Falcon's Shadow

by Anne Maybury

Book by Maybury, Anne

Genres: Gothic, Historical Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1980

About the author

Edith Arundel Buxton
aka Edith Arundel, Anne Maybury & Katherine Troy.

Her maiden surname was Arundel. Her ancestors were said to have come to England with the Norman Conquest and she was proud of the heritage which did seem to imbue her with a perceptive appreciation of history. The love of poetry which remained with her always was inherited from her father, a distinguished poet of his time. Her mother was a musician who died at an early age.

She was a writer of romantic suspense whose novels earned her world-wide acclaim and an enormous following. She was particularly popular in the United States. Her finest gift was for lyrical prose and she used her delight in colour and drama to such effect that the reader was immediately plunged into the story and held enthralled.

Her early novels were written also under the pennames of Edith Arundel and Katherine Troy, but it is as Anne Maybury that she will be remembered. She was a true professional who did not believe in wasting time. A promised deadline was adhered to and all social engagements regretfully cancelled. She developed early in life the profound interest in human behaviour and intrigue which was to prove a valuable asset to her writing. Also in good measure she retained the attribute so necessary to an author, a lively curiosity. She travelled widely and brought a sense of adventure into her books derived often from personal experiences of a bizarre kind. She seemed to attract excitement and used to say that she had met more than one murderer during her travels around the world. As a writer she was stylish, and this quality extended to her personality, which was full of vivid charm, lightened by a sparkling sense of fun.

Generous with her time to aspiring writers, she also loved literary chat with her peers. She was interested in new writing as well as the classics and read widely, keeping up with developments. She was a vice-president of both the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Almost until his death she regularly attended meetings and gave time and care to helping the members and the causes in which they believe. She was a remarkable writer and a good friend and companion.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, it was okay; it accomplished the purpose. It was words before my eyes.

[Christine Honsinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one by Anne Maybury...it was an adequate, likable gothic suspense written in 1964 and about characters contemporary of that time period. I have discovered that her books do not end though, with a bang of revelation and grand dramatic climax...no, more like a poof...but entertaining just the same.

[Lynette Lark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this plot much better than the author's "The Brides of Bellenmore" even though the similarities were great.

I noticed that she, the author, used the same archetypal characters in both novels. For instance, she had a female dwarf in one and a female midget in the other; she had a little boy with an injured spine in one and an older man with an injured spine in the other; in both, she introduced the main female character as an interloper who, while searching for something else, gains everything--the man and the wealth.

I noticed, too, that the author introduced a slew of characters all of whom could quite possibly be responsible for the death of the "young wife" (who is the victim in both novels, and who each fall from a great height to their deaths).

So, like the Bible, the author simply uses midrash to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite the same narrative over and over and over.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Maybury was always at her best with contemporary, rather than historical, gothics; and "Falcon's Shadow" is an enjoyable example of that competence. After the death of her chilly surgeon father, Loran Brant, a nurse in London, learns that she was adopted and decides to ferret out the truth in Saxon Magna, a small coastal town. Maybury brings alive the close-knit, insular nature—as well as charm—of this little hamlet, which might hold the answers to Loran's past—answers that of course someone wants to make sure she never finds. Maybury always creates memorable supporting characters and appealing heroines, and "Falcon's Shadow" is no different in this regard.

[Brittni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing good about this book was the main character's name: Loran Brant.