerned about Pete, and she becomes even more concerned when she hears that Pete has been trying to harm himself. Is it hereditary mental illness as the Contessa insists, or is it something else? Throw in the mean, hulking caretaker, Alberto, his sneaking wife, Emilia, the professor looking for letters from Browning, and the lunatic assistant gardener, and Kathy is up to her elbows in a sinister, gothic environment. Can Kathy resolve her issues over her husband’s death? Can she figure out what is going on with Pete, and possibly rescue him?

By the end of the book, all the loose strings are wrapped up. Although this book was published in 1984 and has a contemporary setting, the book is a great example of a classic gothic. Lurking evil, a huge house, and a feeling af entrapment permeate the book. I found myself getting caught up in the story and rooting for Kathy to figure out what the heck was going on. Of course, this wouldn’t be a romantic suspense gothic without romance, and Kathy has two potential suitors: Pete’s psychiatrist and the academic professor, David Brown. I thought the book was great, and I enjoyed reading it. I wish that Michaels/Peters/Mertz wrote more books in the genre.

Wait for What Will Come by Barbara Michaels

Yep, I read another Barbara Michaels. I’m starting to narrow down the list with only a few left unread. This time I read Wait for What Would Come. The premise behind this book is that Carla Tregallas is the only known heir to a Cornish estate. Her many times great uncle Walter Tregallas died without children, and in his will, he left everything to any heir that carries the name of Tregallas. Carla is the only one left, and instead of selling the estate unseen, she decides to go to England. When she gets there, she finds a run-down estate and a mysterious threat. It seems that every two hundred years on Midsummer’s Eve, a young female Tregallas falls victim to a merman, who comes out of the sea to claim his bride. Carla is the intended victim, and she has the added burden of looking just like the last victim, Lady Caroline Tregallas. Carla falls in love with the house and wants to stay, even though everyone seems bound and determined to get rid of her. Mrs. Pendennis, the elderly housekeeper, seems the most bothered by the legend. Her grandson, Michael, doesn’t buy the legend, but he is worried about his grandmother. Others involved in the mystery are the doctor, Simon Tremuan, the lawyer, Alan Fairman, the lawyer’s sister, Elizabeth, and the parson, John. Will Carla be the next victim of the merman, or will she continue to live happily in Cornwall?

I enjoyed the story. There was just the right amount of suspense. I wondered if Carla would figure out who was behind the mysterious happenings that made it look like a merman was after her. There was a real build up of the tension, and the end was spooky. All the men appear to be after Carla, but are they really, or are they just trying to get something from Carla, like the estate? Wait for What Will Come had me on the edge of my seat.

Charles Geer illustrated the cover of the book, and it gives a great representation of the story. Geer does a great illustration, and it conveys the mood of the story.

The Dark on the Other Side by Barbara Michaels

Barbara Michaels’ The Dark on the Other Side is an interesting book. The story is told by two narrators. At times, we hear from Linda Randolph, wife of the charismatic Gordon Randolph, and at others, we hear for Michael Collins, who is to write a book about Gordon. Linda Randolph is troubled, alcoholic, and a potential danger to herself and her husband. Why? It seems that Linda is troubled by visions of a black dog, and that the visions are making her want to murder her husband. As Michael starts to research Gordon’s past, he finds that Gordon is a bit of an enigma. Gordon has had great success in writing (only one critically acclaimed book) and politics. Even though Michael’s father taught Gordon at college, Michael can’t remember his father showing great interest in Gordon. After traveling to the college where Gordon taught, and married Linda, Michael starts to notice that there seems to be a trail of people in Gordon’s wake who either committed suicide or fell into serious issues with drug abuse. Could Gordon have somehow influenced the people in a negative way? What is the meaning of the black dog that Linda sees? Is there some supernatural element at hand, or is it just the psychotic delusions of an alcoholic?

I have to admit that the switch in voices threw me at the beginning of the book. I was trying to figure out what was going on, and who was the main protagonist of the book. Well, there isn’t one protagonist; there are two. Michaels turns from ghosts to a different type of woo-woo: demonic powers. As I was reading, I started to agree with the protagonists that Gordon is a demonic force, but then the voice of reason, in Galen Rosenberg, made me wonder if it was just a collective hallucination brought on my psychosis. The end of the book is satisfying. Good triumphs over evil. The end was especially satisfying because I read it while a strong thunderstorm was providing suitable background music. The book isn’t the strongest of the Michaels’ books, but I enjoyed it.

