Spindrift - Phyllis A. Whitney

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

02 Dec 2006 09:40 AM

Gothic romances have been around for decades, declining a bit recently in the wake of romantic suspense, but were very popular during the 1970's and 1980's. The premise is always the same: young woman finds herself embroiled in a mystery deep within the recesses of an old house which is overseen by a harsh master or mistress who dislikes the young woman. Her life is threatened in various different ways and she can't get the help she needs because no one will believe her. Often, the villains try to make her out to be insane, and then when the nefarious plot is revealed, everyone knows she was telling the truth. She falls for the wrong guy, and is rescued by an unlikely hero. The only things that generally vary in this formula are: a) where the book is set b) what time period it's set in c) the coloring of the heroine.

"Spindrift" by Phyllis A. Whitney fits all the classic ear markings of a Gothic novel. Our hapless ingénue is Christy Moreland, a young married woman who had a nervous breakdown and was confined to a hospital after discovering her father, shot, just moments before he died. Covered in his blood, she went hysterical, and was given a sedative. Months later, after riding on a rollercoaster of drugs, she is released from the hospital into the care of her husband and mother-in-law, who are watching her suspiciously for any sign that she might relapse. She is convinced that the police ruling that her father's death was suicide is false, and she is determined to find the killer. Unfortunately, that makes her a prime target for the next set of shenanigans perpetrated by the evildoer, which of course leads us into intrigue and mystery.

This book had a few interesting twists to it that made the read more than just a typical romance. First, Christy has a son, and so the stakes are higher for her than they are for your typical Gothic heroine. Secondly, a journal is discovered, written years before by a relative of the family who now owns the ancient home, and a mystery within a mystery presents itself. Third, and this one surprised me the most, the book was very well written.

If you're in the mood for creepy corridors and the uncertainty of who-done-it, this is a book you just may well want to try.

(This book was published by Fawcett Crest in 1975.)

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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