House of Imposters - a Popular LIbrary Gothic

This is my first taste of author Willo Davis Roberts' writing. While I own a number of Roberts' books, I honestly have never read one before now. Mrs. Roberts (1928 - 2004) was a rather prolific author, writing nearly 100 books over a span of 50 years for both adults and children - her first adult novel was published in 1955, and her first children's book was published twenty years later.  She wrote approximately 100 novels in her lifetime, including the "Black Pearl" series and a large number of Gothic, as well as nurse romance, novels.  (According to the Los Angeles Times obituary for Mrs. Roberts, she was completing revisions on her 100th novel when she passed away - LA Times - Willo Davis Roberts) She actually won the Edgar Allan Poe Awards for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries in 1989, 1995, and again in 1997, in addition to other awards, which should definitely say something about her writing!

 

The House of Imposters was published in 1977, near the end of the '70s Gothic craze, by Popular Library.  Unlike a number of Gothics from this period, the title to this book aptly describes the story within.  It all starts at the funeral of Melanie Bingham's aunt.  Melanie's last living relative has passed, and she is shocked to learn her aunt's fiance is to inherit the house in which she leaves - and he wants her out!  Before she can leave, he shows up drunk and begins making untoward advances.  The more she fights, the more forceful he becomes, until Melanie locates her aunt's gun and uses it.  With Harry Lowell lying on the floor, bleeding out, Melanie grabs all the cash she can find and grabs the next bus out of town.  As the night drags on, the young woman sitting next to Melanie describes her new job as a companion to an elderly woman, living in an old mansion in a small town.  Melanie pays little attention until the bus crashes off the road, and the woman is killed.  Barely able to take in all that has happened to her in less than 24 hours, Melanie (whose initials just happen to the same as the woman who died) finds herself picked up by a man looking for the other woman and whisked away with no choice but to assume the life of a dead woman...

 

And all of that happens within the first two chapters!  Thus, you can imagine what the rest of the book is like.  Roberts introduces only a few characters ... Edie Bracut, the elderly woman that is said to be not quite all there and potentially dangerous to herself.  This is the woman Melanie (who must go by the name Marilee, Edie's granddaughter) is to watch over and make sure the woman never leaves the property and stays locked in her room most of the time.  Chance Bracut, the woman's nephew who has moved in and taken control of the house and everyone in it.  He warns Melanie to keep his aunt under lock and key and stay out of his way.  Jack Glade, the smooth talking man who seems to do whatever Chance tells him to do.  His reason for being at the Bracut mansion is unclear, and he seems completely unfazed by the things going on in the house.  Otis, the gardener and handyman who appears to have no other purpose than to guard the gate surrounding the property to ensure no one gets in - or out!  Freddie Bracut is nothing but ashes in an urn, an urn that Edie will never let out of her sight, since it contains her dead husband, to whom she still converses.  Lila is the missing housekeeper that Edie insists was there when Chance first appeared on the scene, but now is nowhere to be found.  And about half-way through the book, two more characters come into play - Grebbs, the rude, take control man with a deadly mission - one he will not allow anyone to get in the way of; and Fernando, the gardener from the house next door who seems to know an awful lot about the mysterious goings-on in that other property...

 

It is pretty clear from the beginning that no one in the story is exactly who they say they are.  We know that Melanie is not really Marilee Bracut; yet, she somehow ends up assuming this girl's identity not only to escape the possibility of arrest for killing her late aunt's fiance, but also to avoid the retaliation from Chance and Jack if she does not do what they say.  Edie comes across as a dotty old woman who talks to her deceased husband's ashes - but is she as crazy as Chance and Jack say she is, or is she simply playing her own game?  After all, she seems to be able to escape from a locked room and have free reign of the house whenever she wants.  Chance has his own agenda, but what that is, no one seems to know.  He keeps himself locked in the library and is brutally insistent that no one explore the house or leave the property.  Why?  Jack is the most nonchalant of them all.  While he appears to be working for Chance, he catches Melanie and Edie in places they should not be and never tells his boss.  Is he working an angle of his own that could ultimately aid Melanie and the elderly woman?  Grebbs makes no bones about his killer attitude; but the question is, who is he there to kill?  And if Melanie gets in his way, will she wind up dead, too?  And finally, there's Fernando.  He seems nice enough, and he seems to be trapped on the property the same as Melanie and Edie.  But is that all an act?  Why is he really in the house?

