Greygallows [Hardcover]

Barbara Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1972

Lucy Cartwright placed her life and future into the hands of the dashing Baron Clare, despite the rumors of his dark, unsavory past. Trusting his kind words and gentle manner, she agreed to be his wife and followed the enigmatic lord to Greygallows, his sprawling country estate. But mystery, deception, betrayal, and danger surround the magnificent manor—a ghostly secret charges the atmosphere and terror reigns in its shadowed hallways. Lucy entered Greygallows willingly . . . and now she may never leave.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Peters (writing as Barbara Michaels) was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grandmaster at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986, Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar® Awards in 1998, and given The Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic in 2003. She lives in an historic farmhouse in western Maryland.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From AudioFile

An innocent young girl, a handsome man with a dark past, a rambling estate with ghosts and locked doors--there's no question that what we've got is Gothic romance. Jacqueline King's reading is somewhat problematic. Her narrative voice is adequate despite occasional lapses in phrasing and emphasis. Frequently, however, her dialogue is over the top. The wispy, breathy voice of the young heroine, the patently evil tones of her husband and the ludicrous accent of the would-be lover all seem to imply that she is reading the novel as a parody. S.F. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Dodd Mead; First Edition edition (June 1972)
• ISBN-10: 9997403924
• ISBN-13: 978-9997403926
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,684,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best, April 29, 2000

By 

Jocelyn L. Smith "jessiegrrl" (Johnson City, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greygallows (Paperback)

This story has an excellent premise and does a good job of illustrating just how helpless a woman really was in terms of rights in the 19th century. However, it is very preachy, most of the characters are two dimensional, and I found myself skipping large portions of the text without feeling I was missing out. (I later went back and re-read it, and discovered my initial impression was correct.) The hero especially is a pale shadow of the irascable yet tender man that Michaels usually writes so well.

If you are a Barbara Michaels fan already, you will probably like this book. I am, and I did. However, if you are trying her for the first time, I recommend "Shattered Silk" or "The Wizard's Daughter," both of which are superior in terms of writing quality and suspense. I suspect Ms. Michaels was hard at work on her Elizabeth Peters books when she took time out to write this novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read! The suspense will keep you up all night!, May 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Greygallows (Paperback)

Another great read by Barbara Michaels. Her heroine is strong and way ahead of her time, adding outstanding depth and tension to the story. Loaded with suspense from cover to cover, each chapter brings with it a surprise that will keep you up reading until dawn. This book will transport you back in time to 19th century England and Scotland, and is a must-read for all lovers of historical romances.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Gothics, October 24, 2010

By 

Anne Wingate (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Greygallows (Kindle Edition)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NJL750/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

Your typical gothic involves a beautiful young woman, destitute of friends, family, and money, suddenly hired to go to a remote and threatening location as a secretary, a librarian, or a nanny or governess. The owner of the place tries to obtain her love; meanwhile, there is a true love in the background who really loves her for herself, and the villain gets his comeuppance and the true lovers live happily ever after.

Greygallows is one of Barbara Mertz's earlier novels, but even as a fairly new writer she couldn't quite stomach the whole gothic schmear. So the heroine has plenty of money, there is no child involved, and the heroine is married off to the charming nobleman who becomes much less charming when he realizes that her aunt's story that she was dying of consumption, which of course would have put her money into his hands, was a lie.

It's pretty obvious from the first quarter of the book who the hero is, but how is he going to rescue the lady, much less marry her?

Well, that's what the book is about. I read a lot of gothics when they were stylish, and I always thought this was one of the best. It remains good today.