The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

I have been looking for some new writers who write in the style of Barbara Mertz, and I found Susanna Kearsley, whose The Shadowy Horses said it was in the tradition of Barbara Michaels. So, of course, I was expecting some good woo-woo with romance and history. I was not disappointed. Verity Grey is an archaeologist who gets a job with Peter Quinell looking for the Roman Ninth Legion around Quinell's house in Scotland. Quinell is sure that the Ninth Legion, whose final resting place was missing, was to be found in Scotland because of the second sight of a little boy, Robbie. When Verity joins Quinell and her former boyfriend, Adrian, she finds herself captivated by fellow archaeologist, David Fortune. Unfortunately, Verity gets an eerie feeling that there is something supernatural going on. When Robbie tells her that the Sentinel, the Sentinel of the Ninth Legion, has become captivated by Verity because she reminds him of his sister, Verity really feels a chill down her spine. Will Verity help Quinell find the Ninth Legion? Why is the Sentinel watching over her? And will Verity and David find true love?

As I mentioned, I really did enjoy The Shadowy Horses. Kearsley's plot reminded me strongly of Michaels' books. There was a good deal of eeriness with the wandering of the Sentinel, the sound of galloping horses, and the mystery of objects going missing. Of course, I knew that Verity would find love, because that's what always happens in these types of books. I found myself caring about the characters because Kearsley did such a good job of making them human. I'm going to have to look for other Kearsley titles to see if they are as enjoyable.

The House of a Thousand Lanterns by Victoria Holt

I have definitely been in a mood for comfort reads. To me that means classic mysteries and gothic romantic suspense. I was looking through the numerous titles that Eleanor Hibbert (aka Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy), and I saw a few Holt titles that I don't remember reading. I started with The House of a Thousand Lanterns. This one caught my eye because of the exotic setting: Hong Kong/China in the late 1800s.

The story revolves around Jane Lindsay. When she was a child, her father died. Her mother got a job as a housekeeper in a place that would allow her to bring Jane with her for vacations. Jane's mother was set and determined to send Jane to school just as others had in Jane's father's family. The family had disinherited the dad when he married Jame's mother. Anyway, Jane's mom finds the perfect job at Roland's Croft, which is owned by Sylvester Milner. Sylvester made his living buying and selling Chinese art. He was quite skilled at his job, and there is some mystery about his treasure room, which is always locked. After Jane was caught sneaking into the room, Sylvester kept his eye on her and offered her a job as his assistant when Jane graduated from school. Soon after Jane started working for him, she met his nephew Joliffe. Of course, they both fall in love, and after a whirlwind romance, Jane and Joliffe get married. Within months, Jane found out that Joliffe had another wife. Joliffe thought the first wife had died in a train accident, but she didn't. Jane returned to Roland Croft, found out she was pregnant, and wound up marrying Sylvester to give the baby a name. Of course this caused quite a bit of controversy with Joliffe who just wanted to run off with Jane. The title of the book comes from the house that Sylvester owned in Hong Kong, where the action in the last half of the book takes place. Sylvester died, Jane (after a year) remarries Joliffe, whose first wife finally died, and both Jane and her six-year-old son, Jason, both find their life threatened. Of course, most of the drama is caused by Jane not knowing if she could trust Joliffe even though she loves him so much.

As is typical of Holt's books, this one has a very long middle section that sets up a lot of the history and personal interactions between the characters. I would have loved to smack Jane. She married someone, but then never communicates her concerns or questions Joliffe about his actions. If only she were open with him, she would never have found herself in dire straits. Of course, there would not have been any story, but the way Jane goes on and on about it was just so irritating. That said, I did enjoy the book. It was a typical Holt with a strong female character and a questionable, but really okay, male character. The mystery was decent. All in all, it was a good read to take my mind off of the troubles of life.

The Shivering Sand by Victoria Holt

I was feeling in the mood for a gothic romance, and I remembered that I used to love Victoria Holt. I haven’t read anything of hers since I was a teenager, so I thought I would give one of her books a try. I picked up The Shivering Sandsfrom the library. This book was just like the typical Holt that I remember from my childhood. The book was set in the late 1800s, and the heroine had a service role in the household with the dark, brooding hero. The heroine, Caroline Verlaine, was a woman in her late 20s who was a widow. Her husband was a famous pianist, Pietro Verlaine. Caroline had given up any notion of becoming a concert pianist in her own right when she married Pietro. Caroline also lived in the shadow of her parents and sister who were renown archaeologists. Caroline’s parents were killed together in a train accident, and then Roma, the sister, mysteriously disappeared shortly after Pietro’s death of heart attack. Boy, talk about tragedies! Caroline went to Lovat Stacey, where Roma had been investigating Roman remains, as a replacement for her former music teacher. The position got Caroline into the house, and introduced her to the family. Caroline’s wards were Edith (the recently wedded wife to Napier Stacy, the dark brooding hero), Allegra (illegitimate daughter of Napier), Alice (the housekeeper’s daughter), and Shelia (the pastor’s daughter). Caroline found that she was getting heavily involved in the family’s affairs, and in fact, that she was falling in love with Napier. Napier had a cloud of murder over his head, having accidentally shot his wonderful, older brother, Beau when they were teens. Beau died, Beau’s mom killed herself, and Napier found himself banished to Australian. Eventually, Napier was brought back home to marry Edith. When Edith disappeared, just like Roma, fingers started to point at Napier. Can Caroline solve the mysterious disappearance and clear Napier? Or will she find out that Napier is the guilty party?

Of course, Holt introduced a second love interest: Godfrey. Godfrey was the total opposite of Napier, and of course, Godfrey appeared to be in love with Caroline. Holt loved having her heroines not only facing danger, but she loved to give them the choice between two polar opposites. One was always the safe, sensible choice (Godfrey), while the other was sure to make the heroine’s life a roller coaster of danger and emotional upheaval (Napier).

The Shivering Sands lived up to my expectations. I got the dark brooding hero. The hero fell deeply in love with the heroine with very little contact or conversation. There was a ton of smouldering looks and touches. The book was really enjoyable, and a great choice for the recent cold and blustery days here in Pittsburgh. If you like the more typical gothic romantic suspense, give the The Shivering Sands a try. You won’t be sorry!

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.

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.