Mansion in Miniature - a Signet Gothic novel

If the name Elizabeth St. Clair seems familiar, that may be because I have read and reviewed her first Zebra Mystery Puzzler (Murder in the Act) back in October of last year.  St. Clair is a pseudonym used by author Susan Lois Handler-Cohen, who wrote novels in both the Gothic and mystery genres, and this is the first of her Gothic novels that I have read.  I thoroughly enjoyed her Zebra Mystery Puzzler, so I went into this with high hopes, and I was not disappointed.  Yes, the story is told in first-person point-of-view (I much prefer third-person POV), but I quickly got over that, as the story was so engaging, and the characters, while a bit odd in many ways, definitely kept my attention.  

 

The cover art for this book is signed, revealing the artist to be Allan Kass (1917-2005), who was quite the prolific paperback artist.  Kass provided coves to any number of romance, regency, Gothic, and western novels - there is even a blog dedicated to all of his cover art (Allan Kass - Illustrator).  I did not realize how many Gothic covers were done by Kass, including quite a few that I have in my personal collection - from the many Phyllis A. Whitney mysteries for young adults to the Caroline Farr Gothic novels to various Virginia Coffman Gothic novels to The Dornstein Icon by Janet Louise Roberts, and so many others.  Kass definitely left his mark on the Gothic genre of that period.

 

Now, back to the book itself - Mansion in Miniature is the story of two sisters (and no, this is not Soap!): Karen Livingstone and her younger sister, Crystal Livingstone Fairchild.  Karen has always been the strong, sensible one, while Crystal, like her name, is the delicate one who everyone treats with kid gloves, always cleaning up the messes she leaves in her wake.  While Karen has grown to see through Crystal's manipulations and lies, everyone else seems mesmerized by her beauty and fragility.  So, when Crystal met the wealthy Lawrence Fairchild, married him, and was whisked away to the Fairchilds' private island off the New England coast, Karen thought she was finally free of the shadow her sister's needs cast over everyone around her.  But then she receives a letter practically begging her to come to Fair Island - not just to see the one-of-a-kind dollhouse she has created, but also to help her.  Karen, who owns a shop that sells dollhouses and furniture cannot resist seeing this dollhouse, as this may be what she needs to enter into the annual competition.  What she does not know is the web of intrigue she is about to step into...

 

Lawrence Fairchild is dead.  His entire estate has been left to his grieving widow - Karen's sister, Crystal.  Lawrence's sister, Carlotta, remains on the island, caring for Crystal with the help of her trusted housekeeper, Stafford.  Carlotta's two sons, Paul and Arthur, also live in the house. Paul is a successful attorney with an ambitious career in politics that his mother will do anything to foster.  Arthur is the younger brother, never truly succeeding at anything, always angry at everything, and controlled completely by his mother.  And then there is Crystal.  Sometimes she seems to be off-balance, unaware of her surroundings; yet, other times she seems not only full aware, but in complete control, manipulating those around her with feigned insanity.  Karen does not believe any of it, and when Crystal begs her to sneak her off the island, away from a family that is desperate to get their hands on her money, Karen believes it is only another ploy.  Until she finds Crystal's body washed up on the beach, dead from apparent suicide.  Or was it?

 

The destroyed miniatures in Crystal's room, which the Fairchilds insist were strewn about by Crystal in a fit of rage does not match Karen's knowledge of Crystal's love and devotion for those miniatures.  She knows Crystal would never dream of damaging a one of them.  Which means someone is lying.  And someone is a murderer.  And Karen has to figure out who it was before she becomes the next victim.  She cannot trust anyone, and even after she returns to New York with her sister's dollhouse, even after the house wins the miniature competition, and even after Karen thinks all of the horrors are behind her - she is brutally attacked and nearly killed in her own hotel room by the person she thought she could trust.  In true Gothic fashion, Karen finds herself the target of a killer who wants her out of the way, and the person she thought she could trust the most turns out to be one of her deadliest enemies.

 

Handler-Cohen a/k/a St. Clair writes a wonderfully thrilling tale of suspense, mystery, and terror. This is a story that certainly confirms why I love St. Clair's writing so much - I can't wait to read another of her books!

RATING:  10 miniature safes hiding dark secrets out of 10 for a dramatic and gripping Gothic tale that will keep you in suspense until the very last page!