05-16-2008, 11:03 AM
Hello. 
I finished Mostly by Moonlight by Dorothy Daniels last evening. Won't give any major (or minor) plot spoilers. Was my 1st Gothic novel (rarely read fiction).
It's highly recommended. The story is paced just right -- keeps moving along. Good characterization. Suspense is mostly human oriented, though there is a definite double ghostly undercurrent.
Prof. Perry Warren has inherited his dead brother's castle. 20-year-old daughter Eve accompanies him to NE Maine, to be supportive; see the place, help to clean it. They eventually consider turning it into a summer motel for the wealthy. Someone is prowling around the castle however; is it dead Uncle Jabez's ghost, or that of his pretty young wife Elizabeth who preceded Jabez in death? Or a living human menacing the place?
Some surprising twists and turns, and I was very skeptical of Jim Canford for quite a while.
Developed a slight crush on Elisha Tuttle (probably because I visualized him as portrayed by Ewan McGregor aged 25), wish we'd have gotten to know him better and what his life might have been "after the story."
I caught a handful of typos in the book, and two notable goofs with names. "Elizabeth Tuttle": Elizabeth was Jabez Warren's wife and therefore Elizabeth Warren; Elisha is single and never met Elizabeth. Another character, Amanda Hartley, is once (later) referred to as "Amanda Blake"; perhaps Gunsmoke was on someone's mind.
Later she's again Amanda Hartley.
But those errors don't distract. I find them amusing.
Story has a great climax. Ms. Daniels either knew a lot about schooners and maritime matters or she did her homework prior to writing this. I'm a land-locked lubber all my life, learned quite a bit about the maritime lifestyle.
Intelligently written. I will re-read it again someday.
I finished Mostly by Moonlight by Dorothy Daniels last evening. Won't give any major (or minor) plot spoilers. Was my 1st Gothic novel (rarely read fiction).It's highly recommended. The story is paced just right -- keeps moving along. Good characterization. Suspense is mostly human oriented, though there is a definite double ghostly undercurrent.
Prof. Perry Warren has inherited his dead brother's castle. 20-year-old daughter Eve accompanies him to NE Maine, to be supportive; see the place, help to clean it. They eventually consider turning it into a summer motel for the wealthy. Someone is prowling around the castle however; is it dead Uncle Jabez's ghost, or that of his pretty young wife Elizabeth who preceded Jabez in death? Or a living human menacing the place?
Some surprising twists and turns, and I was very skeptical of Jim Canford for quite a while.
Developed a slight crush on Elisha Tuttle (probably because I visualized him as portrayed by Ewan McGregor aged 25), wish we'd have gotten to know him better and what his life might have been "after the story." I caught a handful of typos in the book, and two notable goofs with names. "Elizabeth Tuttle": Elizabeth was Jabez Warren's wife and therefore Elizabeth Warren; Elisha is single and never met Elizabeth. Another character, Amanda Hartley, is once (later) referred to as "Amanda Blake"; perhaps Gunsmoke was on someone's mind.
Later she's again Amanda Hartley.But those errors don't distract. I find them amusing.
Story has a great climax. Ms. Daniels either knew a lot about schooners and maritime matters or she did her homework prior to writing this. I'm a land-locked lubber all my life, learned quite a bit about the maritime lifestyle.
Intelligently written. I will re-read it again someday.