In an unequal world connivance is more ambiguous than it is evil. Here Alcott uses the trope of ‘the artful enchantress who ruins a respectable family’ to suggest this idea. As false as the protagonist is, I found myself on her side often. Alcott paints her gentrified ‘victims’ as feckless, childish, naive, entitled, vacuous, unperceptive and listless. I never felt sympathy for them, and was actually somewhat satisfied to see a quick-witted 'commoner' playing them all. It reminded me a little of The Red and the Black with a character of questionable birth but extraordinary talent finding a way to rise in the world. And even in the final moments the reader is given reason to believe that the ‘villainess’ will actually treat her conquest well now that she has conquered him. Alcott never made me hate her, despite her conniving.

This reaction of mine may have to do with the different century I inhabit. Maybe in the time it was written, and among those who would read it, it was a cautionary tale that invited insecurity and dread – which would add a tension to the story that I internalized exactly oppositely. Also it may betray my own class prejudices. To me it was the deprived overcoming the effete with pluck.

Additionally this seemed a study of manipulation, or as it is being called today, social engineering. Flattery, reverse psychology, and other more tantalizing tricks are all part of her repertoire.

These stories are delicious.

But with "Behind the Mask," Alcott veered from her traditional path of 'wholesome' writing. The book has four novellas, most of which were published anonymously at the time as what Alcott called her "Blood-and-Thunder Tales." Modern 'literary' readers probably consider these potboilers trash. Alcott's primary goal in writing them definitely was for financial gain.

But Alcott's own shadow, her frustration at the plight of the poor, and particularly of women inspired her.

The first one is the best- "Behind A Mask" follows a young governess appointed to serve the Coventry household. You just know something's not right as soon as she walks in- she acts peculiar with the young, good-looking men of the house. That, plus the hint of a muddy past makes the story go fast- and the ending is brilliant.

There is melodramatic dialogue and a bit of purple prose but that doesn't hurt the overall effect. The story stays with the reader. The issues of class and patriarchy (marriage and 'saving' reputations being the primary goals of life) are interwoven, so that this ranks higher than a simple 'blood and thunder tale.'

"Pauline's Passion & Punishment" is a classic tale of woman's revenge against a false lover. Well-paced writing- an ending that probably made those nineteenth-century readers gasp with shock. Well-written, but lacked enough depth and too drawn out to be my favorite. Melodrama at its peak.

"The Mysterious Key." Just the title brings images of a raven hovering outside a library on a rainy night. Here, we have the Lady of the house widowed at age eighteen, and the secret of her husband's death casting gloom over the castle for over a decade. The question is, what's the secret? More importantly, what are the repercussions of the secret?

"The Abbot's Ghost" is the last of the tales- here we have two good-looking bachelors- sadly, one is left crippled after an accident and is no longer 'marriageable' as a result (this was the very un-PC 1800s). Maurice is his name, and yes, he's got a terrible secret too.

As wonderful as these tales are, as a whole, one thing struck me- bothered me, to be more specific. The characters' lives revolved around three things- fame, money, and lust. Nothing outside of these things matter to any of them- nothing higher than themselves appeals to them. I wonder if Alcott was making her statement on society right here by characterizing this way. She did a good job.

This was a fun read. Certainly not something I'm going to run out and tout as a classic-must-read book, but as a big fan of Alcott's writing growing up, this was an adventure.

I found the storylines less than compelling, but the characters themselves (always Alcotts strong point) were beautifully portrayed. Like her better known (dare I simply say: better) writings, the truest moments in these stories evolved from her tender portrayal of familial relationships.

I admit, I did read these with the mental image of Jo in her writer's cap scribbling away at 2 in the morning.

Louisa May Alcott was a very talented author. This collection is proof of that. The stories may have been thrillers in their day, and indeed are inhabited with ghosts, revenge minded cast-off lovers and forbidden matches, but they are entertaining nonetheless, admirably represent their genres and are good mysteries. Yes, mysteries. In "the Abbotts Ghost", we wonder just what secret poor Treherne is hiding and why. In others, we ponder the mysterious governess, the rage and revenge of a beautiful woman. These are mysteries as real as any CSI. A good collections of stories off the beaten path.

This was beautifully written. The dark undertones almost made it unrecognizable as being written by Louisa May Alcott, however not quite. Reading this was like falling under the spell of the main character who although I know was deceiving everyone I couldn't help but keep reading and see how it would pan out. The pacing was quick and justly so, it would have been boring if not a whirlwind of activity. I suspected the truth of some of the things that were being presented, but not everything. How wonderful to be caught in the balance of not knowing what was really happening. I highly recommend this story. It is not at all hard to read like some period pieces that end up being a challenge to read instead of a delight. Hooray for the bossy book challenge, I might never have heard of this story otherwise!