Witch by Barbara Michaels

I’m slowly making my way through Barbara Michaels’ books, and I just finished Witch. This is another of the earlier books that I think are far superior to the books from the 1990s and later. Witch has another one of those atypical Michaels heroines. Ellen March is divorced and in her later thirties. She has been taking care of her sister’s kids, three boys, after the sister’s death. Ellen and her daughter, Penny moved in with Jack and his sons, and although Ellen felt love for Jack, she kept the feelings to herself. As the boy all go over to college, and Penny, at the age of 16, is headed to a trip to Europe for the summer before heading to boarding prep school, Ellen decides to look for a house of her own. Jack, a career diplomat with foreign services, is headed to Europe, so it’s the best time for Ellen to look for her own house. After looking around, Ellen found the perfect house, off in the woods. Ed Salling, sales the house to Ellen, but warns her to keep away from the folks in the village. As Ellen learns more about the house, which used to belong to the local witch in the 1700s. The witch was the wife of a wealthy landowner, probably Spanish, who was also probably Roman Catholic. Ellen doesn’t learn much about the witch, other her love of animals and her death by hanging. Was is suicide or murder? Is the white cat that Ellen sees around her house, a ghost of the witch’s cat. What’s the shadow that haunts Ellen at night in her bedroom? Ellen becomes involved with her neighbor Norman and his nephew, Tim. Tim seems to be a troubled boy, and Ellen tries to get his uncle to help him. It also doesn’t help when the narrow-minded, extreme religious sect in the town starts to think Ellen is a witch.

The story really kept me on the edge of my seat. I found that I couldn’t put the book down, and I was eager to see what would happen with Ellen and Tim, and if Jack would ever realize that he and Ellen were the perfect couple. Everything works out in the end, but the book is one heck of a thrill ride. I would definitely recommend the book. There’s not that much woo-woo, but there is the haunted overtone. I wish Michaels would have written more books, or could still churn them out as she did in the 1960s through 1980s.

Here I Stay by Barbara Michaels

I just finished reading Barbara Michaels Here I Stay, and I have to admit that I feel emotionally drained. The tracks of the tears that I shed over the last 30 pages are still moist on my cheeks. Here I Stay was about Andrea Torgeson, who inherited a huge house from her cousin Bertha. Andrea’s brother, Jim, was in a bad auto accident, that almost killed him and took his leg. Andrea thought that opening the house as a hotel might be just the thing that both she and Jim need to get them both on their feet. Of course, there was a sense of a presence in the house. It was warm and welcoming to some, like Martin Greenspan, who came to hotel for an extended stay while writing his book. Martin fell in love with Andrea, who was too closed off to live and emotion to see how she was short changing both herself and Jim. There was a presence. Andrea felt it as beating wings. Another house guest felt it too, but Reba, the local restaurant owner and friend to both Andrea and Martin, felt it the most. The presence was so strong that Reba became physically ill in the house.

This book was a slow mover at first. Michaels set the scene and got the reader interested in the characters hopes and fears. There wasn’t a strong woo-woo effect in this book, but it was slowly and strongly growing. As I said, I became engrossed in the final third of the book, unable to put it down. I could just feel the impending doom, and when it finally came, I admit that it hit me hard, hence the tears. I thought that the book was one of Michaels’ best. I don’t know if others might give it the time that it deserves since the tension slowly builds. The book meandered just as life does. Not much seems to happen, but when you look back, you realize that so much has passed unnoticed. If you read the book, give it a chance to pull you in. You won’t regret it.

Patriot's Dream by Barbara Michaels

I’ve been reading through Barbara Michaels’ books, but not in any order. I did try to read the books that have been identified as the “Georgetown series” together. Those books span over 20 years, and include Ammie Come Home(1968), Shattered Silk (1986), and Stitches in Time (1995). I was thinking that I liked the earlier books, but after reading Patriot’s Dream, published in 1976, I think that I’ve changed my mind. I had a lot of difficulty in getting intoPatriot’s Dream. The book goes back and forth between present day Williamsburg (1976) and Williamsburg in the 1770/1780 time period. Chapters altered between one reality and the next. Yes, Michaels has had visitors from the past appear in the story, but it was a ghostly appearance in the modern world. This back and forth transition was very disconcerting to me and made it more difficult for me to follow the story.

