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Rainsong
"A contemporary chiller romance...Whitney drums up suspense at a delightfully frantic pace. Old fans--and new ones--can dig in with total confidence."
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS
Hollis Sands has never gotten over her husband Ricky's death. She cannot believe he took his own life and wonders if it wasn't really murder. Trying to escape her memories, she seeks peace at Windtop in Cold Spring Harbor. But strange and frightening things keep happening--voices sing the song she wrote for Ricky and guitars play from nowhere. Windtop has become a trap, but Hollis Sands will not leave, until she discovers the truth, no matter how close to death that takes her....
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS
Hollis Sands has never gotten over her husband Ricky's death. She cannot believe he took his own life and wonders if it wasn't really murder. Trying to escape her memories, she seeks peace at Windtop in Cold Spring Harbor. But strange and frightening things keep happening--voices sing the song she wrote for Ricky and guitars play from nowhere. Windtop has become a trap, but Hollis Sands will not leave, until she discovers the truth, no matter how close to death that takes her....
560 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1984
213 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis A. Whitney
190books549followersPhyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 � 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".
She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
June 4, 2016
Rainsong by Phyllis A. Whitney is a 1984 Ballantine publication.
I have an enormous collection of vintage paperbacks and especially love the cover art on the Gothic Romance novels from the 60’s and 70’s. Collecting those old paperbacks introduced me to Phyllis Whitney some years back, and I have tried to locate as many of her novels as possible. I have not read all of them, but am working on incorporating these books into my reading schedule more often.
While Phyllis A. Whitney began writing novels way back in the early 1960’s, and made a name for herself in the Gothic Romance and Mystery genre which was wildly popular in those days, this book was written well after the Gothic romance had gone out of style, and falls more into the romantic suspense category.
I have to say this, although I know it sounds like the worst kind of cliché, but they sure don’t write ‘em like this anymore, and that’s a real shame.
Hollis is a songwriter who married Ricky, a pop star, but remained sheltered from his professional life until he begins to succumb to drugs and alcohol, spiraling towards depression, which leads her to the discovery of a mistress, who will commit suicide a shortly after Hollis meets her. A year later, Ricky followed suit by committing suicide as well.
Now Hollis is left to deal with the aftermath, as managers, the media and fans all want to control Ricky’s estate and push her into making rash decisions. So, when an old friend of her father’s, offers Hollis the chance to stay at her grand estate for a time, to pull herself together, and perhaps get back to writing songs, it seems like Hollis has been thrown a lifeline. Until she arrives at the huge old mansion and is not exactly welcomed with open arms by the staff and others residing on the grounds.
But, shocking revelations come to light that connects Ricky to this estate, which could lead to the truth about his death and could put Hollis in grave danger.
Could Ricky have been a murderer or was he a victim too?
This taut and creepy chiller is the perfect book to curl up with on a stormy night. The author creates a sinister element that builds and builds until it becomes nearly unbearable. While Hollis is manipulated and ‘handled� by everyone surrounding her, the reader can’t trust a single person in the story and I think I suspected nearly everyone at one time or another. I have to say that although these older titles can be rather transparent at times, I was genuinely surprised by how everything turned out.
Hollis� character is typical of the time frame the book was written in, so she does seem a little too naïve and gullible in some cases, and of course modern readers may find that off putting, but if you keep an open mind and try to look past some of the dated qualities, which weren’t all that bad, really, then you will find the writing here to be outstanding and the author’s ability to create such an edgy, suspenseful atmosphere is mindboggling, since I seldom see this in current romantic suspense novels, which tends to rely on more explosive tactics to create suspense, but it isn’t nearly as effective as this type of slow burn, full of stunning twists that messes with the mind and had me feeling jumpy and nervous. Again, I really wish someone could recreate this type of chiller, giving it a makeover to appeal to our modern sensibilities.
This story is also refreshingly free of graphic violence, sexual situations, and offensive language, which I can use a break from now and then. I promise you won’t even notice it’s missing.
Overall, this is a very solid mystery suspense novel by one of the best authors of this time period. This particular book is not available in electronic format that I could see, but can be found on Ebay and the Amazon marketplace, and perhaps in your local used bookstore. If you ever come across a copy, I hope you will give it shot.