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) is best remembered for her Little Women series of books for girls, but had quite a few other works to her name. And some that were written under a pen name. The latter included several short works published in sensational periodicals of the time, considered too spicy to be attached to her reputation as a schoolteacher. The Alcott family suffered from poverty, and sales of “blood and thunder” stories were a nice way to earn emergency cash.

According to Ms. Stern, many of these works were lost for years because of the psuedonym and the ephemeral nature of the periodicals they appeared in. She first became aware of them in the 1940s, but due to wartime conditions was unable to pursue the matter to a conclusion, and it was only in the 1970s that enough clues could be found to allow this collection of four representative stories.

“Behind a Mask ~or~ A Woman’s Power” leads off as the well-off Coventry family engages nineteen year old Scotswoman Jean Muir as a governess. It seems that for various reasons, the sixteen year old youngest daughter Bella has had her education neglected, and she needs her basics down before her social debut. Jean turns out to be a multi-talented young woman and quickly wins the hearts of most of the family. However, when she retires to her new bedroom, Jean removes her makeup, wig and false teeth to reveal that she’s actually thirty–and a very skilled actor.

Jean Muir uses her wiles to entice the family’s two brothers, turning them against each other. But in fact her ambitions are even higher. And in the end, despite some setbacks, Jean succeeds in her primary goal! This makes the story one of the relatively rare “bad guy wins” pieces of fiction. On the other hand, it’s hard to be unsympathetic to Jean; she’s been dealt a bad hand by life, and in a pre-feminist society, her options are limited. And to be honest, the ultimate outcome only leaves the Coventry family sadder but wiser.

One bit that may confuse younger readers–the elder brother buys the younger brother a “commission.” At the time, the British Army allowed rich people to simply buy a lieutenant’s rank. This worked out about as well as you’d think.

“Pauline’s Passion and Punishment” brings us to Cuba. Pauline is a woman scorned; the handsome but financially embarrassed Gilbert wooed her, then went on what he described as a short trip–to marry another woman! She comes up with a scheme to get revenge, and the handsome and wealthy Manuel is willing to marry her to help her get it. They catch up with Gilbert and his new bride Barbara at a resort hotel. Gilbert married “Babie” for money, only to find out it was tied up in a trust. Pauline happens to be an old schoolmate of Babie’s, so she and Manuel have a social “in” to hang out with Gilbert and his wife.

Quite honestly, Pauline dodged a bullet when Gilbert dumped her; he’s a gambling addict, heavy drinker and bad-tempered (warning for domestic abuse.) Pauline could have just left it at showing how much better a couple she and Manuel were, living well as the best revenge. But she just can’t resist twisting the knife, and that leads to tragedy.

There’s a bit of ethnic stereotyping of the “Latins are hot-blooded” type. This story is illustrated with woodcuts from the original publication.

“The Mysterious Key ~and~ What It Opened” brings us back to Britain. Lord Trevlyn and his wife are about to have their first child when a messenger arrives. We do not find out immediately what message was brought, but at the end of the night, Lord Trevlyn is dead of a heart attack, Lady Trevlyn is prostate with shock (and her health never entirely recovers) and Lillian is born.

The story skips ahead to Lillian’s early adolescence, when a mysterious but very polite boy named Paul turns up and becomes a servant for the Trevlyn family. He and Lillian get on quite well, but it’s clear that he has secrets, and then vanishes one night.

Several years later, Paul turns up again with the name Paolo Talbot. He has made his fortune in Italy, and has returned to Britain with his cousin Helene. Helene is blind (at one point mistaken for mentally handicapped by an uneducated person, who uses what was at the time the polite term, but “idiot” is no longer acceptable.) Lillian thinks Paul is honor-bound to marry Helene, but the truth is far more convoluted.

This story is the weakest of the set, and could have used some punching up.

“The Abbot’s Ghost ~or~ Maurice Treherne’s Temptation” is a Christmas story. The noble Treherne family has several guests staying over Christmastide. Love triangles abound as a result. Maurice has been confined to a wheelchair due to an accident, and it is deemed unlikely that he will ever walk again. He was also disinherited by his late uncle for initially unspecified reasons, and is dependent on the charity of his cousin Jasper, who inherited the title and money.

Christmas is a time for ghost stories, and the Treherne house happens to have a resident spook, an abbot who was turned out of his home by a distant ancestor of the Trehernes. It is said that an appearance by the abbot’s ghost foretells the death of a male member of the family. Sure enough, the ghost appears (or is it a hoax?) Who will die, and who will get married?

There’s an ethnic slur hurled by one of the characters, who is portrayed as unsympathetic at the time.

Three out of four stories involve possible cousin marriage; I wonder if that was really such a big thing back in the 1860s in Britain, or if Ms. Alcott just had a thing for that storytelling gimmick.

