Old House of Fear [Hardcover]

Russell Kirk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1961

Attorney Hugh Logan leaves Canada to negotiate the purchase of Carnglass Island and Old House of Fear in the Hebrides for his employer, Duncan MacAskival. From the moment he arrives in Scotland, Logan is thwarted and threatened on his journey. But no matter how bad his travels, his arrival on the island proves trouble has just begun. The island is under the control of evil genius Dr. Edmund Jackman, convinced that Logan is a spy who must die. Only escaping Jackmans terrible clutches through the assistance of lovely, red-haired Mary MacAskival, niece of the bedridden owner of Old House, Logan must find a way to thwart Jackmans evil plot before he and his newfound love both perish on the isolated island.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Russell Kirk (1918-1994) was an eminent literary and social critic who rose to national prominence in 1953 with the publication of his book The Conservative Mind. The founding editor of Modern Age and The University Bookman, he wrote more than thirty books, including his memoirs, The Sword of Imagination (Eerdmans). The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in Mecosta, Michigan, continues his work, hosting seminars, writers, and research scholars at Piety Hill, Kirk's ancestral home. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fleet Pub. Corp (1961)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0007E2O08
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,676,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gothic Horror in the Hebrides, July 17, 2007

By 

D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Old House of Fear (Paperback)

Russell Kirk's 1961 Gothic novel "Old House of Fear" delivers mystery, murder, mayhem, and a maiden in distress on a remote and haunted island in the Hebrides Islands of northern Scotland, along with some subtle satire on the politics of the era.

Kirk's hero is Hugh Logan, lawyer and former combat veteran, dispatched to Scotland to negotiate the purchase of his employer's ancestral home, Carnglass Island. Logan's attempts to make contact with the owner of the island draw the unwelcome attention of thugs who try to prevent Logan from reaching his destination. The persistant Logan finally reaches the desolate island by boat. There he finds the owner and her pretty young niece held captive in the "The Old House of Fear" by shady characters led by the mysterious Dr. Edmund Jackman.

The heart of the story is the duel between Logan and Dr Jackman for the fate of the captives and the island itself. Logan, making the most of a weak hand with the assistance of the lovely and fearless Mary MacAskival, repeatedly outbluffs his violent but haunted opponent, who fears the unseen, ancient horrors of the island and the ghosts of his own past more than he fears Logan. Kirk's tale includes a castle filled with hidden passages and family secrets, crofters and fishermen with authentic gaelic dialects and their own secrets, and an duel to the death around the ruins of an ancient Celtic chapel and a ruined Pictish fort.

Kirk's tale holds up well for suspense; his prose captures the expected atmospherics of a small island community terrorized by a misplaced communist agent and by its memories of far older horrors. This novel is highly recommended to fans of mystery and gothic novels.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Descriptive and enticing, October 8, 2010

By 

Alice Seidel (Shohola, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Old House of Fear (Paperback)

Here is an old-fashioned mystery, cloaked in dark corners, secret passages, and dangerous paths where you never know who is telling the truth.
Right from the start, you are drawn in to the lure of the island itself; then into the people that Logan encounters along the way. The author makes good use of drawing us in with the information he wants us to know; then little by little reveals the rest of the story in true suspense fashion.
An entertaining read; just like I remember from years ago!

5.0 out of 5 stars Old House of Fear, February 22, 2012

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vlm58 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Old House of Fear (Paperback)

Product like new. The condition of the book was excellent and very readable. Delivery was faster than I expected. Completed my Russell Kirk collection. Very enjoyable. God Bless!