Jan Wilde is the heroine in the modern world of 1976. She goes to Williamsburg to spend her summer vacation with her elderly aunt and uncle, to help them out with daily living. Of course, all the men are after Jan. Aunt Camilla likes Richard, who works in a Williamsburg violin shop, and comes across as a namby-pamby to me. The uncle likes the more manly, arrogant, Alan, the family lawyer. Charles Wilde, his family, their slaves, and Charles’ cousin, Jonathan are the characters in revolutionary Williamsburg. Jan views incidents in the life of Charles and Jonathan as she dreams. The pair have roles in the revolution. Charles is on the side of the revolution, and Jonathan, a Mennonite, is on the side of peace and on freedom for slavery. Jonathan seems to play both sides of the game, and he’s the one that Jan falls in love with. As Jan tries to find a way to communicate with Jonathan to warn him of the future, the experience drains her. Others are starting to notice that something is wrong, and of course, Jan has to decide which guy is the right one for her.

I hesitate to say anything bad about any Barbara Michaels book, but I have to admit that this one is at the bottom of the list for me. I found myself skimming over the revolutionary times pages, just to get the gist. I wasn’t pleased or displeased with the ending; I was just glad that the book was in the finished pile. I have a vague memory of reading this book when I was a teen and liking it. I can’t imagine why that was the case.

Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels

It was back to Barbara Michaels’ books for me over the weekend. This time it was Search the Shadows, which is about Haskell Maloney looking for her father. Haskell’s mom died when she was a baby, and Haskell was raised by her aunt Jessie. For most of her life, Haskell thought that she knew who her father was: Kevin Maloney, who died in Vietnam. When Haskell goes for a blood test before marrying her lawyer fiancee, Jon, she finds out that she is a carrier of Tays-Sachs. Since that is something that would come from an Eastern European Ashkenazi or someone from Nova Scotia, Haskell realizes that her “father” wasn’t her father. Of course, Haskell has a breakdown, breaks off her engagement until she can “find herself,” and fights with Aunt Jessie, who should have known and didn’t tell Haskell. Jessie, however, is just as shocked, and Haskell decided that she has to go in search of her father. Haskell decides to go to the Oriental Institute in Chicago, where her mother went to school and met her father. Haskell decides that one of the guys in her mother’s photo album must be the father. One of them is Stephen Nazarian, who blew himself up in with a group of Vietnam War revolutionaries. Stephen’s father, Victor Nazarian, is a wealthy, powerful, elderly man, and Haskell determines to volunteer to work for his museum organization, because who can turn away a volunteer. The next thing we know, Haskell is on the Nazarian grounds and in danger.

This book has no woo-woo elements. There are no ghosts or spirits haunting Haskell, well, except for the spirit of her mother. I have to admit that Search the Shadows is one of those Barbara Michaels books that I’m not very fond of. Yes, I read through the book quickly, and I enjoyed it to a degree. I love Michaels’ writing. The Egyptology bit struck a chord with me. Haskell was plain annoying though. I mean, really! So you find out that you are a carrier of Tays-Sachs, and the first thing you do is dump the guy you are going to marry? That just didn’t make sense to me. It’s as if Haskell (or maybe Michaels) was looking for a way out from the beginning. The romance part of it was shallow. Haskell winds up with a guy at the end, but it’s really not the guy that you would think. We really don’t get a build up of the romance. I figured out who the dad was, but it’s really not that obvious. So what did I think? Enjoyable, but flawed, book. I think that if you love Michaels, you’ll think this one is okay. Not the best, but by far, not the worst.

Someone in the House by Barbara Michaels

I just finished another of Barbara Michaels’ books. Someone in the House has all the woo-woo elements that anyone would want: a huge mansion, eerie noses in the night, and ghostly visions. This time, Anne goes to Grayhaven Manor in Pennsylvania. The plan is for her and her buddy, Kevin, to spend the summer writing an English textbook. Anne’s boyfriend, Joe, is off to on a research project in Europe, and Anne is left on her own. The problem is the house. First, Bea, Kevin’s aunt, comments on noises coming from Kevin’s room. Bea assumes that is it Kevin and Anne making out. Of course, Bea is somewhat offended. The book was written in 1980/1981, and older folks weren’t as accommodating to unmarried sex. However, it isn’t Anne, but a ghostly visitor that Kevin is getting busy with. Bea, Bea’s new paramour, Roger, and Anne try to figure out what the cause is behind the ghostly visits. Father Steven, the local priest is also called into action.

This book was quite eerie, and it didn’t follow the usual Michaels formula. As a spoiler, Anne and Kevin do notfind romantic happiness in the end. In fact, there really isn’t a good resolution to the mystery of the ghostly visits at all, other than Anne’s thesis that the house wants to make all of its inhabitants happy. The following book, Black Rainbow tells the earlier story of the Mandevilles in the house, but that book doesn’t have anything more than some vague comments about Megan feeling very content in the house. Anyway, Someone in the House was a great page-turner, and I found myself enjoying it. Even though there wasn’t romance at the end, I rooted for Anne and her decision. I can’t wait to read more of Michaels’ books in the near future.

Black Rainbow by Barbara Michaels

My recent Barbara Michaels read is Black Rainbow. This book is more typical of a traditional gothic. In fact, the very beginning of it has a strong feeling of Jane Eyre. Megan O’Neill goes to Grayhaven Manor to act as a governess for little Lina. Edmund Mandeville hired her to look after his ward. Forgetting to tell his sister, Jane, Megan and Jane scared each other when they came upon each other walking on the way to Mandeville. Both had seen a black rainbow. A black rainbow is a rainbow that forms at nighttime from the light of the moon. Both thing they have had a visitation by some mythical, perhaps evil, character, and both are relieved that the other is a person. Jane is not typical of people in the 1850s England. Jane believes that people should be judged by their qualities instead of their sex or position. Brother Edmund is a different character. Edmund fought and was wounded in the Crimea War. Now he is on his way back to the ancestral home Both Megan and Jane see him through eyes tinted with love: Jane for a worshipped younger brother, Megan for an infatuation.

The reader picks up hints that Edmund isn’t as good as others think. The first thing he does when he comes home is to take over the fabrics mill that Jane has been running with efficiency and concern for the workers. Edmund is only concerned with making money. Jane disagrees with Edmund and finds herself totally removed from the mill. Things start to get worse for the villagers because of the things Edmund does. What do they do though? They blame Megan because they associate her arrival with all the bad things. An old woman doesn’t help matters by spreading the rumor that Megan is a witch who will bring destruction unless something happens to her. As the story continues, Sam, a former manager at the mill tries to protect Megan. Megan continues her infatuation with Edmund, and finally manages to marry him. When the villages storm Grayhaven, Jane and Megan run off with the help of Sam. Megan, who was unable to get pregnant, finally finds herself with child after the escape with Sam; and there are plenty of suggestions that Megan and Sam made love. After the birth of baby Eddie, Edmund really seems to take a turn to the dark side. Megan starts to have lots of accidents; Jane is temporarily imprisoned when she tries to rescue Sam from an abduction charge leveled by Edmund. The ending is shocking and unexpected.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Edmund is not your typical gothic hero. Even Megan is not typical. Yes, she has some strength of character, but her motives aren’t always honorable. Megan wants Edmund, and she will do whatever it takes to get him. Is Edmund worthy of the pedestal that Megan and Jane put him on? Nope! Edmund is not likable, and I wondered at times how the women could be so blind to his flaws. There really isn’t much of a mystery; the book is just an enjoyable gothic read. The book is a prequel to the earlier published book, Someone in the House (1981). I have it up next in my rotation. Black Rainbow was published in 1982. Should you read Black Rainbow? If you want an enjoyable revisit of the gothic style, you should!

Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels

As I continue my journal through the works of Barbara Michaels, I admit that I haven’t been taking a systematic journal. I didn’t start at the first book and continue through in order of publication. I wonder if doing that would have changed my experience. I just finished Houses of Stone, which was published in 1993. Barbara Mertz started publishing the books with the Barbara Michaels pseudonym in 1966. That’s when the more woo-woo of the books came out. Ammie Come Home was published in 1968. The Sea King’s Daughter, another of my recent reads, was published in 1975. I really liked The Sea King’s Daughter. I’m a bit more ambivalent about Houses of Stone, and I do wonder if Michaels started to change her style as time went on. It’s something that I’ll have to look out for with future books.