The writing is clear and direct, with a few obscure words and outdated pop culture references. While apparently pretty daring for their time, there’s little in here that will shock modern readers.

Recommended for more mature Alcott fans, and those who enjoy romantic thrillers.

"Behind a Mask" - (4 stars)

"Pauline's Passion and Punishment" - Pauline's revenge against a false lover (4 stars)

"The Mysterious Key" - a young widow and her daughter hire a mysterious young man; the mystery aspect of the story is great, but the characters lack charm which is sad for Alcott characters. (2 stars)

"The Abbot's Ghost" - Maurice is left crippled after an accident and lives with his cousin Jasper; he tries to win the hand of his love, Octavia, despite a great secret; good story but predictable (2 stars)

"Still sitting on the floor she unbound and removed the long abundant braids from her head, wiped the pink from her face, took out several pearly teeth, and slipping off her dress appeared herself indeed, a haggard, worn, and moody woman of thirty at least."
These are so much fun to read. And not particularly evil, either -- the wicked get themselves into trouble, mostly. Mr. Bhaer didn't know what he was talking about.

This book contains short stories and novellas from Louisa May Alcott's other genre- thrillers and gothic. Some are more predictable than others and some have surprise endings. There are happy endings and one or two endings that may make you angry! I think it's fun to read the "Jo" type writings of Louisa.

When you think Louisa May Alcott, you think “Little Women”. The author is so synonymous with her much-loved classic that one forgets she wrote other types of stories too. It might come as a surprise to some that before she worked on “Little Women”, she wrote plenty of gothic thrillers. Published in popular magazines anonymously or under the pseudonym ‘A. M. Barnard’, the stories were the pulp fiction of their day, full of deceit and depravity. Alcott dismissively called them “blood-and-thunder tales.”

My copy of this book contained an opening note by Madeleine Stern, the lady who discovered the existence of these stories. She was a rare-book dealer and following clues sprinkled in Alcott’s correspondence and other writings, found evidence that Alcott had written potboilers too. Her introductory note is extremely insightful about Louisa May Alcott and gives a lot of details of when and how Alcott brought these stories to life.

This book was my attempt at knowing Louisa May Alcott’s works better. I am a huge fan of ‘Little Women’ and Jo March has a firm place in my heart as one of the best female characters in classics. Some shades of Jo’s independent streak can be found in the women of these stories too, but overall, I was left with mixed feelings. Of the four stories, two worked brilliantly and two left me feeling meh. Here’s a brief feedback on the stories.

1. Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power: Written under the pseudonym of A M Barnard
It starts off in a very confusing manner with too many characters too soon, but you soon figure out who is who. The story is in the romantic suspense thriller style. Of course, for readers in 2022, there’s not much of suspense, but considering that this was first written in 1866, it must have been mind-blowing then. I never expected Alcott to write a heroine like this, what with her secretive deviousness and flirtatious behaviour. (It stunned me almost as much as Jane Austen’s Lady Susan.)
3.75 stars.

2. Pauline's Passion and Punishment
When Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper offered a one hundred dollar prize for a story, Louisa May Alcott anonymously submitted, and won the contest with this story. Originally published in January 1863, this was the first of Louisa May Alcott's "blood-and-thunder" tales to be printed. It is the shortest story in the book with only four chapters and therein lies its shortcoming. It starts decently but soon becomes a tad boring. The ending is very abrupt and unexpected. At the same time, it has strong shades of feminism as the traditional gender roles seem to be reversed.
2.5 stars

3. The Mysterious Key
First published in 1867, this was my favourite story of the book. It is quite wellwritten and is the only story to create well-defined characters. Though it has its creepy moments, it is a bit predictable. Of course, considering it sprung from a young woman's mind more than 150 years ago, it's amazing. This is the only story in the book with a male hero and the only story that progresses at a steady and quick pace.
4.25 stars.

4. The Abbot's Ghost
Published under the pseudonym of A M Barnard in the year 1867, this is suppoed to be a Christmas story with a ghost. I tried a lot to keep my attention on this but I simply couldn't. There were too many characters (hardly any of whom are developed well) and the writing style was insipid. This was a dud for me with the ghost being the only surprise factor as I didn’t expect that from Alcott.
2 stars.

Overall, I would recommend this only to staunch fans of Louisa May Alcott who want to see her beyond “Little Women”. The stories are all in the public domain so you needn’t purchase this copy but can just download the individual stories from public domain book sites such as Gutenberg or Archive.org.




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I am a fan of the way Alcott writes, so reading these thrillers was a real delight. Alcott has such a way with words. The tension and suspense is palpable in each story; the grand reveal always comes at the very last moment so that we must piece everything together and wonder what any character is really up to. In order of how much I liked each story, from most to least: The Abbot's Ghost, Behind a Mask, The Mysterious Key and What It Opened, Pauline's Passion and Punishment.