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Grace Hollister works in Peter Fox's antique store during the day. This is very nice for Grace, since she and Peter have some kind of romantic relationship . . . maybe. Lately, Peter seems to much more involved with Catriona, Lady Ruthven. Lord Ruthven is the London producer who is helping with the Innisdale production of The Vampyre, "a play based on J. R. Planche's play based on the short story by Polidori", who has a loose connection with Byron, who doesn't have a version of the play. Ruthven is also directing the production. The usual assortment of 'characters' make up the rest of the production company. The cast and crew of The Vampyre are plagued by accidents. Are they the work of a local witch, Miss Coke? Is there a curse on the play? Why can't anybody find out anything about Lord Ruthven, who may or may not really be a lord? Grace keeps poking her nose into things, long past the limit of normal curiosity. What is Peter's connection to Catriona? Where has the easy conviviality gone that Peter and Grace used to share? Is this loss connected to the rash of thefts in the area? Is Peter connected to that rash? I read this book about two weeks ago, and (for reasons irrelevant to this review) didn't sit down right away to write this. Frankly, I don't remember much about the book. I do remember that the prologue was, to me, annoying and irrelevant. That the woo-woo element wasn't particularly scary, or amusing. That Grace spent an inordinate amount of time fretting over Peter and the state of their romance. The ending, if I remember correctly, really leaves the reader hanging with respect to Grace and Peter and where that relationship may or may not be headed. I was often reminded of other whiny female protagonists in series I no longer read, for that very reason. The plot is fine. The characters are fine. I did like the way Killian delineates her characters; I never had any trouble keeping track of who was who. The writing is fine. The descriptions of the setting are lovely. I didn't find this a compelling read, or singularly entertaining. Not a bad book, not a bad mystery. It just didn't speak to me.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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