Houses of Stone tells us the story of Karen Holloway, an English literature professor, who found some fame in publishing a poem by an unknown author named Ismene. Karen found the poem in a tattered, old publication, and she got it republished with commentary. You know, the sort of thing that professors specializing in literature do. Karen suspects that Ismene was a woman writing in the late 1700s/early 1800s, and when Karen hears from her friend Simon, a book seller, that he found an unpublished manuscript that Simon thinks was written by Ismene. Karen agrees, and the battle for the manuscript and publication begins. The manuscript isn’t complete; the first few pages are missing. Simon offers the manuscript to the highest bidder, but gives Karen the option of preferred bidder. That means that Karen gets the option to outbid the highest bidder. With the financial help of her friend and colleague, Peggy, Karen is able to obtain the manuscript. The action begins then. Karen wants to figure out who Ismene really is. If she can give her a name, it would make the manuscript that much more valuable, financially and academically. Karen finds out that Cameron Cartwright sold the manuscript to Simon, as part of the estate of his uncle. Karen goes to the Virginia backwater town to investigate the family home/location to see if she can figure out if Ismene is part of the distant family tree. Peggy goes along to provide historical research. Meanwhile, rivals Bill and Dorothea also show up to try to beat Karen to the punch, and perhaps to steal the manuscript. Even though Karen is working from a copy, if the copy is stolen, Bill or Dorothea could beat Karen to publication. Karen’s apartment is broken into, and the manuscript is almost stolen from her by the burglar. Then Karen is almost run over by a car, and rescued at the last minute by Bill. Then a fire breaks out in the garage under Karen’s apartment. Karen narrowly escapes. Meanwhile, when Karen investigates Ismene’s house and grounds, she experiences cold waves, feels evil, and hears ghostly screams. There are so many questions: who is Ismene? Is the gothic manuscript autobiographical? Who is trying to hurt Karen? Who is the romantic interest: Bill or Cameron? What the heck is going on?

The story was okay. I enjoyed the book, and I read it quickly. I suppose those are good things. However, I just felt that the story was dragging at points. I was expecting more build-up with the romance angle, but it just sort of happens at the end. All the loose ends get tied up, but I’m not sure that the journey was as much fun as it was in the older books. As with other Michaels books, Karen is a feminist. She gets herself into and out scrapes. However, there’s still the element of the strong man in the background who really helps out. I would recommend the book, but with reservations that I don’t think that it’s the best of Michaels’ work.

Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels

If there's one thing I love, it's snuggling up in a warm robe with cookies and a hot drink while I read a romantic suspense book. One of my favorite authors is Barbara Mertz, whether she is writing as Elizabeth Peters or Barbara Michaels. When Mertz writes as Michaels, she includes a supernatural element. There's a mystery to solve, which the heroine does with the help of some ghostly guidance. I've been in the mood for something woo-wooish, so I've started to work my way through the Michaels books. This evening, I finished reading Be Buried in the Rain.

Julie Newcomb is a medical student whose grandmother has suffered a stroke. The relationship between Julie and her grandmother has been strained, basically because the grandmother, Martha, is a mean, old woman. What you might call a real bitch. Julie spent a few years of her childhood with her grandmother when Julie's mother was trying to get herself on her feet. The story starts with the discovery of some bones on a back road running by Martha's land. The discovery leads to Martha having a stroke. Now that Martha is incapacitated because of the stroke, cousin Matt talks Julie into spending the summer helping care for her grandmother. Of course, Martha lives in a huge old plantation style house in Virginia, so there's lots of room for action. Another wrench in the works is the inclusion of Alan, a former flame of Julie's who is doing some archaeological investigations on Martha's land. In the past, Martha caused a break-up between Alan and Julie, to give us the romantic tension in the book. So we have the perfect setup for some woo-woo thrills: the discovery of bones, a big, mysterious house, and romantic tension between the protagonists. Whose bones were in the road? Was it the mythical Lady Jocelyn, virginal maiden from the 1700s, or is it someone from more recent times?

The tension builds as Julie tries to figure out what is going on in the house and with Martha. The evil Joe Danner, resident handyman, and his down-trodden wife, Rosie, are suspects, especially after Rosie tries to poison Julie's adopted stray dog. Who can Julie trust? Cousin Matt, Alan? Is one of them trying to hurt her?

Michaels does an excellent job of building the tension, both mysterious and romantic. Of course, in the end, Julie solves it all with some psychic and romantic help. I really enjoyed the mystery and the romance in the book. I would highly recommend Be Buried in the Rain to anyone who likes a little bit of woo-woo and romance in their mystery.

