Secrets in the Mist - a Gothic Myths Novel

Ever since I was introduced to the Gothic worlds of Wuthering Heights and Dark Shadows, I have loved good Gothic mysteries. Even the Nancy Drew series has a number of Gothic elements to help build the suspense and keep the reader engaged. Dark rooms, foggy nights, ghostly cries, sinister shadows. So, when I stumbled across a book called Secrets in the Mist, labeled as "A Gothic Myths Novel," well...let's just say, I was intrigued.

I had seen the author's name before - Anna Lee Huber writes historic mysteries; but, I had never read any of her books before this one. As such, I was not sure what to expect. But the cover, with the girl in white holding a lantern in the dark and misty night, and the description of the story, about a mythical lantern man, a secret held by the local villagers, and a twisted trail of deceptions, were enough to hook me.  So, buy it, I did, and now that I've read it, I would say it was worth the price I paid.

Secrets in the Mist is the story of Ella Winterton. Her mother died some time ago; her brother died in the war; and her father has basically given up, living his like out of one bottle after the other. The only people Ella has that she can depend on are her housekeeper, Mrs. Brittle, and her best friend, Kate (even if Kate's brother jilted Ella many years ago, running off to marry a woman that clearly had no interest in him). Set in England in 1812, in a small England village, Ella has resigned herself to the fact that she will likely never get married and never rise above the financial state she is in. One by one, she has been forced to sell off all of her valuables to keep her father out of prison (his drink of choice has been banned, as it is produced by the French, with whom England is at war), and she truly doesn't have much left.

Until she meets the Lantern Man...

What I first thought was going to be a mystery involving the legend of the Lantern Man, the mysterious shadowy figure who haunted the marshes outside of the Winterton homestead, instead turned out to be a mystery involving smugglers, thieves, blackmailers, and murderers. Ella, our Gothic damsel in distress, soon finds herself involved on all of these things, and the very people she had thought she could depend on to help her turn out to be involved themselves! But not everyone is who they seem to be, and as with any good Gothic tale of mystery and romance, Ella finds her hero and is ultimately able to solve the mystery and see the villains face the consequences of their actions ... but not without a cost to those Ella holds dear.

Huber does write a good tale, and she gave me a couple of surprises along the way; however, there is not a whole lot of suspense to the tale, even though Ella ventures out into the marshes numerous times, the mists swirling around her and the shadowy Lantern Man appearing without warning. Ella is a likable character, but honestly, I found I loved Mrs. Brittle even more and wish I had seen more of her in the story.  Some of the plot points were a bit predictable, but it was fun to follow Ella as she uncovered the clues that led to some shocking revelations for her (although not so much for the reader).

When I picked this up, I had assumed that the "A Gothic Myths Novel" meant there were others or some to be forthcoming; but, as of the writing of this post, there have been no other offerings under this umbrella, leaving me to believe that Secrets in the Mist is, and will be, the only Gothic Myths novel - a one-hit-wonder, so to speak.

Is it worth the read?  If you like mysteries with a light-touch of Gothic, then yes, I'd suggest it; but if you are expecting the dark and borderline-supernatural elements present in most Gothic stories, then you may not find this to your liking.

RATING:  7 cherished pianofortes out of 10 for a good mystery, sprinkled with a bit of romance and a hint of Gothic.