Customer Reviews

The Ebony Swan

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought this was an enjoyable and interesting mystery. It kept my interest anyway, and even had some good character development. A couple of things were never explained at the end (what did Juan Gabriel and Lawrence have a fight about?) but overall I liked it.

I really liked this book. I finished it in 3 days, couldn't put it down. I read Silversword which I really liked also, in condensed form in a Reader's Digest book, that made me seek some other books by Phyllis Whitney. The ending suprised me, it was not what I was guessing.

Victoria Holt had been one of my favorite authors for decades, I was so pleased to find this book in hardback to save on my bookshelf.

"Whitney's 36th mystery suspense" may well be a good book but it didn't seem to spark my interest. This book is about a 72-year-old ballerina (the protagonist of the story), who has a lot to hide or does she. In the book Whitney has you follow clues into the past in order to open doors which are other wise closed to reveal a scandal,or sometimes a murder. The settings of this story are in the northernmost peninsula of Virginia and the once aluring island of Tangleh. The main character Alex Montoro, the ballerina married a novelist, Juan Gabriel, at the peak of her dancing career. Alex was much younger than Juan. Susan Prentice, the grand-daughter of Alex Montoro, comes home to Virginia to visit the very spot her mother, Dolores, fell to her death twenty-five years earlier. By this time in the story I've already figured out how obvious this was going to be. Susan's father very quickly blamed Alex for her mothers death even though wheelchair-bound Juan Gabriel and Susan were there at the time of Dolores' death. Susan's arrival has some people worried what exactly Susan may be able to remember; especially Alex. According to Alex, Susan Prentice is the only living witness to the tragedy of her mother's death (Juan Gabriel is dead and Alex is a widow). When Susan arrives two new characters come into the picture, the intimidating Theresa, Juan's niece who is drawn to Dr. Peter. In my opinion Theresa was not at all that intimidating just head strong. It's more like she's putting on and act or hiding something. Peter is also a man of scandal he had recently been charged with, and acquitted of the murder of his dead wife Marilyn; this might have something to do with the notes left by Juan Gabriel or does it? Throughout this story there are some questions to ask yourself. Why is Alex portrayed in an unflattering novel in Juan Gabriels novel? Why is Hallie, a neighbor, so anxietous to have Susan go home? Throughout the story Susan and Alex try to uncover the pest little by little. I couldn't really keep my attention focused on the story. I would recommend to those who have an interest in mysteries but as for this girl I don't think I'll be checking this out again.

Someone gave me a copy of this book when it first came out because they knew of my familiarity with the area in which the story takes place. I read the book out of curiosity and found it dull. I am glad I haven't read any of Whitney's other books. She is too full of hot air.