Walker in Shadows by Barbara Michaels

I love a good romantic suspense book, especially if there are some gothic elements thrown in for good luck. That's one of the reasons why I love the Barbara Michaels' books. She writes the type of books that I love to read, and if I were an author, the type of books that I would want to write. Last night, I finished Walker in Shadows, one of Michaels' best woo-woo books. In this book, we have Pat Robbins, recently widowed mother of 19 year-old Mark. She lives in one of those huge, gothic type houses that you just know would be haunted. Next-door is a mirror image house. The pair of houses was built in the 1800s for a pair of twin sisters. Well, Josef Fredericks, recently divorced, moves into the next-door house with his 17 year-old daughter, Kathy. Tensions develop between the families when Mark falls for Kathy, who is forbidden to see Mark by her dad. Then Josef makes a remark about Pat that comes off as making her sound as if Pat is out to hook him. One night, when Pat is coming home from an evening out with a friend, she hears screams from the Fredericks' house. When she gets there, she finds Josef struggling with his screaming daughter. Nope, Josef isn't an abusive dad. A ghost in the house has traumatized Kathy. Pat and Mark get sucked into the horror because the entity is in search of Kathy, even if it means finding her in the Robbins' house. Of course, by the end, the problems are resolved, because that's what people want in their romantic suspense, a happy conclusion.

One of the things that I loved about the book was the absence of a typical gothic heroine. Pat Robbins is in her forties, a working mom, widowed, and not your typical beauty. As I get older, I love to see characters that are more realistic as the main character of books. Michaels is great at putting atypical people into romantic leads. Walker in Shadows kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages of the book late into the night. Not only did I want to know what was behind all of the horrifying situations, but I also wanted to know what would happen with Pat and Josef. I have to admit that I thought the romance bit happened a bit quickly between the two of them. It seemed forced, but it was still enjoyable. I have more of Michaels on my TBR list, and if they are as good as Walker in Shadows, I'll be happy.

The Sea King's Daughter by Barbara Michaels

I have been in the mood for romantic suspense for the past few months now, and in particular, I have been focusing on Barbara Michaels. I haven't read her books in a long time, and I thought I would re-read them to see if they were as good as I remember. So far, I haven't been disappointed! I just finished reading The Sea King's Daughter, which is slightly different than the other woo-woo books published under the Michaels pseudonym. 

The Sea King's Daughter is more in the style of Elizabeth Peters. Sandy Bishop is the heroine. She lives with her mother and step-father and really has no interaction with or knowledge of her father. Once as a younger child, she received a package addressed to Ariadne Frederick, Sandy's birth name, with a ancient Greek statue of Ariadne. Frederick is the last name of Sandy's biological father, an archaeologist. Sandy's mom left him when Sandy was a baby because Frederick loved his job more than his family. When the story really starts, Sandy is trying to figure out what to do with herself because she hasn't excelled in academics, but has excelled in athletics, especially swimming. Sandy wants the excitement that she had the previous summer when she and her step-dad found a submerged galleon off the Florida coast. The find got Sandy in National Geographic, and it caught Frederick's eye. Frederick comes to Florida to convince Sandy to help him search for submerged treasure in Greece. Sandy takes little convincing, and after her graduation from university, Sandy tells her parents that she is going to tour Europe. Yep, Sandy lies. Once Sandy gets to Greece, she starts to experience some feelings of deja vu, wondering if the feeling has some tie to her name Ariadne. Things don't start out well for Sandy on the island of Thera where Frederick is doing his archaeological work. Frederick is distant and uncaring. No one should swim or dive alone, and he leaves her un-watched as she swims. Sandy is starting to rethink her decision when she meets Jim in the village. Of course, the pair fall in love. Things get complicated when Jim's boss, Sir Christopher turns out to be a former cohort of Frederick's. Then Keller, a former German WW II officer, and his mistress, Kore, turn out to be living in a villa on the island. The foursome have a past history with Jim's uncle, who was killed during WWII. Earthquakes, volcanic action, and female deity worship add more spice to the story. 

I really did enjoy the story. If you read Peters and Michaels, both pseudonyms for Barbara Mertz, you know that the books have a very similar feel to them. The Sea King's Daughter provided plenty of thrills, archaeology, and mystery for me. Yes, I guess you could say that the relationship between Sandy and Jim seems rushed, but it's fiction, people! The book gave me what I wanted: some romance, some suspense, and a break from the harsh reality of the real world. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how Sandy and Jim would untangle all the clues and figure out who the bad guy was. As Sandy mentions in the end, she learns that no one is all good or all bad. Definitely a winner!