Customer Reviews

The Turquoise Mask

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

 

 

"The Turquoise Mask" is an intense, attention grabbing novel by Phyllis A. Whitney. It is a story about a young woman who goes to New Mexico to reveal the truth about both her mother's death and her step uncle's murder; but someone doesn't want her to find out what really happened.

In her struggles to figure out the mystery, Amanda is almost killed, twice! As you read the book, you keep guessing who the murderer is, but in the end, it is someone who you wouldn't expect. Although you are anxious to solve the mystery, this absorbing book keeps you wanting more.
If you like heartpounding novels that make you want to keep reading, this book's for you!

When Amanda is summoned to New Mexico to the home of her grandfather, she is anxious to learn anything she can about her mother who died when Amanda was a tiny girl. Her father had removed her from the sphere of her mother's family who originally came from Spain and were very proud of their aristocratic heritage. On arrival, she gets a very cool reception from all the family members, except for her grandfather, and even he is a little weird. A series of accidents befall her as, little by little, her childhood memories reappear. She learns of a possible streak of madness which has come through the family...anyone with any brains would have cleared out immediately but, like the heroines in horror movies, Amanda stays on with the family, putting herself in danger of losing her life on more than one occasion. It's hard to empathize with any of the characters as they are all a bit off key and not at all likeable.

All in all this was a good read. Amanda had experienced some childhood horror which caused her to repress the memory of that day. This author kept me wanting to find out what this secret memory was and so I was hardly able to put down this book. Some questions remain unanswered at the end of the book however: Why did Amanda's grandfather send for her knowing what he did (one must read the book to the end to understand this question however); why did Amanda's aunt hate her so much? Even after the end of this book this dislike did not make much sense. So all-in-all this was an OK read. Possibly 3 1/2 stars. I think Kay Hooper tried to redo this story in her book "Amanda" with a little more success. I would recommend that one reads "The Turquoise Mask" followed by "Amanda" and compare the two.