Where the Truth Lies by Helen Hayes and Thomas Chastain is a 1990 William Morrow publication.
This book is a part of my little paperback collection. PuWhere the Truth Lies by Helen Hayes and Thomas Chastain is a 1990 William Morrow publication.
This book is a part of my little paperback collection. Published in 1990, it doesn’t qualify as a ‘vintage’ paperback just yet- but the reason I have held onto it was because it was written by the esteemed actress Helen Hayes- “The First lady of American Theatre”. So, I’ve kept it because, to me at least, the book is collectable.
Helen Hayes was a popular and personable actress, on stage and screen, and also portrayed “Miss Marple”, in three full-length movie adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels.
This book features a veteran actress named Halcie Harper, who rises to the occasion to help detectives solve the murder of Arthur Strickland, a movie producer who had just won an Oscar. I think Halcie’s character was loosely based on Helen, which was kind of fun, if a bit transparent.
However, the book, though lacking any text reviews on Goodreads, hasn’t received high marks. But I couldn’t bring myself to believe a book with Helen Hayes’ name attached could be that bad.
But, in all honesty, it wasn’t anything special, although, to be fair, it was structured like many light mysteries written in the early nineties. There was a nice twist I didn’t see coming, although today's audience will find some aspects to be highly implausible. Yet, the story captures some Hollywood sparkle from a different time and place, which gave the story a bit of nostalgic charm.
With the popularity of cozy mysteries right now, if this book had been written today, with a bit of modernization, it could easily fit into that mystery subgenere, and probably would have had a pretty good chance at becoming a solid series.
Overall, this mystery may not be especially memorable in the long run, and it did have its flaws, it was enjoyable enough, and is better than the ratings suggests. I've seen higher marks for far more subpar books than this one.
That said, I don’t know if I’d go to a lot of trouble trying to locate a copy for reading purposes. It is not available in digital format. However, if you want a copy to add to a book collection, you can find a few copies on eBay,and probably in a few other online used bookstore, either in paperback or hardcover. The prices and quality of the books vary, as does the cover art. but most are under five dollars- before shipping.
This book is part of my vintage paperback collection. This is an author I was not familiar with, but it appears she wrote at least fifteen books back This book is part of my vintage paperback collection. This is an author I was not familiar with, but it appears she wrote at least fifteen books back in the 1970s, all of them falling into the Gothic category.
This book, which was published way back in 1967, was all over the place, unfortunately, and one character fell into the 'too stupid to live' category- literally. She was so stupid, her character died before the half way mark. There was a nice twist, but the story didn't have a Gothic tone and was missing most of the required Gothic elements. It was more like a thriller with a light romance tossed in for good measure. There was a typo on page one and a few other grammatical issues, as well.
Like I always say, you never know what you'll get when you start reading old books by lesser known authors. You win some, you lose some.
Girl Intern by Mary Fletcher is a 1970 Valentine Books publication.
I just finished reading a couple of books with heavy topics, which, unfortunately,Girl Intern by Mary Fletcher is a 1970 Valentine Books publication.
I just finished reading a couple of books with heavy topics, which, unfortunately, affected my mood, especially since our weather has been wet, cold, and gloomy this past week. Blah!
So, I decided I needed a break from current events and depressing subjects. As some of you know, I have a little vintage paperback collection, and from to time I like to take an old book off the shelf and read it for fun. In my current mood, it seemed like the perfect time to read an old-fashioned, sweet medical romance, which are always good for a good laugh, if nothing else.
The premise of this book didn’t sound too heavy, and like so many of these older books, it was short- with only 191 pages- and that’s with the ‘larger type, non-glare paper’. ...more
Leota Foreman, RN by Peggy Gaddis is a 1957 Arcadia House publication.
Anyone who has read my profile knows I like to collect old paperbacks. These boLeota Foreman, RN by Peggy Gaddis is a 1957 Arcadia House publication.
Anyone who has read my profile knows I like to collect old paperbacks. These books are probably not worth anything monetarily, but are books that out of print, and ones I find unique and are perhaps a little like finding buried treasure. I’ve discovered some real gems from time to time. However, I rarely find a time in my review schedule to read them.
So, due to various circumstances, I have decided to stop adding more books to the collection, at least for the foreseeable future. ( My book collection might make poor little Marie Kondo curl up in a fetal position and suck her thumb) While my little hobby is on hiatus, I am going to stick to the only 2019 New Year’s resolution I made this year, and that is to start reading books in my collection a lot more often.
This is the first book I’ve managed to squeeze in, so far. This is a 1957 medical/nurse story, which are still very popular with collectors. They are long, long, long out of print, of course. However, one can still find copies of them on Ebay and Amazon marketplace, as well as some used bookstores online.
Leota Foreman is an RN living in New York City. After losing a patient and depressed by the cold, bitter NY winter, she makes the spur of the moment decision to take a vacation in Florida. ( She doesn't give her employer notice of any kind and apparently money is of no concern)
She decides to stop in a small town of Poinsettia, to soak up some rays and enjoy the scenery. But, right away she bumps into the town doctor who appears to have zero bedside manner. However, there is a very nice man in town, a lawyer, named Mitch, who has offered to show her around. He eventually introduces Leota to an elderly lady dying of cancer who now needs more round the clock care. Although Leota left New York to get away from such scenes, as a nurse, she feels she should help if she can.