4.5 stars
I have an enormous collection of vintage paperbacks and especially love the cover art on the Gothic Romance novels from the 60’s and 70’s. Collecting those old paperbacks introduced me to Phyllis Whitney some years back, and I have tried to locate as many of her novels as possible. I have not read all of them, but am working on incorporating these books into my reading schedule more often.
While Phyllis A. Whitney began writing novels way back in the early 1960’s, and made a name for herself in the Gothic Romance and Mystery genre which was wildly popular in those days, this book was written well after the Gothic romance had gone out of style, and falls more into the romantic suspense category.
I have to say this, although I know it sounds like the worst kind of cliché, but they sure don’t write ‘em like this anymore, and that’s a real shame.
Hollis is a songwriter who married Ricky, a pop star, but remained sheltered from his professional life until he begins to succumb to drugs and alcohol, spiraling towards depression, which leads her to the discovery of a mistress, who will commit suicide a shortly after Hollis meets her. A year later, Ricky followed suit by committing suicide as well.
Now Hollis is left to deal with the aftermath, as managers, the media and fans all want to control Ricky’s estate and push her into making rash decisions. So, when an old friend of her father’s, offers Hollis the chance to stay at her grand estate for a time, to pull herself together, and perhaps get back to writing songs, it seems like Hollis has been thrown a lifeline. Until she arrives at the huge old mansion and is not exactly welcomed with open arms by the staff and others residing on the grounds.
But, shocking revelations come to light that connects Ricky to this estate, which could lead to the truth about his death and could put Hollis in grave danger.
Could Ricky have been a murderer or was he a victim too?
This taut and creepy chiller is the perfect book to curl up with on a stormy night. The author creates a sinister element that builds and builds until it becomes nearly unbearable. While Hollis is manipulated and ‘handled� by everyone surrounding her, the reader can’t trust a single person in the story and I think I suspected nearly everyone at one time or another. I have to say that although these older titles can be rather transparent at times, I was genuinely surprised by how everything turned out.
Hollis� character is typical of the time frame the book was written in, so she does seem a little too naïve and gullible in some cases, and of course modern readers may find that off putting, but if you keep an open mind and try to look past some of the dated qualities, which weren’t all that bad, really, then you will find the writing here to be outstanding and the author’s ability to create such an edgy, suspenseful atmosphere is mindboggling, since I seldom see this in current romantic suspense novels, which tends to rely on more explosive tactics to create suspense, but it isn’t nearly as effective as this type of slow burn, full of stunning twists that messes with the mind and had me feeling jumpy and nervous. Again, I really wish someone could recreate this type of chiller, giving it a makeover to appeal to our modern sensibilities.
This story is also refreshingly free of graphic violence, sexual situations, and offensive language, which I can use a break from now and then. I promise you won’t even notice it’s missing.
Overall, this is a very solid mystery suspense novel by one of the best authors of this time period. This particular book is not available in electronic format that I could see, but can be found on Ebay and the Amazon marketplace, and perhaps in your local used bookstore. If you ever come across a copy, I hope you will give it shot.
4.5 stars
August 25, 2016
Hollis Sands (who is 23) met famous pop singer Ricky Sands when she was 18 and he was 39. Ricky came to perform a concert in Berkeley, California, where she went to college. But he had a motorcycle accident and ended up in the hospital. Hollis had written a song that she thought was perfect for Ricky and she wanted him to hear it. So Hollis went inside the hospital with a demo of her song, put on a hospital gown, pretended to be a patient, and boldly snuck into Ricky's room. He eventually found out she wasn't a patient and ended up listening to her song. His career was in a slump and he could use some fresh, original material. Hollis's song was perfect for him. She played another song for Ricky and his manager, Norris, and he liked it. Ricky recorded her songs and they became instant hits. In time, Hollis and Ricky married and lived in a penthouse apartment in New York City. Hollis knew there was a side of Ricky's life that he always kept private from her, including his hard drug use. Their marriage became rocky but he still wanted her songs.
One day Ricky's shrewd and hard hearted manager Norris takes Hollis to Ricky's former girlfriend's apartment (Coral Caine). Apparently Coral (a popular soap-opera actress who's career is declining due to drugs and alcohol) has been giving Ricky a hard time, claiming to be pregnant with his child, etc... Norris rudely wants to show has-been Coral lovely Hollis so Coral will let go of Ricky when she sees his beautiful and talented wife (in comparison to Coral's aging looks and downward spiraling soap career.) Hollis is shocked and disgusted with what Norris did and they leave Coral's apartment. Later they learn Coral committed suicide. Some time later Ricky also commits suicide in a hotel room---supposedly of a drug overdose.