 

This story is chock full of Gothic tropes - hidden passages and staircases; dark, spooky attics; strange sounds in the middle of the night; a body buried in the basement; deadly secrets and unknown intentions.  Roberts does not miss a beat with the suspense, and she moves the story at a pretty fast pace.  The only flaw that I found in the story is just how weak the main character is.  Melanie comes across extremely whiny at times, afraid of her own shadow and unwilling to take any chances at all to figure out what is going on.  Edie, an elderly woman much smaller than Melanie has more strength and gumption, and I found myself rooting more for her than for Melanie.  

 

My copy of this book also has a glaring printing error on page 149.  As Melanie is eavesdropping on her "captors," the lines in the story are placed out of order.  The paragraphs, as printed, read:

 

"...there's a chance I can claim the estate after the old

doorway until it was almost too late; she slipped hastily

gal's gone"

 

Melanie didn't realize they were moving toward the

into the designated sewing room and didn't dare to

close the door for fear they'd heard the click... 

 

It took me a moment upon reading it to realize that the second line that starts with "doorway" actually belongs as the second line of the next paragraph in order for the two to make sense.  Not sure if every printing of the book has the same mistake, or if it is only the particular printing that I have.

 

The cover art is standard Gothic fare, with the young woman in a flowing dress (Melanie?) running from the dark mansion in the background, a light shining from a second-story window.  There is no signature on the cover to identify the artist, and the copyright page does not give any credit.  However, looking at the face of the woman, I do have to wonder if perhaps Hector Garrido provided the art, as the facial structure of the woman is similar to his style from other covers he has painted. 

 

Overall, I did enjoy the story, with the exception of who weak Melanie is throughout the entire book.  If she were written as a stronger character, then I would say the story was pretty close to perfect as a Gothic would be.   

 

RATING:  8 jars of pickled artichokes out of 10 for a fast-moving, suspenseful story that is very intense and gripping right from the start! 

Let the Crags Comb Out Her Dainty Hair - a Queen-Size Gothic

Okay, so last month, I came across the title to this book and thought, "This has to be the strangest title I have ever seen for a gothic novel!"  The cover art was beautiful, although not the typical young woman running away from a castle in the background, but rather, a collage of images that I figured must somehow depict the story within. I did not think much of it after that, but color me surprised when I went to my local used book store this month and happened across a copy of this very book!  Needless to say, I had to have it - with a title like that, I was dying to know what the story was.  I know the back synopsis hinted at a woman with the power to see the future in her dreams, so I was anticipating some great supernatural gothic terror.  Sadly, that was not the case.

Let the Crags Comb Out Her Dainty Hair did not in any way meet up to the expectations I had for it.  Published in 1975 by Popular Library under its "Queen-Size Gothic" series, this book was written by Jacqueline Marten, who, it turns out, is an actual person and not just another pseudonym.  She apparently began writing for pulp magazine back in the 1940s, but later tried her hand at novels; this book is the first of only twenty that she had published over a twenty-year period.  From what I could find online, her favorite genre was historical romance, of which this novel was clearly an example.  With a title like this, I was truly expecting a dark, strange story to equal the name; but what I found instead was a fairly typical romance story set in the early 1800s with a very, VERY small spattering of gothic elements that seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought.

The first fifty pages of the book are spent giving readers the backstory of Kynthia Brook, the daughter of an Englishman and Greek woman who spent her childhood and teen years in Greece, her mother's homeland.  The author gives readers a hint of the fact that Kynthia has the ability to dream of future events, but more time is spent on her relationship with her best friend, Berenike, and the four boys she considered like brothers - Aris, Paulos, Georgi, and Joseph.  When Kynthia's mother succumbs to an illness and dies, her father (at her mother's dying request) takes her to England, where they purchase a small cottage on the cliffs near Kent, in the hopes she will marry an Englishman that will treat her like a lady rather than like property, as so many Greek men do.  But Kynthia is special - not only does she have the dream talent, but she is also well-educated, thanks to her father is a teacher.  Thus, Kynthia has a mind and will of her own, and she is not one given to faint or blush at the sight of a man.

