Amberleigh [Paperback]

Carole Nelson Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

Amberleigh Dunne must find the key to the lethal secrets haunting a great Irish estate when she travels to Carnhaven in 1893 to aid her mysteriously distressed school chum, Elaine. Reprint.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812522648
• ISBN-13: 978-0812522648
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,571,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With her home office a Twilight Zone landscape of mannequins in vintage dress, no wonder award-winning ex-journalist and novelist Carole Nelson Douglas's 55 novels range from historical and contemporary mystery and romance to science fiction thrillers to high and urban fantasy. They include two Las Vegas-set series: the Midnight Louie, feline PI, mysteries partially narrated by a "Sam Spade with hairballs" and the Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, noir urban fantasies of werewolf mobsters and Silver Screen zombies in a paranormal Vegas.

Douglas was the first author of a Sherlockian series with a female protagonist, diva-detective Irene Alder, the only woman to outwit Holmes, debuting with the New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Good Night, Mr. Holmes. Rachel McAdams plays Irene in the Dec. 25 film with Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock. Douglas says if she has a literary muse, it's definitely feline: mysterious, wise, playful, and packing sharp shivs in velvet gloves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amberleigh is definitely a keeper!, June 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Amberleigh (Paperback)

This is a great book! I have read a few romance books and have always been discouraged by their sexual content. One major plus about Amberleigh is that there are no sex scenes at all. The book focuses on a young girl who is forced into a lower quality life than she once hoped for, by a friend's mother and a costly death. She accepts this way of life, and therefore proves her true friendship. She struggles with self-image problems, but also stays true to herself and her ideals. It is easy to identify with Amberleigh and her problems. One also can't help but have sympathy for her, as she struggles with more than one dark secret that could cost her life. This is definitely a keeper, and has long since found a spot on my shelf!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it Twice, March 5, 2002

By 

Jeni (Central Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amberleigh (Paperback)

I thought that it was a great novel. I completly agree that [the lack of sexual scenes] has a positive impact on the book. I liked the character developement and Amberleigh's sprightly character. It is a fun read and worth a shot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance and danger in Ireland., June 21, 2008

By 

Zou Zou (cape cod,ma) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Amberleigh (Paperback)

A really engrossing Historical Romance. The Setting is Ireland in the late Nineteenth Century.
Amberleigh Dunne is the daughter of a widowed Irish Merchant. Unfortunately, he was a bankrupt and suicide.
Nearly destitute Amberleigh, is hired by Lady Devora St.Clare to be the companion to her stepdaughter, the delicate, fey heiress, Elaine St.Clare. Amberleigh arrives at the St.Clare's Irish estate, Carnhaven.
Here the adventure begins. Things are not as they seem at Carnhaven. Motives are hidden. Manipulation and deceit is as common a pastime as riding to the hounds.
There is political intrigue. Patriotic rebels, the underground United Irish, are at work fomenting unrest in the neighborhood. Captain Mayfair of the British Army and the local English landlords are hard at work trying to capture the ringleaders. Someone at Carnhaven is involved with the Rebels and The Cause.
Amberleigh finds that her true purpose is to serve less as a companion and more as a ruse. A tool to be used in Lady Devora's affairs and schemes. Elaine is involved in a secret love affair which results in a pregnancy and a secret confinement.
Amberleigh finds herself torn between two men. The charming, feckless Devlin Quade and the sardonic, reserved Lord Hugh Davenant. Who can she trust?
This is all very entertaining, with a strong historical background. The characters are three dimensional with understandable motivations and actions. The mystery and romance are equally well done. Recommended.