What do you think?
Rate this book
Mansion of Golden Windows
The Ancient Evil
Sable Lennox wasn't passionately interested in the ancestral estate of her family tree. Her trip to Scotland to check a few dates in family history started mainly as a favor to her aunt. But she became thoroughly, intimately involved when her research began to unearth puzzles, facts that didn't seem to fit, enigmas with a vague but frighteningly sinister ring...
Something was definitely wrong in Strathmuir, and Sable was on completely unfamiliar ground in trying to find the right answers. And she could confide in no one, since anyone could be an enemy. But there was romance as well as danger in the air for Sable, love as well as terror and tragedy -- and she had the strength of a truly feminine heart to carry her through to the starling climax.
Sable Lennox wasn't passionately interested in the ancestral estate of her family tree. Her trip to Scotland to check a few dates in family history started mainly as a favor to her aunt. But she became thoroughly, intimately involved when her research began to unearth puzzles, facts that didn't seem to fit, enigmas with a vague but frighteningly sinister ring...
Something was definitely wrong in Strathmuir, and Sable was on completely unfamiliar ground in trying to find the right answers. And she could confide in no one, since anyone could be an enemy. But there was romance as well as danger in the air for Sable, love as well as terror and tragedy -- and she had the strength of a truly feminine heart to carry her through to the starling climax.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
123 people want to read
About the author
Elsie Lee
52 books29 followersElsie Lee (Elsie Lee Sheridan) (1912 - 1987)
Pseudonym/s: Elsie Cromwell, Jane Gordon, Lee Sheridan
Wiki: "I write fairy tales for grownups, principally women... I am better at characterizations than plots, and best with cats who are unanimously adored by my readers... I will not compromise on the quality of vocabulary and grammar in my books... it is a writer's responsibility to TEACH subtly through entertainment..."
Pseudonym/s: Elsie Cromwell, Jane Gordon, Lee Sheridan
Wiki: "I write fairy tales for grownups, principally women... I am better at characterizations than plots, and best with cats who are unanimously adored by my readers... I will not compromise on the quality of vocabulary and grammar in my books... it is a writer's responsibility to TEACH subtly through entertainment..."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 4, 2011
Whenever we come back from Scotland, I always have to re-read this one from my "keepers" bookshelf. This is one of my favorite romantic mysteries from Elsie Lee, with an appealing Scottish hero and setting, and American heroine. These books were mostly written and originally published in the sixties, however, so with some of them you have to deal with the evolving social and sexual mores of the times. That can sometimes set off an "ick" reaction. The worst in this one is some fairly minor manhandling of the heroine, which wouldn't go over at all well these days. The characters and relationship-building are the focus here, not sex, although Elsie Lee's did write some others that leaned more that way.
February 15, 2016
My boss brought me her well read and tattered copy printed in the sixties and said I would love it.
I really liked it for its short length and no frills writing. I have never read Elsie Lee before but she is now on my radar. An author myself, I think her stories and writing style are worth studying.
As for the story itself, I was very much intrigued and the mystery opened slowly (in that good way) while the suspense could be felt right from the beginning. The romance plays second fiddle and I was perfectly happy with that.
I really liked it for its short length and no frills writing. I have never read Elsie Lee before but she is now on my radar. An author myself, I think her stories and writing style are worth studying.
As for the story itself, I was very much intrigued and the mystery opened slowly (in that good way) while the suspense could be felt right from the beginning. The romance plays second fiddle and I was perfectly happy with that.
August 8, 2016
It's 1965 and Sable Lennox goes to Scotland at the request of her aunt Agnes to try and find some missing dates for her aunt's genealogy research. She is of the American branch of the Gordon Clan and will be visiting the present laird, David Kirby-Gordon at his home, Strathmuir, where all the records are kept. David, his wife Annis, and cousin Sholto all behave hostile towards Sable, so she intends to leave as soon as she has the answers she needs. When over dinner she lets on how rich aunt Agnes is, suddenly her hosts start being nice to her, hoping she'll put in a good word for them and aunt Agnes will invest in the estate's business ventures. Sable will be guest of honor at the festivities during the opening of the grouse season the next week. So Sable stays on and gets the opportunity to do some more snooping in the records, finding clues that perhaps the present laird isn't the descendant of a legitimate heir to the title, or perhaps isn't a relation at all but an impostor.
Early on, in the prologue where Sable looks back on the events two years later, the reader learns that a "he" tried to kill her, and that Annis gave her poisoned chocolate to drink, so there isn't much of a mystery as to who the bad guy is. Nevertheless, we don't know how he'll try to kill her, which still supplies a bit of suspense. Our heroine is very clever, witty, beautiful and always knows what she needs to do or say next. She reads people very well and keeps ahead of the reader all the time.
This is the second book by Elsie Lee I've read, and I was pleased to notice how in this book she helps the reader by explaining several things not known to everyman.
Cousin Sholto provides the love interest. He has a bit of a temper and isn't always very nice to Sable, which the author probably did so we could have more choices for the role of bad guy. He was 15 years older than Sable, which unfortunately was the case for a lot of heroes in gothics written in the sixties.
The story was fast-paced, well written, had a nice mood, a lovely setting, interesting people, a likeable heroine, a kilted hero, enough mystery, so I'll award it a 7 out of 10.
Early on, in the prologue where Sable looks back on the events two years later, the reader learns that a "he" tried to kill her, and that Annis gave her poisoned chocolate to drink, so there isn't much of a mystery as to who the bad guy is. Nevertheless, we don't know how he'll try to kill her, which still supplies a bit of suspense. Our heroine is very clever, witty, beautiful and always knows what she needs to do or say next. She reads people very well and keeps ahead of the reader all the time.
This is the second book by Elsie Lee I've read, and I was pleased to notice how in this book she helps the reader by explaining several things not known to everyman.
Cousin Sholto provides the love interest. He has a bit of a temper and isn't always very nice to Sable, which the author probably did so we could have more choices for the role of bad guy. He was 15 years older than Sable, which unfortunately was the case for a lot of heroes in gothics written in the sixties.
The story was fast-paced, well written, had a nice mood, a lovely setting, interesting people, a likeable heroine, a kilted hero, enough mystery, so I'll award it a 7 out of 10.
November 30, 2022
Love Elsie Lee
Sure hope all her books will be available in future. I think I have almost all of them in hard copy.
Sure hope all her books will be available in future. I think I have almost all of them in hard copy.
February 22, 2009
Didn't like this one as much as the previous two I've read of hers, but still good.
Want to read
March 17, 2013This heroine looks spitting image of Elizabeth Taylor?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews