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Glimpse Into Terror
From the Darkness Beyond... Leaving her Connecticut home would be like breaking the last remaining bonds between Sheila Everly and her dear, dead David ...No, she could not leave the weathered gray mansion, with its happy memory of their love, with its guilty memory of the accident that had taken her husband from her. .. But staying brought Sheila nightmares--strange visions that could not be explained by the noted psychiatrist Dr. Bruno Litel, or by Clifton Ware, the attorney who loved her. Sheila saw people dying--and her visions came true! Had her mind been distorted by guilt -- or was she receiving a warning from beyond? Then came the final, shocking vision-and it pushed Sheila to the brink of madness.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Clarissa Ross
71 books9 followersWilliam Edward Daniel Ross, W. E. Daniel "Dan" Ross (born 1912) is a bestselling Canadian novelist from Saint John, New Brunswick who wrote over 300 books in a variety of genres and under a variety of mostly female pseudonyms such as Laura Frances Brooks, Lydia Colby, Rose Dana, Jan Daniels, Ross Olin, Diane Randall, Clarissa Ross, Leslie Ames, Ruth Dorset, Ann Gilmer, Jane Rossiter, Dan Ross, Dana Ross, Marilyn Ross, Dan Roberts, and W.E.D. Ross. As Marilyn Ross he wrote popular Gothic fiction including a series of novels about the vampire Barnabas Collins based on the American TV series Dark Shadows (1966-71).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 1, 2018
Glimpse into Terror by Clarissa Ross is a 1971 Magnum Books publication.
This book is part of my personal ‘Gothic Romance’ paperback collection. I try to work these old books into my reading schedule from time to time because, while they may be dated, I often discover some real gems and of course I just love reading these retro- vintage novels, especially the Gothic mysteries that were so popular when I was a growing up.
Sheila, a young widow, lives alone in the large house she inherited from her husband, David, after he died in a terrible car accident.
She is thankful for David’s lawyer and old friend, Clifton Ware, who has suffered his own brand of heartbreak in life after he was forced to commit his wife to a mental institution.
The two give each other comfort, but Clifton may have deeper feelings for Sheila. However, when Sheila confesses to Clifton that she has begun to experience psychic episodes, since David's death, where she can predict the future, Clifton becomes very concerned and insists that she visit a psychiatrist.
Are Sheila’s visions a dire warning or is she beginning to lose her grip on reality?
This story is typical of the paranormal romantic suspense novels written during the early seventies, which often addressed the topic du jour of the day- ESP. Of course, the heroine is often patronized, but overall, Sheila was not one of those ‘too stupid to live’ types, that often show up in these books, although on occasion she did verge on hysteria. There were plenty of sinister suspects, but the plot will be fairly transparent to the modern reader. However, for its time, it was a pretty twisty little thriller, especially with the paranormal elements, which were a little scary, I must admit. The writing has some unusual phrases which is a little jarring, but I chalked it up to the era in which the book was written since writing styles have drastically changed since then.
Although, Clarissa Ross is the pen name of William Edward Daniel Ross, it was not exactly common knowledge until many, many years later, so evidently Mr. Ross had the unique ability to write from a female perspective without offending anyone.
This book was a pretty absorbing despite its age and transparency. In fact, the psychological elements were worth the trip, if nothing else. I loved the creepy tone, and the understated quality these stories often had.
Atmosphere and mood have often been a big help too, and since I was cooped up inside, recovering from the flu, dealing with a twenty-eight -hour power outage due to a surprise ice storm, this was the perfect novel to read by the light of a kerosene lamp, while bundled up with all my fur babies. 😊
3.5 rounded up
This book is part of my personal ‘Gothic Romance’ paperback collection. I try to work these old books into my reading schedule from time to time because, while they may be dated, I often discover some real gems and of course I just love reading these retro- vintage novels, especially the Gothic mysteries that were so popular when I was a growing up.
Sheila, a young widow, lives alone in the large house she inherited from her husband, David, after he died in a terrible car accident.
She is thankful for David’s lawyer and old friend, Clifton Ware, who has suffered his own brand of heartbreak in life after he was forced to commit his wife to a mental institution.
The two give each other comfort, but Clifton may have deeper feelings for Sheila. However, when Sheila confesses to Clifton that she has begun to experience psychic episodes, since David's death, where she can predict the future, Clifton becomes very concerned and insists that she visit a psychiatrist.
Are Sheila’s visions a dire warning or is she beginning to lose her grip on reality?
This story is typical of the paranormal romantic suspense novels written during the early seventies, which often addressed the topic du jour of the day- ESP. Of course, the heroine is often patronized, but overall, Sheila was not one of those ‘too stupid to live’ types, that often show up in these books, although on occasion she did verge on hysteria. There were plenty of sinister suspects, but the plot will be fairly transparent to the modern reader. However, for its time, it was a pretty twisty little thriller, especially with the paranormal elements, which were a little scary, I must admit. The writing has some unusual phrases which is a little jarring, but I chalked it up to the era in which the book was written since writing styles have drastically changed since then.
Although, Clarissa Ross is the pen name of William Edward Daniel Ross, it was not exactly common knowledge until many, many years later, so evidently Mr. Ross had the unique ability to write from a female perspective without offending anyone.
This book was a pretty absorbing despite its age and transparency. In fact, the psychological elements were worth the trip, if nothing else. I loved the creepy tone, and the understated quality these stories often had.