From there, most of the remainder of the story focuses on Kynthia's struggle to determine which man she loves - the playful, rebellious Brant Halley (the only son of Sir Halley's second wife) and the more formal, traditional Dennis Halley (he second son of Sir Halley's first wife).  She finds herself attracted to both men for various reasons, and although Brant is more similar in nature to Kynthia, Dennis has an off-putting personality that drives Kynthia crazy.  Both men profess their love for her, but only one of them actually proposes.  And then Halley Hall is set ablaze, killing Brant and Dennis' older brother, William, and leaving their father grievously injured.  Of course, that burnt, shell of a building also happens to be the dark castle Kynthia saw in her dreams when she was still in Greece (one of the very few elements of the story that might be considered to be "gothic").  At this point, the story begins to spiral downward - the engagement is off, Dennis heads off to war while Brant leaves with his mother for other parts of England, and Mr. Brooks' health takes a sudden turn for the worse.  And when it seems like everything in Kynthia's life is crashing to the ground, a surprise appearance by Dennis (who was wounded badly in the war) leads to a new marriage proposal.

And FINALLY, as we reach the end of the story, in just the last few chapters, we get some semblance of a gothic tale.  Kynthia finds married life is not what she thought, as she becomes more or less a prisoner in her own new home.  Her father is dead, and her new husband is determined to control her at all costs, never letting her go anywhere alone.  The reappearance of Brant offers her a chance at freedom, and Kynthia ultimately learns the truth about the Halley family and the secrets they have been hiding, which nearly cost her her life!  Readers get a passing mention of a "ghost" in the halls of the burned building, and Kynthia does hear strange singing coming from the supposedly abandoned house - but again, none of this takes place until the very end of the book.  Frankly, the end of the story feels more like an afterthought, as if the author suddenly remembers this was supposed to be a gothic novel, so she threw in some quickly inspired elements to fit the genre.

The writing itself was not bad, and the characters are strong; however, the story itself is not what I would call "gothic" at all, and I think promoting this as a "Queen Size Gothic" was a misnomer.  I have to wonder how many readers back in the day were just as disappointed when they picked up the book, only to discover a historical romance completely lacking in all of the standard gothic tropes.  I will say, though, that the author did stay true to the time period.  Dennis goes off to fight in the Battle of Waterloo, which took place in June 1815; and Kynthia's love of Jane Austen books is scattered throughout the story, with her enthusiasm at getting the new books as they came out in in 1813, 1814, and 1815.  The fact that Kynthia was an avid reader, and that she fought against the norm of her day, where women were not educated in scholarly studies, but rather in household duties, was a plus for her character in my book.  Her refusal to simply cow-tow to the men around her, and her courage to stand up to them did make for a more interesting read than this could have been.  So, despite the lack of gothic elements, the story did have a few saving graces.

Overall, however, this is definitely my least favorite gothic book to date.  I would say it rates even lower than that first Janet Louise Roberts book I read (and that's saying something!).  Would not recommend it, unless you are a fan of historical romance, in which case, this would be right up your alley!

RATING:  4 secret messages hidden in a book out of 10 for a strong female lead and for coming up with the most unique title to ever grace the cover of a gothic tale!

A Scent of Violets - a Queen-Size Gothic

After reading The Scent of Lilacs by Carolyn Wilson, I happened across this book, which also features the scent of a flower in its title.  Obviously, my curiosity got the best of me, so I had to find a good copy of it (which I eventually did on eBay).  This particular book is "A Queen-Size Gothic," which was a line of gothic paperbacks that Popular Library started in the early '70s to compete with the plethora of gothic books on the store shelves.  These queen-size gothics were advertised as "a new idea" that offered "the very best in novels of romantic suspense, by the top writers, greater in length and drama, richer in reading pleasure," as stated on the back of the book.  In fact, the publisher went on to promote them as "READING FIT FOR A QUEEN."  That is certainly some very rich hype to live up to - leading me to wonder, could they do it?