Little does she know that her life is about to change radically as she becomes embroiled in a messy family situation where high drama ensues. This story itself isn’t really all that bad. There are cancer experiments that failed, and a contested will which inspired a little legal drama. But, all the ‘Insta-love’ was off the charts, and some of it was super creepy, especially by today’s standards.
But, at the time this book was written, no one would have thought a thing of it, and most likely thought it was romantic. !!! The drama was absolutely over the top with an evil femme fatale and lots of high- handed dialogue. Some cool words like- ‘Zounds’, ‘Golly’, and ‘Jeepers’- were endearingly nostalgic.
This book was price stamped at 50 cents back in 1957 and is 128 pages in length. However, the print is very, very tiny.
A slightly rare paperback that is probably only interesting to me. However, any other collectors of medical/nurse paperback can find a few of copies available on Amazon, although they look to be reissued- listed as copyright 1962. ...more
Triad by Mary Leader is a Hodder & Stoughton Ltd publication.
I’m going to give a very brief review for this book since it is a rare novel and very haTriad by Mary Leader is a Hodder & Stoughton Ltd publication.
I’m going to give a very brief review for this book since it is a rare novel and very hard to find, and if you do find a copy online, it’s going to cost you.
As many of you know, I collect vintage paperbacks and the 'Gothic Horror' novels of 1960's and 70's are of keen interest to me. I love those covers with the girl running away from the house/castle. This novel did not have that type of cover, but it was grouped in with a bulk buy on Ebay many years ago, and got shoved up on a top shelf, buried behind a couple of other layers of books.
I had forgotten all about it, but after reading the recent autobiography of Stevie Nicks, my interest was renewed, because this book was an inspiration for the mega-popular hit ‘Rhiannon'. I had never read the book, so I was very curious to see how it became an inspiration for the song Stevie wrote.
The novel is very typical of its era, but is also ahead of its time, in some ways, even setting the stage for certain trends that would emerge into mainstream consciousness a few years later.
Branwen moves with her husband to an old mansion after the death of their first child. But once they are settled in, Branwen begins to experience blackout periods, where she can’t account for her time or what she did during these blank episodes. Objects have been moved around, and her husband relates conversations and activities they shared, but she has no memory of. But, she is really shaken up when her husband refers to her as ‘Rhiannon’, the name of her long dead cousin.
Already feeling bruised by her loss, the overwhelming job of refurbishing the house, and her desire to have another baby, Branwen’s guilt over Rhiannon’s death, surges as she becomes convinced Rhiannon’s spirit is inhabiting her body, trying to take control, and is seeking retribution.
Of course, it is impossible not to seek out correlations between this book and the famous song that was partially derived from it. I think Stevie did an amazing job with the song and even after all these years, it brings the song and its meanings into sharper focus.
But, this is a review of the book- not the song.
Even if it hadn’t experienced a kind of cult status, this story really is a rare gem. It’s not a very long book, but it’s filled with vivid imageries and is very well versed in Welch mythologies. It is a very effective story, even for a jaded reader like me. I can imagine the impact it would have on readers in 1973.
Once I started reading it, I found myself hypnotized by it. This is a moody, dark, atmospheric supernatural tale, that certainly stands the test of time.
I would love to find a way to petition the publisher to release this one in digital format, so everyone could read it.
If you stumble across this book in a used bookstore or garage sale, snap it up. It’s a really good Gothic horror novel, but it’s also rare, so it could be worth something if it is in decent condition.
Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain is a 1977 Avon Publication.
When I noticed a couple of Laurie McBain's books were up for review on Netgalley, I di
Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain is a 1977 Avon Publication.
When I noticed a couple of Laurie McBain's books were up for review on Netgalley, I didn't hesitate to request them. I am thrilled to see some of these books are being released in digital format. However, when I started on “Chance the Winds of Fortune”, I realized the book was the second in the series. I didn't see the first book up for review, so I went into my vintage and collectable bookshelf to see, if by some minor miracle, I had a copy of this book. Being a big fan of Laurie's I did keep many of her books, so I was relieved to discover that I did still have a copy. YAY!
Written way back in the late 70's, this book might be tossed into the 'bodice ripper' category, but frankly, I didn't feel that way about it. Yes, there are some uncomfortable treatments of women, but despite what many would like to believe, these depictions were accurate and true to the time period. Other than that, this book is pretty much a standard historical romance for the time frame it was written in.
Sabrina has left her beloved Highlands of Scotland for England with her aunt, sister and young brother. They are not well off, and Sabrina takes part and even devises some dangerous stunts in order to keep her family afloat, until she crosses the Duke of Camareigh, who puts her little enterprise out of business. In order to survive, Sabrina will have to escape her father's plans for her, which leads her right back into the arms of Lucien Dominick.
