Customer Reviews

The Master of Seacliff

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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Gothic mysteries have been around for years, but gay gothic mysteries are a rare breed. In the pantheon of queer literature these novels are few and far between. In fact, off the top of my head, I can think of only one other I've read, Vincent Virga's spellbinding GAYWYCK, originally published in 1980.

In THE MASTER OF SEACLIFF, Max Pierce delivers a classic piece of gothic fiction. All the prerequisites are in place. The large foreboding mansion overlooking the sea, the brooding darkly handsome lord of the manor who may or may not be a murderer, the newly hired fresh faced innocent, and the sinister servant determined to drive the newcomer from the premises.

The year is 1899 and twenty year old Andrew Wyndham travels 200 miles up the Atlantic coast, from his Manhattan home, to take up residence at Seacliff, the large estate of Duncan Stewart. Andrew has agreed to a position as tutor to Duncan's eight year old son, Tim, for the summer. The money he earns will be used to finance his dream of going to Paris to study art.

Duncan Stewart is a wealthy and powerful businessman with an infamous reputation. His father, Gordon, and his father's friend, Albert, were found shot to death at Seacliff eight years prior and prevailing gossip holds Duncan responsible. It's said that Duncan wanted control of the family business and murdered to have it. Officially the deaths are considered a murder-suicide between the two men, but most don't believe it.

This, however, is not the only mystery clouding the situation. Duncan's protégé and secret lover, pianist Steven Charles, disappeared a year before Andrew's arrival and his absence has, once again, brought suspicion upon Duncan.

As Andrew learns more of the rumors about Duncan, he is both fascinated and frightened. Duncan is a man who can be both charming and obnoxiously brash. Will the obvious attraction between the two men blossom into love, or will the mysteries surrounding Duncan doom their relationship to failure?

THE MASTER OF SEACLIFF is both a beautifully constructed mystery and a well told tale of forbidden love at the turn of the last century. The pace builds nicely and the conclusions are not easily guessed. This novel is gothic storytelling at its finest, and I highly recommend it.

Max Pierce seems to be a writer to watch. He understands the fine art of mystery storytelling, finding that magic of the past great writers who doted on dark old mansions that held their secrets of murder and mayhem much like an old spinster creaking in her attic rocking chair. But Pierce introduces a taboo subject of the time in which he sets this intriguing tale (1899 in America) and in doing so refreshes his story for a new audience of Romance aficionados. He populates his engrossing yarn with handsome men (yes, and women) most of whom appear connected by their closeted sexuality!

Seacliff, the name of the elegant but darkly invested mansion somewhere along the coast above New York City, hides secrets of two significant murders that happened some eight years before the story begins. The narrator is a young artist Andrew who timidly accepts the role as tutor for the son of the wealthy Duncan Stewart, the virile and powerful scion of the estate whose wife has died without an heir for Duncan (a situation remedied by a quick trip to a gypsy in Paris), replacing a young pianist who left the estate under mysterious circumstances. Gossip and secrets suggest that the murders of Duncan's father and one Albert may have been at the hand of Duncan himself, but other mysteries cloud the mansion: the daughter of the housekeepers apparently committed suicide in a leap off the cliffs when she learned of her beloved's suspicious death; her mute son remains in the household tied to cemetery visits; the butler is inordinately dour and suspicious; the neighboring estate is owned by a brother and sister - the brother being gay and the sister a bit too compassionate. Pierce slowly unveils the fact that gay relationships existed between the murdered men, the neighbor and the pianist with Duncan, and that similar forces are at work to bring the new tutor Andrew into the murky trysts. And simultaneously the true stories of the many deaths that hang in the past gradually are uncovered. It is a lot of story to condense but Pierce writes with such uncanny attention to detail and to keeping the language and atmosphere of 1899 in place that he creates a page-turning thriller that keeps the reader guessing up to the final page.

Gothic horror, interrelated murders and suicides, past and present gay relationships, and exploration of a time when a staff of servants underlined the intrigue of the old mansions all make THE MASTER OF SEACLIFF and absorbing new novel. Pierce's elegant prose puts it all into perspective, keeping the sensual aspects alive but related in the tenor of the times. By the end of the novel, closing the covers, the reader satisfyingly reflects on the forbidden love affairs the walls of Seacliff had seen and how those gay trysts opened such strange events that made the discoveries of perpetrators so fascinating. Grady Harp, December 06

I was so pleased come across this gay gothic---I enjoy the genre so much, and most particularly those titles that feature a gay twist.

Now, some readers of this novel have complained that it borrows excessively from Victoria Holt's (straight) gothic novel Mistress of Mellyn, as well as Vincent Virga's Gaywyck. This is true enough. I've read both books, and this is particularly similar to Holt's book in several ways. I'll also add that it adds a dash of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca to the mix. And so perhaps I do wish that the plot of "Master of Seacliff" displayed a bit more originality.

But you know what? In the end, I didn't mind all that much that it was derivative. I've come across so few gay gothic titles, that I'm quite happy to add another to my very short list of such books. And let's face it, the gothic novel has been around for over 200 years; take, for example, 1794's The Mysteries of Udolpho (Penguin Classics). Part of the fun of the genre is the way these books trade on hoary old clichés: the young innocent arriving at a palatial mansion shrouded in mystery and gloom, complete with screams in the night, figures half-glimpsed in the mist, unsolved murders from the past casting a pall upon the present... What fun!

Now, the book isn't perfect. Apart from the derivative story-line, there are a few plot points that didn't exactly make sense to me. And I really do wish that the characters of the two protagonists had been a developed a bit further, a bit more delineated. I'm not asking for the obsessive detail of "Gaywyck," but I wouldn't have minded seeing the growing relationship explored in a bit more depth. But man---that Duncan Stewart---now there's an attractive bear of a fellow!