A Scent of Violets does have the standard gothic tropes: a young, naive woman ... a foreboding house in the middle of nowhere ... a mysterious family with dark secrets ... horrifying cries in the middle of the night ... and a supernatural legend surrounding the marsh lands between the house and the nearest village.  But the normal hint of romance between the young woman and at least one of the men in the story is completely absent from this book.  There is no romance here; instead, the author opens the story with our young heroine, Linnet Grey, wondering if she was going to lose her student teaching job at the Academy for Young Girls.  An orphan, Linnet has no family, so if she loses her job, she will have no one to turn to and nowhere to go!  Fate intervenes, though, when Linnet sneaks off to see a play starring the up and coming actress, Chantel Legris.  There is something familiar about the actress, but Linnet has no time to ponder, because she is kidnapped outside the theater and taken in the dead of night to the dark mansion known as Willerby!

I give the author credit for giving readers a fresh take on the gothic tropes.  I certainly was not expecting a kidnapping to get the story started.  And then for poor Linnet to find herself in a secluded mansion with people she does not know, yet who all seem to know her - and detest her!  Who is this person they are mistaking her for, and what did she do to make them hate her so?  When parts of the house seem familiar to her, Linnet begins to wonder if she is losing her mind - had she really lived here before and simply forgotten?  Was she really the person they claimed she was?  Or was she the daughter of a sailor, whose parents died tragically at sea, leaving her alone in the world to survive at an all-girls school with a matron who clearly thought very little of her?  And what is that fleeting light that flashes by her window at night, going out into the marshes before disappearing?  And who is behind the woeful cries coming from the closed-off tower, the door to which is kept locked?  And where is the scent of violets that she keeps smelling in the halls coming from?  Are there ghosts haunting the halls of Willerby, and will Linnet soon be joining them?

I love the fact that Linnet is somewhat timid, having been trained at her school to adhere to orders given; yet, at the same time, she has a backbone, and she is not afraid to stand up to the mysterious and handsome Marcus Bellamy, who insists she is his arrogant, detestable ward who ran away two years ago to avoid her responsibilities and to hide from the damage she has caused.  I also loved the young little made, Cissie, who ends up becoming Linnet's only friend in that lonely, old house - afraid of the housekeeper, Mrs. Price, but willing to eavesdrop at doors and warn Linnet of what she overhears!  And I was actually surprised when the author introduced another young man into the picture - Rupert Manning, a friend of Bellamy's who has come to the house to provide advice on how to handle Bellamy's ward.  He turns out to be a sniveling little coward who is more caught up in his loyalty to his friend to see what is happening right in front of his own eyes.  Which leaves Linnet to once again fend for herself.

The author is Ruth Fabian, which is one of the many pen names used by British writer Aileen Armitage Longden.  She wrote more than forty novels that were published between 1971 and 2005, many of which were historical romances and gothic in nature.  A Scent of Violets is a mixture of the two, as it is set in 1882, providing a historical setting for her gothic terror.  Despite having two possible love interests (Bellamy and Manning), the title character in the story does not find herself attracted to either of them, even though she recognizes the handsome physical traits of both.  Thus, Fabian (Longden) is able to provide readers with a tale that features a very strong female protagonist who does not need a man to rescue her or save her from the frightening situation into which she is thrust.  She creates her own plans for escape, she faces the supernatural sounds and sights on her own, and the ultimate sacrifice that gives way to her freedom is a choice she makes all on her own.  And this is what makes Linnet a very likable character that the reader is anxious to see freed from her Willerby cage.

The cover is beautifully painted, but there is no indication as to who the artist is.  The young woman on the cover is reminiscent of Lara Parker as Angelique in the original Dark Shadows television show - that cascading blond hair, that blue dress.  And that dark mansion behind her could easily stand in for Collinwood.  Would love to know who the artist is, just to see what other work he or she has done and how it compares to this piece.

RATING:  10 violet cachous candies out of 10 for an outstanding gothic novel that provides all the right elements without the unnecessary romance thrown in!