After mourning and hiding from the press and Ricky's fans who have been outside her apartment, Hollis gets an invitation from an older lady (Geneva Ames) to stay at her home, Windtop, located in Cold Spring Harbor in Long Island. Alan Gordon, who is friends with Geneva takes Hollis to meet the woman. (Alan lived with Geneva at Windtop when he was young and his parents died.) When Hollis meets and talks to Geneva she discovers Geneva knew her father many years ago. She gladly accepts Geneva's offer to stay at Windtop for a while. But once she's at Windtop strange things start happening. She sees a shadow of a mysterious man in the garden from her bedroom. She hears Ricky's songs in the night. She hears noises upstairs. She sees shadows in corridors and she feels like she is being watched. She also finds out Ricky had been to Windtop in the past and played a gig there.
One day Hollis drives back to her New York apartment to sort through some of Ricky's belongings that are in boxes that were to painful to go through before. She brings them back to Windtop along with a sealed envelope addressed to her from Ricky. Inside is a note written by Ricky in which he claims that his life is being threatened and that he feels that someone is following him. Was Ricky really in danger? Did he die from a drug overdose, or was it more, maybe murder?
Hollis was an interesting heroine. She was no shrinking violet. When she wanted answers she boldly went off looking for them. At other times she was sheltered and closed off from Ricky's rock 'n roll world. She was talented, she played the piano, guitar, and wrote lyrics.
I liked the storyline---with musicians, a gloomy old mansion, and a possible murder. This book had a lot of suspects. I was surprised at the end at who the villain was!
This was an entertaining and very enjoyable mystery-suspense from the 80's.
April 11, 2021
Yet another book has been finished in the Year(s) of Phyllis A. Whitney.
This one definitely deserves 5 stars. The plot on this one was a bit twisty. I could just see this story being made a a film.
So give this one a go and enjoy it.
This one definitely deserves 5 stars. The plot on this one was a bit twisty. I could just see this story being made a a film.
So give this one a go and enjoy it.
March 20, 2015
That last scene! My heart was pounding so hard I could see it!
Here we have it, a half burnt out mansion, a scruffy teacher/gardener, a tall slim housekeeper with maybe too much loyalty to the house and a white haired handyman/manager. And of course, the autocratic owner of the house, Ms. Geneva. We also have a handsome, preoccupied scientist, who seems unreasonably set against Ricky Sands' music, and therefore his widow, too. Then there is someone else living in the burnt out portion of the house... But that's only the beginning. That's before Hollis discovers what's in the attics, or rather, the towers.
I really can't tell you anything more about the characters, because one, my favoritisms will peep out and two, if I say anything I'll probably give away the culprit/murderer. But I can say, this book is a bit misleading when it calls itself a romance, it's not much of one and is primarily a thriller. A bone chilling, spine tingling and teeth chattering thriller. And with a cute cover like that, too. I didn't see half the twists, and the others not fully. But the more you know, the spookier it gets, I wasn't 100% sure who was the 'villain' but, I did know that he/she was deadly. In this case, ignorance truly is bliss. But I will say, not everything makes sense, so don't expect it too, how can it, when one is dealing with a psychopath?
As Ricky Sands said to his wife the last time she saw him alive; "If you need it, the answers in the song,"
Let the rain fall sweetly
On the children of the earth;
May rivers run clean
And forests stand tall.
Let the sweet rain fall,
Let the sweet rain fall.
But, Hollis will have to get to that 'answer' fast before someone else does, and if and when she finds it, she'll have to figure it out quickly, before it's too late. In an offhand way, rain does have something to do with the ending, as do coral colored roses.
G I don't recall any swears, there was no violence other than an attempted strangling, but that wasn't glorified, no gore and a few kisses, not that they even really counted. But, don't be fooled, this was chilling, especially the end, I was sitting bolt upright, my heart pounding in my fingertips waiting for the dreaded end.
Here we have it, a half burnt out mansion, a scruffy teacher/gardener, a tall slim housekeeper with maybe too much loyalty to the house and a white haired handyman/manager. And of course, the autocratic owner of the house, Ms. Geneva. We also have a handsome, preoccupied scientist, who seems unreasonably set against Ricky Sands' music, and therefore his widow, too. Then there is someone else living in the burnt out portion of the house... But that's only the beginning. That's before Hollis discovers what's in the attics, or rather, the towers.