I loved this story! It's a real classic and is tame enough that modern readers will find it just as enjoyable now as romance lovers did when the book was first published. Sabrina is bold, daring, and a woman who doesn't give up without a fight. I loved her determination, her cleverness, and her fiery passion.
Lucien was absolutely hilarious most of time, as the author depicted him so authentically. He is haughty, arrogant, and manipulative too, but his punishment is having to deal with Sabrina, the love of his life, who always keeps him begging for more.
The secondary characters were also key in this story and give it a very tiny paranormal element as well. There is lots of action, adventure, drama, and emotions in this one, and the writing is simply wonderful. When I read these older books, and find myself swept away , so immersed in another world, never wanting the story to end, I can start to feel a little wistful, wishing there were more books like these being written in present day. Thankfully, a publisher has seen the worthiness of these novels and are reissuing them, breathing new life into them, so that hopefully, a whole new generation will come to love these classics too. 5 stars! ...more
Ghost of Ardnamore by Alix Andre is a 1979 Worldwide Library/Mystique Books publication.
As many of you know, I collect rare, out of print, and vintagGhost of Ardnamore by Alix Andre is a 1979 Worldwide Library/Mystique Books publication.
As many of you know, I collect rare, out of print, and vintage books, and search through used bookstores etc. for these little gems. This book is one of those hard to find, out of print novels, by an author I was not at all familiar with. You never know what you'll get with these books since often they are dated or just plain bad, but at other times these novels are actually pretty good and it's a shame they are not being preserved or released in digital format by someone.
This one falls somewhere in between, since it was an obvious knock off of the mystery classic “Rebecca”.
When Martine and her step-sister, Helen, travel to Scotland with the intention of selling off a piece of useless property Helen has inherited, they become embroiled in an old legend concerning a haunted Loch. The man purchasing the property from Helen, Richard Duncan, insist they stay at his castle while they iron out the details, which leads to Martine falling in love with Richard, but the mystery surrounding the death of his fiance has her on edge, and determined to clear him of all suspicion.
This time of year always puts me in the mood to read a spooky story, and so I was combing through my bookshelves looking for a ghost story, when this book grabbed my attention.
This story falls in the romantic suspense genre for the most part, but had a few characteristics of the old Gothic mystery novels that were so popular in the 60's and 70's. Although, the outline was very familiar, it wasn't a bad read at all. It's a clean read, typical of it's time, with a castle, a dark brooding male lead, and while technically a damsel in distress, Martine, is not the too stupid to live type at all, and is actually a character I liked. There are some ghostly elements, but alas, everything has a plausible explanation. So, this is was not the spooky story I was looking for, exactly, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised by this one and enjoyed it for the most part.
The Mugger by Ed McBain is a 1956 publication. The version I read is a 1996 release. I also added audio which is part of my KU subscription.
This is tThe Mugger by Ed McBain is a 1956 publication. The version I read is a 1996 release. I also added audio which is part of my KU subscription.
This is the second installment in the 87th Street Precinct series.
There is a violent mugger on the loose, whose main targets are women. After hitting them, taking their valuables, he bows, and introduces himself as ‘Clifford”. But, when one of the victims dies, the case takes on a new urgency.
For those unfamiliar with the format, McBain uses a rotating cast of characters in this long running series. In this chapter, a rookie patrolman, Bert Kling, is recovering from a minor injury when an old acquaintance asks him to speak with his teenage sister-in-law, an attractive young lady he and his wife fear has gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd, which is how he finds himself involved in a homicide investigation.
As I explained in my review of the first book in this series, it is of utmost importance, if you have never read these novels, to keep in mind the era of time in which they were written.
This story was inundated with sexism, and had one or two rough spots where offensive racial slurs were batted around. Even though I expected this to some extent, it was very uncomfortable, and I must confess it did stymie my enjoyment of the story.
These older installments are also dated in terms of police procedure, but that didn’t turn me off. I think that is part of what makes these older books interesting. It just goes to show how far we have come and the amazing strides we have taken since these books were written. Sadly, in other areas, nothing at all has changed.
Other than that, the plot, once again, is very thin and compared to the type of complexity we are accustomed to now. I knew early on what was going on, but I was still interested in seeing how the cops would finally nail the murderer.
Although, the story has some problems, I still think these books are worth reading. These early procedurals were influential to other writers and it serves as a reminder of times past, for better or worse.
Not great, not terrible-
3 stars
Note: For those who are enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program many of the 87th Precinct books are available along with the audio. The audio narration was quite good ...more
I found this in a second hand book store. I'm sure it's OOP. But, if you ever happen across it, it's a surprisingly good romantic suspense novel. PublI found this in a second hand book store. I'm sure it's OOP. But, if you ever happen across it, it's a surprisingly good romantic suspense novel. Published by Harlequin in 1988, advertised as a Gothic romance, (interesting, since that genre was dead in the water by 1988), the story is. about a young girl in 1862,learning she has inherited the rights to a silver mining business. The business was being run by two cousins. The men were unaware the man they had partnered with had any family that could lay claim to the mine. So, when Jessica shows up to claim her inheritance, this ends the cousins control over the business and puts Jessica 's life in danger....more
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