...
Show More
This is one of Susan Howatch's early 'Gothic' novels. In fact, there are a total of six such novels. They are relatively short, each with less than 200 pages, and not nearly as powerful as her later family sagas and the Starbridge series. Nevertheless, they are well-written and suspenseful without being overly ghastly. I read this book in about three hours this afternoon, and even though I'm not much of a thriller reader, I didn't find it disturbing at all. The genre is more similar to Mary Stewart's thrillers than a modern one, as it is set in the pre-computer and pre-mobile phone era. In that time, long distance calls had to be made via an operator and were extremely expensive. This story begins with Clare Sullivan, who narrates the book in the first person, receiving an anguished phone call in New York from her sister Gina, who is in London. However, the call is suddenly stopped, and Gina seemingly vanishes. Clare's intuition tells her that something is seriously wrong, so she first flies to Paris and then on to London. There, she quickly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous and worrying set of circumstances. Susan Howatch, showing a distinct flair that becomes more pronounced in her later novels, manages to build up suspense through Clare's research. Clare meets people who know something about Gina or what has happened to her, and they offer their perspectives. Each time, we learn a little more, although we're not entirely sure who can be trusted until the end. The climax of the book is highly dramatic, perhaps a bit over the top in terms of melodrama, but in the context, it appears entirely possible - yet another sign of a great writer!