I really can't tell you anything more about the characters, because one, my favoritisms will peep out and two, if I say anything I'll probably give away the culprit/murderer. But I can say, this book is a bit misleading when it calls itself a romance, it's not much of one and is primarily a thriller. A bone chilling, spine tingling and teeth chattering thriller. And with a cute cover like that, too. I didn't see half the twists, and the others not fully. But the more you know, the spookier it gets, I wasn't 100% sure who was the 'villain' but, I did know that he/she was deadly. In this case, ignorance truly is bliss. But I will say, not everything makes sense, so don't expect it too, how can it, when one is dealing with a psychopath?
As Ricky Sands said to his wife the last time she saw him alive; "If you need it, the answers in the song,"
Let the rain fall sweetly
On the children of the earth;
May rivers run clean
And forests stand tall.
Let the sweet rain fall,
Let the sweet rain fall.
But, Hollis will have to get to that 'answer' fast before someone else does, and if and when she finds it, she'll have to figure it out quickly, before it's too late. In an offhand way, rain does have something to do with the ending, as do coral colored roses.
G I don't recall any swears, there was no violence other than an attempted strangling, but that wasn't glorified, no gore and a few kisses, not that they even really counted. But, don't be fooled, this was chilling, especially the end, I was sitting bolt upright, my heart pounding in my fingertips waiting for the dreaded end.
July 15, 2022
Despite just one scene of danger close to the end that seems throwaway, since it is followed by a more intense climax within a short time, Phyllis A. Whitney delivered a powerful punch in "Rainsong," the story of a young songwriter who is left with dangerous questions to answer after the death of her pop star husband. "Rainsong" also is a return to a more strictly gothic feel for Whitney, as the action takes place in a secluded, fire-ravaged country house on Long Island. Whitney rachets up the creepy atmosphere early on in a way she hadn't done in years. A number of red herrings complicate the plot, which is brought to a head during a winter storm. While the by-this-time 80 year-old author was not that familiar with current music—her character of Ricky Sands and his folky genre is about ten years off the mark for the early 80s—she nevertheless wrote persuasively about the creative process of songwriting and the downside of fame.
June 11, 2018
Narrator was simply unbearable. DNF.
February 18, 2021
DnF. I couldn’t finish this book. It started off quite easily and it intrigued me. As the story developed slowly I kept feeling pushed to feel a certain way about events and people and none of it felt natural.
July 15, 2015
Books are like wine, sometimes they need to sit for awhile before one reads them. One would hope it would improve the vintage - sadly this was not the case for this romantic suspense novel from 1984. It had been sitting on my shelves for awhile, and I finally took it down to read it. And it was a fast read - unfortunately that's one of the few things it had going for it.
I first discovered Phyllis A. Whitney in junior high - and I actually really liked her books, and read as many as I could find, scoring libraries and used book stores to find more. Then I became bored by the entire romance genre and stopped reading them.
But I still had a few books that I had gotten through a book club lying around, waiting to be read - so I finally picked up this one and read it.
Hollis is a songwriter, who at 18 is gutsy enough to sneak into the hospital room of her favorite singer, Ricky Sands, and play him some of her song. He likes her music, and likes Hollis as well. Before long, they are married (though he's nearly twice her age - eeeeewwwwwh) and she's writing hit songs, while he parties his life away.
Hollis is kept in an expensive New York City apartment, basically forbidden to go out. Ricky doesn't even invite her to watch his concerts, though she sneaks out, occasionally, and watches her husband perform.
Eventually, Ricky's manager introduces Hollis to Coral Caine, a soap actress that Ricky's been having and on-again-off-again-on-again affair with since before Ricky even met Hollis. But after their first meeting, Coral mysteriously "kills herself". Within what seems to be a few days or weeks later (but is actually a year, as later events make clear) Hollis's husband, Ricky, also commits suicide.
Reeling from loss, Hollis accepts an invitation from a strange, elderly, rich woman, who once knew Hollis's father, to stay at Windtop, her huge, creepy, mansion of a house in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
And that is the good part of the novel. Once Hollis arrives at Windtop, the novel turns into a typical Whitney storyline: creepy house, strange people, secrets from the past that won't die, and a lot of coincidences.
Hollis, with very little agency at all, gets swept up in events. There's no obvious romantic pairing at first, and the conclusion has Hollis attempting to cross a pitched, slate roof, in Winter, that's covered with snow, ice, and running water from fresh rain. Sigh. She escapes of course. And finds a new man in the very last chapter, of course. Double sigh.
Rainsong wasn't just boring - it actually moves at a fairly good clip, but it's flat. The characters aren't predictable, but we just could care less about them. There's no chemistry - not between Hollis and the first guy who chases her, nor between her and anyone else. And there are things about this novel that creeped me out. The marriage between 18-year-old Hollis and 30-something Ricky was just... eewwww. That he keeps her locked up in a nice Manhattan apartment, but with no friends, no one to even talk to was totally not cool - and this is the love of her life? The mysterious two suicides, which I really expected to be murders, - should have been more of a focus of the plot (as should have been the mysterious coral-colored roses left at both crime scenes) but everyone seems to just accept what they are told. Even Hollis, who doesn't believe either death was suicide, doesn't ever seem to even say, now "wait a minute", and is oh so willing to just disappear.
Windtop is actually a cool-sounding house, even the burnt-out wing, destroyed in a fire six years previously. (And never cleaned-up. No one in this novel ever seems to be able to acknowledge the passage of time.) I would have loved to see Hollis come into Windtop and propose making the place into an expensive luxury bed and breakfast. If she wasn't going to write songs anymore, she needed something to do. But, alas, the author totally misses that opportunity.
Also, throughout the novel, I found lines here and there that just seemed really, really disturbing - basically supporting the whole, "women are nothing without a man" myth.
Not recommended.
I first discovered Phyllis A. Whitney in junior high - and I actually really liked her books, and read as many as I could find, scoring libraries and used book stores to find more. Then I became bored by the entire romance genre and stopped reading them.
But I still had a few books that I had gotten through a book club lying around, waiting to be read - so I finally picked up this one and read it.
Hollis is a songwriter, who at 18 is gutsy enough to sneak into the hospital room of her favorite singer, Ricky Sands, and play him some of her song. He likes her music, and likes Hollis as well. Before long, they are married (though he's nearly twice her age - eeeeewwwwwh) and she's writing hit songs, while he parties his life away.
Hollis is kept in an expensive New York City apartment, basically forbidden to go out. Ricky doesn't even invite her to watch his concerts, though she sneaks out, occasionally, and watches her husband perform.
Eventually, Ricky's manager introduces Hollis to Coral Caine, a soap actress that Ricky's been having and on-again-off-again-on-again affair with since before Ricky even met Hollis. But after their first meeting, Coral mysteriously "kills herself". Within what seems to be a few days or weeks later (but is actually a year, as later events make clear) Hollis's husband, Ricky, also commits suicide.
Reeling from loss, Hollis accepts an invitation from a strange, elderly, rich woman, who once knew Hollis's father, to stay at Windtop, her huge, creepy, mansion of a house in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
And that is the good part of the novel. Once Hollis arrives at Windtop, the novel turns into a typical Whitney storyline: creepy house, strange people, secrets from the past that won't die, and a lot of coincidences.
Hollis, with very little agency at all, gets swept up in events. There's no obvious romantic pairing at first, and the conclusion has Hollis attempting to cross a pitched, slate roof, in Winter, that's covered with snow, ice, and running water from fresh rain. Sigh. She escapes of course. And finds a new man in the very last chapter, of course. Double sigh.
Rainsong wasn't just boring - it actually moves at a fairly good clip, but it's flat. The characters aren't predictable, but we just could care less about them. There's no chemistry - not between Hollis and the first guy who chases her, nor between her and anyone else. And there are things about this novel that creeped me out. The marriage between 18-year-old Hollis and 30-something Ricky was just... eewwww. That he keeps her locked up in a nice Manhattan apartment, but with no friends, no one to even talk to was totally not cool - and this is the love of her life? The mysterious two suicides, which I really expected to be murders, - should have been more of a focus of the plot (as should have been the mysterious coral-colored roses left at both crime scenes) but everyone seems to just accept what they are told. Even Hollis, who doesn't believe either death was suicide, doesn't ever seem to even say, now "wait a minute", and is oh so willing to just disappear.
Windtop is actually a cool-sounding house, even the burnt-out wing, destroyed in a fire six years previously. (And never cleaned-up. No one in this novel ever seems to be able to acknowledge the passage of time.) I would have loved to see Hollis come into Windtop and propose making the place into an expensive luxury bed and breakfast. If she wasn't going to write songs anymore, she needed something to do. But, alas, the author totally misses that opportunity.
Also, throughout the novel, I found lines here and there that just seemed really, really disturbing - basically supporting the whole, "women are nothing without a man" myth.
Not recommended.
March 16, 2023
Picking up this book I was wary after reading the first chapter or two. Didn't care much for the premise as presented up front, and I was thinking it would be a bit of a chore to get through. Turns out this is a very decent mystery from Whitney, especially considering it was written in the 80s. Most of Whitney's later books haven't done much for me. I felt this was closer to Whitney's 60s and early 70s output: a good mystery with lots of twists and turns (relatively speaking) and a lot of possible suspects throughout the book.
didn-t-finish
January 30, 2023I was reading this for suspense, but finding it quite dull. Plus it's really dated, can't seem to transcend its 80's setting. Just not very interesting to me, so I skimmed the ending, was still unimpressed, and called it DNF.
August 6, 2024
One of Whitney's better books. The atmosphere is palpable, as is the grief and confusion the MC feels as she reels from the suicide of her husband at the beginning of the book. Whiney never really shies away from the feelings that the MC feels and I have to wonder if she too had lost someone to suicide before writing this. Eventually the gothic tropes start to creep in around the edges until literally every character is trying to gaslight the MC about something or another. There are a ton of red herrings and hidden motivations but the book somehow stays mostly grounded and the inevitable twist at the end (you may as well use a dartboard to guess the killer) doesn't undermine the emotional punch of what had come before. While this still very much a gothic, it's also something more and is perhaps Whitney's most mature work.
It does help though if you can first forget everything you may know about popular music in the early eighties. Just imagine a nebulous past in which this type of music was extremely popular.
It does help though if you can first forget everything you may know about popular music in the early eighties. Just imagine a nebulous past in which this type of music was extremely popular.
May 31, 2015
Intriguing and very creepy near the ending. What I really liked about this book is that the villain turned out to be who I wanted it to be. Not to say that is who I thought it would be, I suspected just about everyone at one time or another.
August 12, 2023
Another interesting Gothic by Whitney, Rainsong focuses on a song writer who goes to stay at an old mansion to recover from the shock of her husband's suicide. While there, she has many strange and worrisome experiences. And once again, who I thought the villain was turned out to be someone different. I love the twists in hee books!
February 10, 2021
Viime vuosina olen lukenut enimmäkseen uusia kirjoja, nyt sitten kaksi 70-80 -luvun kirjaa peräkkäin. Olipa tämäkin aikamatka, ja aivan selvää elokuvakamaa, dramaattisia käänteitä ja henkilöitä piisasi, ei niinkään arjen realismia.
Ihailen ”entisaikojen� kirjailijoita, jotka pystyivät napakasti saamaan tarinan pakettiin, tässäkin vain noin 300 sivua. Nykykirjojen lukeminen on paljon raskaampi urakka, huonosti aukeavien 500-1000 -sivuiseen kirjojen piteleminen käy ranteisiin.
Ihailen ”entisaikojen� kirjailijoita, jotka pystyivät napakasti saamaan tarinan pakettiin, tässäkin vain noin 300 sivua. Nykykirjojen lukeminen on paljon raskaampi urakka, huonosti aukeavien 500-1000 -sivuiseen kirjojen piteleminen käy ranteisiin.
August 15, 2019
love this book!
December 21, 2020
I adored Phyllis A. Whitney's mysteries for children, so I thought I'd see if her storytelling is just as magical for adults. This is a great 'cozy' mystery read, brilliant plotting, character depth, etc.
Hollis Sands is a songwriter who's lost her husband Ricky Sands, pop legend, to suicide. She's still grieving for him (not to sound callous here, but one wonders why- he didn't seem to be especially lovable, being a narcissistic, womanizing rocker and all that...but I digress). An invitation to Windtop from a strange old woman gives Hollis time to recharge and get away from the publicity surrounding her husband's death. The trouble begins when creepy things happen in the house, like someone singing Ricky's songs in the middle of the night, and those tape messages with death threats to Hollis.
The story seems to be influenced by the classic "Rebecca" in some bits- threatening old house with housekeeper to match. Definitely a charming read from a woman who had a long, wonderful writing career.
(death at age 104 last year). Rest in peace, Phyllis A. Whitney.
