Woman Without a Past [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Phyllis A. Whitney (Author), Joyce Bean (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2009

In her thirty-fifth novel of psychological suspense, Phyllis A. Whitney spins a spellbinding tale of a young woman's quest to uncover her true identity. Successful young mystery novelist Molly Hunt, raised by adoptive parents on Long Island, is stunned when a chance encounter leads to a startling revelation. She is apparently the daughter of the aristocratic Mountfort family of Charleston, South Carolina, kidnapped as an infant from their ancestral home - and has an identical twin sister. Travelling to Charleston, Molly meets her delicately lovely long-lost twin; her mother's stern cousin, now the family patriarch, doubtful of Molly's identity and suspicious of her motives; and his tiny, enigmatic wife, a psychic who channels the spirit of a man who died mysteriously on the Mountfort estate a generation before. As Molly searches for the truth of her own origins, she comes to realize that the secrets of her troubled family's past have a strange and powerful hold on the present. Her reappearance in the lives of the Mountfort clan sets in motion events that threaten the family's very existence - as well as her own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In one of her smoothest suspense novels, the prolific Whitney ( The Singing Stones ) combines a dynamic, likable heroine with eccentric characters, romantic entanglements, family ghosts and a charming setting. When mystery writer Molly Hunt drops off her latest manuscript, she walks into the most important mystery of her life. In her publisher's office, she meets Charles Landry of Charleston, S.C., whose fiancee, he claims, is Molly's long-lost twin. He tells the story of Molly's kidnapping from the Mountfort family mansion, then invites her to Charleston to meet the rest of the clan: Valerie, the emotionally imbalanced mother who has never recovered from the loss of her favorite child; Amelia, the insecure, second-best twin; Porter Phelps, Valerie's cousin and the Mountfort patriarch. Porter's wife, Honoria, a psychic, still hunts for details about a lover's drowning years ago and about the sudden death of Molly's father, Simon. A letter left to Molly indicates that Simon was keeping a dangerous family secret. Are the Mountfort tragedies safely in the past, or is Molly in grave danger? Dramatic revelations, help from unexpected quarters and Molly's need to resolve her identity drive the novel to a satisfying conclusion.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Startled to learn that she may have been stolen as a baby prior to her adoption by the parents who raised her, author Molly Hunt flies to Charleston, SC, to meet her twin sister. Once there she seeks to unravel the mystery about her theft, learns that she will inherit the family estate, and struggles to cope with strange pranks and the death of a cousin. Whitney continues to use channeling to heighten interest, but it is not as strong here as in Rainbow in the Mist (Doubleday, 1989). The characters of Molly and her twin, Amelia, are particularly well drawn as one can contrast their similarities and their differences. Whitney's background research is obvious in this aspect of the story and in the flavor of old Charleston and its tradition-oriented families. This is a good, modern gothic novel sure to please those hooked on the genre. --Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD; MP3 Una edition (December 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441818618
• ISBN-13: 978-1441818614
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,512,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced --- Murder Mystery set in the deep south, December 13, 2000

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Woman Without a Past (Mass Market Paperback)

WOMAN WITHOUT A PAST takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, where the heroine of the book, Molly Hunt, finds out about her past. Molly was given away for adoption as an infant, and has only known her adoptive parents. However, sheer chance brings her into contact with the man who is about to marry her twin sister, whom she never knew to exist. Filled with doubt, Molly follows Charles Landry to South Carolina to meet the family she never knew.

As the story progresses, Molly learns about her biological family, and finds that there are some deep secrets that may have eventually led to her adoption years ago. The big shocking secret is that her adoption may have been a result of a kidnapping, and for some reason the family seems to know about the crime but refuses to shed light on it.

As she learns about these family secrets, her life starts to take a turn for the worse, as she finds herself in danger and a target for murder.

I really enjoyed this novel by Phyllis Whitney. I've been a fan of hers for over 20 years now, and her novels still have the same impact they had on me way back when. She hasn't lost her touch. Ms Whitney knows how to write a good romance mystery and is probably the best in the genre.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious Adoption, March 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Woman Without a Past (Mass Market Paperback)

A review by Heather
This story is about a woman named Molly who writes woman's mysteries. Her parents told her when she was young that she was adopted, and that they didn't know who her parents were. So Molly always accepted this and went on with life, when one day a man named Charles shows up at her work and says that she is identical to the woman that he was engaged to who lives down in Charleston, south Carolina on a huge plantation. So Molly goes with him and meets her twin sister Amelia and some other interesting characters who seem to not want her their. Then Molly finds out about a family murder, and about her dad that had a heart attack, and about her being stolen as a baby, and she is intrigued to figure out all of it.

Molly in this story is very curios, and very trusting. Molly would always believe what everyone else would say. When her crazy mother took her in the middle of the night Molly believed that she was going to take her somewhere nice, but she didn't. And even after that Molly trusted her when she took her backstage of an old theatre. This book is a good mystery, but Molly didn't really know what was going on so the reader doesn't know either. Most of the excitement happened when she was in the theatre at the end of the book. But the book isn't very exciting in the middle and beginning. The author doesn't give you that much information about the deaths, so it can be boring.

I would recommend this book for people who like mysteries without a lot of action. This is mostly a mystery book that makes you think about what happened and you have to examine the events in the book carefully to completely understand it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phyllis Whitney Writes A Romantic-Suspense-A-Licious Novel!, October 30, 2000

By 

Ciara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Woman Without a Past (School & Library Binding)

Absolutely a delicious read! From beginning to end, Woman Without A Past grabbed the reader into a suspense filled, mystery personified read that could not be put down. From adoption to murder, this novel portrayed the feeling of needing to connect to the biological past that anyone that was adopted would feel, and intertwined between all the chaotic emotions associated with that quest alone, were unsolved murders and mayhem, a little madness, and a touch of romance.

Romantic Suspense at its best!