"She vowed to conquer the malevolent forces surrounding her - and found death lurking in the shadows" (cover blurb)
Lucky number thirteen! This is the thirteenth Harlequin Gothic Romance, published in September 1986 - and this marks thirteen great Gothic reads out of thirteen for the series! I am amazed that I have yet to find a book in this series that I have not really enjoyed (but I probably should not say that, or I'll end up jinxing it!). This is author Irene M. Pascoe's first of two books in this series, and based on this one, I cannot wait to read her second one. I was not able to find out anything about the author, but it appears the name may be her own and not a pseudonym, as the copyright is in her name, and the dedication at the front of the book is given to her mother and father, Mary and Arthur Kasa (which is confirmed in an obituary I found online for Irene's sister, Nancy). This book actually marks Pascoe's first of five Gothic novels she has published between 1986 and 2004.
Lord of High Cliff Manor is a period story, set in 1882, and follows young Jennifer Shanley as she travels to the cliffs of Puget Sound in the Washington territory, where she has been hired by Mark Kennecott as his young nephew's tutor. But, as with any good Gothic, when Jennifer arrives, she is met with resentment and distrust. Mark's stepmother tells Jennifer she is not right for the position and tells her to leave; however, Jennifer has no place to go (having used up all her savings to pay for the trip to High Cliff Manor), and to her relief, Mark Kennecott is determined that she will stay on to tutor young Kirk, as well as Melinda, the daughter of the manor's housekeeper. Thus, the story is set for poor Jennifer to face the terror and danger that comes with living in High Cliff Manor...
The manor comes with a tragic history. It seems not that long ago, one of the Kennecott's tug boats exploded, leaving only one man alive - Daniel Hennessey. In that explosion, Caroline's husband, as well as the husband of the housekeeper, were killed, leaving both women widows with small children (Caroline with her son, Kirk; and the housekeeper with her daughter, Melinda). A series of tutors have come and gone, mostly because of Kirk's horrific nightmares and his troublesome nature. But Jennifer begins to build a friendship with the young boy in a way no one else has been able, and Mark knows he made the right choice in hiring her. But Mrs. Kennecott and her daughter, Caroline Ramsay, are making life difficult for Jennifer so she will leave the house - or, so it seems. First, it's a dead rat found on her pillow. Then, a strange man appears in her room in the middle of the night. But from there, the danger escalates. A metal iron is dropped from an attic window, missing Jennifer by mere inches. Then Jennifer is locked in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods, left to rot within its rat-infested walls. It is clear someone in the house wants to get rid of Jennifer, but the question is: who?
Rumors in town speculate that Mark Kennecott blew up his own boat for the insurance money, as his business was floundering. Jennifer wonders if perhaps Caroline's obvious desire to have Mark all to herself is not motive for the mysterious and deadly events. There's always Mrs. Kennecott, who has made it clear from the first day that she does not like Jennifer and does not want her there - especially when Mark begins to show amorous intentions towards her. And what about Daniel Hennessey? He claims to have amnesia and wanders aimlessly through the estate - but does he have a more deadly side that no one has seen? There plenty of suspects and more than enough motives. Jennifer considers leaving, but she knows she cannot leave the children behind to face whatever terror haunts the great house.
One thing I am left wondering - the name of the character, Daniel Hennessey. In the television show, Dark Shadows, there is a character by the name of Daniel Collins when the show traveled back in time, and that character is portrayed by the actor, David Henesy. Was this name a play on the Dark Shadows' character and its actor, or is it merely a coincidence? I'd like to think it was a small homage to Dark Shadows, since the show epitomized Gothic tales in the late '60s and early '70s, which is the heyday period of these Gothic paperbacks.
Pascoe writes an excellent mystery, with a bit more romance that I've seen in most of these Harlequin Gothic tales, but not so much that it overpowers the story. She gradually builds the suspense, dropping small hints here and there as to the identity of the one terrorizing Jennifer, and provides a tense and exciting climax that will leave the reader breathless. This is definitely a top-notch example of what a Gothic mystery should be, and I cannot wait to read Pascoe's next book in this series!
RATING: 10 balls bouncing down the stairs out of 10 for the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, and romance to tell a Gothic story worthy of some of the greats!