Still, despite a few flaws, I enjoyed the book very much and will happily recommend it.

Pierce's novel suffers at times from repeating information, as if the intended reader were afflicted with a memory disorder. The characters are well-developed, however, and the main storyline is interesting enough. If you have read the gold standard in this genre, Vincent Virga's "Gaywyck," Max Pierce's novel will not impress you, but will provide several (mostly) pleasant hours of reading.

This the second gay gothic I've read, (first was Gaywyck) and absolutely loved it! I adored Andrew (beautiful, yet smart, and feisty ^^) and Duncan (HE is a character!) both.

And this is also the second gothic I've read where I got choked up (Gaywyck made me cry too ^^')

all in all, loved it - definitely recommended!

When I first got The Master of Seacliff, I was excited. Finally, a chance to read a gay gothic romance other than Gaywyck. 15 pages into the book the story started to feel familiar. I am a HUGE fan of gothic romance, so in one regard they all feel familiar. A few more pages into it, and I had it. Pierce took a good deal of his plot from Victoria Holt's Mistress of Mellyn. The little boy Ash is a male version of Holt's Gillyflower. Elena Van Horne is Holt's Celestine Nansallock. Leo Van Horne is Holt's Peter Nansallock. Even the ending, where the villain is revealed to have killed before, is taken from Mistress of Mellyn. The parts of this book not taken from Mistress of Mellyn are taken from Vincent Virga's Gaywyck. The crazy butler is just Julian Denvers retransplanted from Virga's Gaywyck and given a different name but the same motive.

I am surprised that Holt's estate didn't catch such blatant plagerism. Perhaps because this book is in the gay gothic genre, they missed it completely. Aside from the plagerism, the book is weak. The protagonist wants to become an artist, works in a notions store before being hired to teach at Seacliff, but has never worked with watercolors, oils, pastels or charcoal and we are supposed to believe that he would instantly know how to paint without the slightest instruction, even on the sly. Also, he takes the job at Seacliff to pay for his trip to France to become an artist. However, what was he supposed to live on once he got there, air?

I reread this book twice before writing this review, in addition to rereading Holt's Mistress of Mellyn. I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before writing this review. I am sad to see something touted as such a great book when many elements of the main story have been clearly taken from another story.

Max Pierce's first work, THE MASTER OF SEACLIFF, is a lush gothic gay romance that also doubles as a whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie. Andrew is a young, timid artist who accepts a position as a tutor at Seacliff, an eerie fog-enshrouded mansion that is perhaps even haunted by the ghost of its murdered owner. Duncan, the son and current master is the number one suspect and also a potential mate for Andrew.

Pierce meticulously creates all the details of the gothic genre. The romantic aspect is beautifully restrained and slowly drawn out, a refreshing change from most current gay romantic fiction that jumps into the sex scenes in the first chapter. As a murder mystery it is well plotted and will keep you guessing all the way up to the final twists at the end.

The cover art is beautiful with its spooky, gothic design, but the bare-chested, Fabio-type model doesn't match the author's description of the somewhat frail, slender Andrew.

Pierce has done the gothic romance genre proud.

May be a bit spoilerish so you are warned....

I was excited to read The Master of Seacliff and I did read it in a day but I found Duncan not attractive at all. I mean, Andrew described him as a hairy pirate. Ewww, no Thank you! All that hair was a complete turn off for me. I wanted to go through the book & cross out all the hair refrences. And at times, I don't think Andrew found him even likable. I was expecting from the cover, that the picture was of Duncan, I mean he is the master of Seacliff afterall but it turns out, it's apparently Andrew. Now on the other hand, the character Steven Charles, yum! Too bad he wasn't the leading man.

The story itself was interesting. I did enjoy the plot. If you're looking for lots of sex, this isn't the book for you. There was sex but not until basically the end and even that lasted less than two pages.

I finished this book in two afternoons and just loved it! The novel could be classified as a gay gothic romance/mystery. It is well written and yet easy to read. Definately one of my absolute favorites in the gay historical fiction department. A couple of reviewers didn't like this book and I can't figure out why except to think that they don't like this KIND of book - the setting or the story. So below are a few of my favorites. If you liked any of them, you'll probably enjoy "The Master of Seacliff." Again, I definately recommend it and can't wait until Max Pierce writes another one!
Other favorites:" Gaywick" (forget the cheesy title and cover art work - it's wonderful)by Vincent Virga
" The God in Flight" (also excellent) by Laura Argiri
" Earthly Joys" by Philippa Gregory
"Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade" (and the two other Lord John books) by Diana Gabaldon
" the Price of Temptation" (not great literature, but a fun read) by M.J. Pearson
"The God of Mirrors" (novel about Oscar Wilde - excellent) by Robert Reilly
and in the fantasy department "Mordred, Bastard Son" by Douglas Clegg

This book came up in my recommendations list, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Other reviewers and the book's website mention the "classic" TV show Dark Shadows (which we watched faithfully and even had a board game) as well as comparisons to "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier.

Andrew at 20 years of age accepts a post as a tutor to further his dreams as an artist. His natural talent as a teacher becomes apparent. Duncan was perfect as dark and mysterious lord-of-manor type. But the romance between Andrew and Duncan wasn't easy, as other dashing and experienced men try to court Andrew's affections as well as the unresolved mysteries surrounding the cast of characters.

I was surprised by the plot twists and turns, and was not expecting the conclusion. I loved the cover art, and the image of Andrew fit exactly! This was a very enjoyable read, curled up on the couch, on a rainy afternoon!!!