Hollis Sands is a songwriter who's lost her husband Ricky Sands, pop legend, to suicide. She's still grieving for him (not to sound callous here, but one wonders why- he didn't seem to be especially lovable, being a narcissistic, womanizing rocker and all that...but I digress). An invitation to Windtop from a strange old woman gives Hollis time to recharge and get away from the publicity surrounding her husband's death. The trouble begins when creepy things happen in the house, like someone singing Ricky's songs in the middle of the night, and those tape messages with death threats to Hollis.
The story seems to be influenced by the classic "Rebecca" in some bits- threatening old house with housekeeper to match. Definitely a charming read from a woman who had a long, wonderful writing career.
(death at age 104 last year). Rest in peace, Phyllis A. Whitney.
March 1, 2010
Every once in awhile I read a Phyllis. She was my idol when I was growing up...I read all her children's books, then worked into her adult ones. I was going to be a mystery writer just like her! Then when I got into "Literature" I kind of outgrew her...I always knew who the villain would be and figured out the surprises long before the heroine. But now and again I love to read her...she's like comfort food. She's a good storyteller, and usually her settings are as well-developed as her characters. In this one, Hollis Temple, song-writer and young widow of a pop star who has just committed suicide, retires to a mansion on Long Island to escape the paparazzi and attempt writing again. But Windtop is haunted with unresolved questions of its own. Who is tormenting Hollis with snatches of her "Rainsong"? How is her husband connected to events of the past? And most importantly, whom can she trust?
July 12, 2014
This was real page turner once I got past the first few chapters. Initially I almost put it down because the Ricky Sands story and the music writing just didn't resonate with me. Then when Hollis moved to Cold Spring Harbor the story picked up with the introduction of a wide array of flawed characters, any of which could have been involved in Ricky's death. I made the mistake of going to the back of the book and reading the last few pages, I should not have done that. It spoiled some of the mystery for me.
The book had too many coincidences between Ricky and the characters at Cold Spring Harbor. A bit unrealistic.
Phyllis was one of my favorite authors as a teen and this novel reminded me of why I liked her novels.
The book had too many coincidences between Ricky and the characters at Cold Spring Harbor. A bit unrealistic.
Phyllis was one of my favorite authors as a teen and this novel reminded me of why I liked her novels.
September 11, 2016
Another Whitney classic, this is the story of songwriter Hollis Sands whose world collapses when her husband, legendary singer Ricky Sands, commits suicide. She flees to Long Island to stay with a family friend only to discover that even here she cannot escape the mysterious circumstances surrounding Ricky's death. As she struggles to make sense of the past, she may have found a new love for the future - but wait, is her new love involved in her ex-husband's death? The book has some mature content: murder, drug use, adultery. If you are a Whitney fan, you'll love this book.
April 22, 2013
In her trademark way, Whitney creates suspense in her gothic novel without resorting to gun-toting thugs, pyrotechnics, or drawn out car chases (wellll). While I didn't find this 25+ year old novel a compulsive read, it was certainly satisfying and the window into one songwriter's life (and her singer/husband's) was a nice hook.
December 25, 2013
Great read! The way the writer wrote the story made me suspicious of almost all the character except the narrator. It was fun guessing who could be the murderer. However, it was so surprising that no one actually murdered the two victims 'literally' but someone did push them into doing themselves in. haist. Crude somehow. But loved it nonetheless.
February 25, 2015
"Contemporary" stories age poorly in comparison with period pieces. Thirty years or so seem to leave books in an awkward position; they aren't comfortably Victorian or Edwardian--they are like one's grandparents thinking they are modern and up-to-date.
April 23, 2011
I like novels like this in which the main character does the right thing, even though those around her and even those close to her do not. This book's unexpected twists kept me guessing and raised goosebumps.
Read
September 25, 2008F Whi
January 30, 2010
Don't be fooled by the sweet cover- this book terrified me!
December 27, 2010
I like the "hidden" characters, good plot, not as suspenseful as some
February 20, 2011
A good mystery . Murder , Suicide, Love, Hate, Cheating, Elvis. this book has it all.
Want to read
March 21, 2013
Read
August 21, 2013Pulling more old books from my mom's bookshelf. These were some of the first books I read on my own. I used to be addicted to Phyllis Whitney...fun rereading these books so many years later now.
August 12, 2014
Very repetitive as you go through the book! Story line just so-so. Just wanted to get to the end. Characters not too interesting
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