Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32007 - The Fourth Letter

"She thought the past was laid to rest - only to discover that it threatened to destroy her future" (cover blurb).

 

I can't believe I am already seven books into the Harlequin Gothic Romance series.  Even more shocking, I can't believe how much I am thoroughly enjoying each and every one of the books in this series!  But here I am, and I have no intention of slowing down - although, I will admit, I'm beginning to already feel a bit of sadness at the idea that the series only had eighteen books in it.  That means I only have eleven left to go.  Oh, well, there are plenty of other gothic books from the '60s, '70s, and '80s out there waiting for me to read them, so I suppose I should not be too disheartened.  But, honestly, I don't know that any of them have as beautiful art and as creative titles as this series does, and the uniformity of the covers is a huge plus to someone who loves uniformity and consistency, particularly in series books.  And this one has its series books moments, believe me!

 

The Fourth Letter is written by Alison Quinn and is her second (and final) book in the series.  As previously indicated in my review of her first book (The Satyr Ring), which also happens to be the first book in the series, Quinn is likely the real name of the author and not a pseudonym, since the copyright page on both books indicate the copyright is owned by "Alison Quinn."  Other than that, and the fact that she wrote the first and seventh book in this series, I am not able to find anything else about the author.  I can saw, however, that she is a very talented writer and definitely knows how to write a great gothic mystery.  In this instance, the mystery involves a young woman named Nicole Lord, whose father has died and she has left her home in Paris, France to fulfill her father's dying wish - see her grandmother and resolve the issues that caused him to leave home so many years ago.  The only thing is, Nicole is not prepared for the various secrets and machinations that exist within the walls of the Lord mansion in the hills of Vermont!

 

While Quinn integrates a number of standard gothic tropes - the isolated mansion, the secrets held by pretty much every member of the household, the dangerous cliffs, and the mysterious sounds in the dead of night - she also manages to sneak in some twists into the story and challenge what the reader thinks they know or have figured out.  Quinn throws a couple of very unexpected curve balls that have great impact on the story and the relationships among the characters. Nicole arrives to find a grandmother that is at first resistant and distrusting; a housekeeper and confidant that makes it clear Nicole is not wanted there; a housekeeper's son who is hot and cold - distant at times, friendly at others; and a doctor who is a renowned ladies' man and has set his eyes on Nicole.  The poor girl does not know who to trust, and all she wants is to pass along her father's message and move on to New York.  And therein lies the problem...

 

Nicole's father had previously written his mother three times before, but never received a response.  Nicole has in her possession a fourth and final letter her father wrote just before he died, telling Nicole to give it to her grandmother when she feels the time is right.  But Nicole cannot determine when, or even if, there will be a right time.  And why does her grandmother have this irrational hatred of art of any kind?  Why is the house filled with mirrors on the walls rather than works of art?  And what is that constant tapping she hears at night, coming from the small patroon house at the edge of the woods?  The answer to that final question ultimately leads to a deadly encounter which results in Nicole being locked in the burning building, left to die!  And I suppose there is one more question that must be answered - why in the world does everyone get so distraught when Nicole and Mark announce their engagement?  What secret could their families possibly be hiding that would prevent them from consummating their love?  Well, let's just say that Flowers in the Attic could take a queue from this story!

 

I love the fact that Quinn does not even try to hide who the villain of this story is; nor does she give readers a clear line of good and bad when it comes to Nicole's two suitors - instead, we get plenty of gray areas with both of them.  And the contents of that mysterious, sealed fourth letter, the burning of the patroon house, the threats to Nicole's life, and the secrets that everyone in the house is hiding - well, they all add up to a great gothic mystery that, in some ways, reminds me of a good Nancy Drew mystery.  In fact, the cover art (by yet another unidentified artist) is similar to the original cover art of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Clue in the Diary, by Russell H. Tandy.  Both covers feature the burning buildings in the background, both covers feature a young woman in the foreground - one reaching down for a book, the other clutching a sealed envelope. 

 

Then again, the cover also resembles a much later Nancy Drew mystery, Race Against Time, which cover art was provided by the very talented Ruth Sanderson.  In this particular cover, we see the burning building in the background (as with this book), and the young woman is now facing the fire, her hand raised up to her mouth, similar to how the young woman on the cover of this book has her hand raised up to her chest as she looks back at the burning building.  Perhaps it is mere coincidence that all of these covers feature similar aspects; I mean, after all, the Nancy Drew mysteries have always incorporated a lot of gothic elements into the stories, so why should it be any surprise the covers should not also mirror certain gothic themes?  

One thing I did find odd about the book has nothing to do with the story or cover art; rather, it is the two-page spread in the back of the book advertising the various Harlequin series.  The advertisement urges readers to "Indulge in the pleasure of superb romance reading by choosing the most popular love stories in the world."  Below this tag are six different Harlequin series:  Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Temptation, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, and Harlequin Intrigue.  Surprisingly, the very series in which the ad is placed is not mentioned at all. One would think they would want to advertise the Harlequin Gothic Romance series as well, but apparently it did not make the cut for this particular advertising campaign.  Perhaps that might be part of the reason the series did not last beyond 18 books - without advertising, one cannot expect a series to succeed!

 

This was yet another fantastic addition to the world of gothic romance/mystery novels, leaving me excited and anxious to read the next one in this series!

 

RATING:  10 seven-eights leopardskin fur coats out of 10 for a superbly-written gothic tale of secrets, suspense, and soap-opera style surprises!