Atmosphere and mood have often been a big help too, and since I was cooped up inside, recovering from the flu, dealing with a twenty-eight -hour power outage due to a surprise ice storm, this was the perfect novel to read by the light of a kerosene lamp, while bundled up with all my fur babies. 😊
3.5 rounded up
August 21, 2021
"Glimpse Into Terror" displays the successful formula deployed by Clarissa Ross (one of the many pseudonyms of former Canadian theatre manager and actor W.E.D. Ross in his prolific writing career) in early 70s contemporary Gothics. A rather predictable mystery is overlaid with supernatural elements. Here, young widow Shiela Everly fills her days in an upper middle class suburb of Hartford, CT with rounds of golf at the country club and frequent drinks with her deceased husband's best friend Clifton Ware. Shiela's mourning is interrupted by the development of what seems to be ESP, warning her of dire events that will befall not only every man she seems to come in contact with, but also, eventually, herself. Meanwhile, she suddenly veers into "Merry Widow" territory by being aggressively courted by not one, but two unhappily married men. Ross loved using first and last names every time he mentioned a character, as well as frequent descriptions of their appearances (here, for example, we cannot have a reference to a new neighbor, Abel Hart, without being told he's a young bearded man) and it's on view here. Also on offer: Ross's habit of eating up pages and word counts with almost constant recaps of previous scenes, usually through dialogue between characters--much like scenes on a soap opera that endlessly rehash the action to move the viewer towards a Friday cliffhanger. The hothouse, gossipy environment of the privileged suburbs comes across vividly here; in addition, boy, do these characters toss back martinis and other cocktails at all hours of the day--which of course has something to do with the late 60s/early 70s setting. Although annoying, Clarissa Ross is one of those writers whom anyone with a fondness for period Gothics must read, even if sometime it's through gritted teeth and eye-rolling; and "Glimpse Into Terror," with its slight supernatural overlay, is no better or worse than the rest of Ross's works.
September 17, 2018
This was a good story, but you could see the truth from about five hundred miles away, unfortunately Shiela was an idiot so she could barely see her finger from a few inches away. I hate characters like Shiela who do everything but anything that makes sense.
If you are having visions of terrible events taking place, and every vision starts coming true, why wouldn't you expect the next vision might come true as well? Why would you just go oh gee, maybe it means nothing and won't actually happen? Why would you hire someone to work at your home after you envisioned them strangling a woman?
As far as the writing-style was concerned, it's the same as usual with a Ross book; there's enough repetitive dialogue to make you sick. This time around the author couldn't even keep things straight. On one page Shiela clearly tells her friend about one of her visions, then a few pages later she says she decided not to mention that particular vision to him. Too late, you already did!
If you are having visions of terrible events taking place, and every vision starts coming true, why wouldn't you expect the next vision might come true as well? Why would you just go oh gee, maybe it means nothing and won't actually happen? Why would you hire someone to work at your home after you envisioned them strangling a woman?
As far as the writing-style was concerned, it's the same as usual with a Ross book; there's enough repetitive dialogue to make you sick. This time around the author couldn't even keep things straight. On one page Shiela clearly tells her friend about one of her visions, then a few pages later she says she decided not to mention that particular vision to him. Too late, you already did!
May 28, 2025
Shiela Everly has been widowed for a year ever since the accident that caused the tragic loss of her beloved husband David. Sometimes she feels as if he is still watching over her. This is why she can’t bring herself to leave their weathered mansion in Connecticut. But ever since the accident Shiela has been plagued by visions of the future. Some of them terrifying when one comes true she confides in her late husband’s lawyer and friend Clifton Ware. Because his wife Madge suffers from an illness of the mind he urges her to seek the help of Dr. Bruno Litel. Unlike Clifton Dr. Litel doesn’t believe her visions stem from the guilt of surviving the accident that claimed her husband’s life. He believes they are a gift and she should embrace them learn what they are trying to show her. Shiela finds this becoming difficult as she begins to see visions of her own future. She also finds herself with mixed feelings towards Clifton who is in love with her despite still being attached to his wife. Things are further complicated by her unwelcome attraction to her handsome new neighbor. This gothic is more of a mystery with supernatural overtones and a hint of romance and suspense. A great quick read for lovers of gothic novels and mysteries. It had a wonderfully eerie feeling to the story.
July 30, 2023
A young woman named Shiela (sic) has developed ESP after a traumatic accident in which her husband died. Now, if she touches a person, she gets a vision of what will happen to them in the near future. She tries to cope with this while all the men in her neighbourhood start declaring their love with her.
Although having something paranormal happening is fun, it doesn't really improve the general formula. Shiela lives in a big empty house and has no job or need for money, so she just drifts between lunches, parties and visits from different suitors. The supernatural visions are treated as a serious story element. I thought Shiela would be accused by everybody of "suffering from nervous exhaustion" (as is typical for these books), but even the doctor that she goes to tells her, yes, ESP is a real thing that can happen to some people. The doctor also provides the requisite reason for Shiela (I'm getting really tired of typing this daft name spelling) to keep living in her empty house, so that enough danger, mystery and romance can play out before the big reveal at the end, but sadly I have now read too many of these pulp gothics, and I guessed the twist on page 12.
Although having something paranormal happening is fun, it doesn't really improve the general formula. Shiela lives in a big empty house and has no job or need for money, so she just drifts between lunches, parties and visits from different suitors. The supernatural visions are treated as a serious story element. I thought Shiela would be accused by everybody of "suffering from nervous exhaustion" (as is typical for these books), but even the doctor that she goes to tells her, yes, ESP is a real thing that can happen to some people. The doctor also provides the requisite reason for Shiela (I'm getting really tired of typing this daft name spelling) to keep living in her empty house, so that enough danger, mystery and romance can play out before the big reveal at the end, but sadly I have now read too many of these pulp gothics, and I guessed the twist on page 12.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews