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Season of Evil
Two Hearts Apart aka Season of Evil
220 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
55 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..."
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 17, 2016
The cover on the book did not deliver as promised. One thing about Gothics is that they try to draw you in with saying that they are similar or better to another work. I like reading Gothics because they are fun to read.
The cover was misleading but it was still an OK story.
The cover was misleading but it was still an OK story.
April 19, 2021
Its a fast paced , crazy WhoDunnit for the most part. And a couple of tiny love stories embedded within. Very creative in concept and very well written.
The story is a first person account of the heroine. It starts from her nasty divorce proceedings in court where her reputation is torn to shreds by her husband's counsel. And she emerges bruised and battered from the whole episode.
She was falsely framed in a fake affair, her photos were photoshopped and presented as evidence in court. Along with some money trail.
How the girl works out what went wrong and who could be interested in damning and incriminating her in her husband's eyes - thats the story.
The husband is a secret agent, with some secret codes in diaries about his missions. The heroine is a doctorate in History !!!! She is smart enough to decipher her husband's codes. But naive when it comes to spotting the black sheep within the family who are out to destroy her.
With the help of her husband's youngest brother, she manages to unravel the mystery, clue by clue. She does most of the heroics in the story herself. So its not fair to call the husband as the hero !!! Especially when he believed all the false evidence against her !!!!
Anyway, the husband enters the story only in the climax. But yes, the story does perk up once he does.
The younger brother is a charming support character. There is also an eccentric, Beatles loving housekeeper. And of course a life saving cat. Together they manage to enliven the story !!
Though the plot is serious crime thriller stuff, its heavily laced with wry humour and self deprecating wit. Fun to read.
Of course, the villain is all in the family. And it all comes tumbling out at the end. FBI, African mining contracts, cryptographic codes, gambling debt, and what not. Never a dull moment.
The fact that a loving husband should not have disowned and discredited his wife so publicly - that's the sore point between the lead couple. But the author decides to gloss over that sore point with humour. That's all right too... The charming brother in law gets his own girl too. So all is well :))
The story is a first person account of the heroine. It starts from her nasty divorce proceedings in court where her reputation is torn to shreds by her husband's counsel. And she emerges bruised and battered from the whole episode.
She was falsely framed in a fake affair, her photos were photoshopped and presented as evidence in court. Along with some money trail.
How the girl works out what went wrong and who could be interested in damning and incriminating her in her husband's eyes - thats the story.
The husband is a secret agent, with some secret codes in diaries about his missions. The heroine is a doctorate in History !!!! She is smart enough to decipher her husband's codes. But naive when it comes to spotting the black sheep within the family who are out to destroy her.
With the help of her husband's youngest brother, she manages to unravel the mystery, clue by clue. She does most of the heroics in the story herself. So its not fair to call the husband as the hero !!! Especially when he believed all the false evidence against her !!!!
Anyway, the husband enters the story only in the climax. But yes, the story does perk up once he does.
The younger brother is a charming support character. There is also an eccentric, Beatles loving housekeeper. And of course a life saving cat. Together they manage to enliven the story !!
Though the plot is serious crime thriller stuff, its heavily laced with wry humour and self deprecating wit. Fun to read.
Of course, the villain is all in the family. And it all comes tumbling out at the end. FBI, African mining contracts, cryptographic codes, gambling debt, and what not. Never a dull moment.
The fact that a loving husband should not have disowned and discredited his wife so publicly - that's the sore point between the lead couple. But the author decides to gloss over that sore point with humour. That's all right too... The charming brother in law gets his own girl too. So all is well :))
January 31, 2017
3.5 stars This book was chock full of crazy, but I have to admit that I found it addictive reading. The book opens as Bianca Trael finds herself being unceremoniously divorced by her husband. Written in 1965, this book is a pretty good reminder that divorce before the "no-fault" revolution was a very different beast indeed. The divorce in this matter was based upon adultery and even though we don't get lurid details, it sure looks like Bianca's husband's attorney whipped out all manner of lurid photos to get the divorce.
Bianca ("Bi") is still very much in love with her husband and quite devastated by these goings on. We see her heading down to Chevy Chase, Maryland to stay in her brother's home and get herself back together. Oddly enough, her ex's family treat her like she's still part of the clan somehow. Add into this the fact that Bi's ex-husband Ludo has mysteriously disappeared and Bi is in some kind of strange amorphous danger, and you've got quite the odd thriller here.
On the one hand, I found the book fascinating. Bi's life is a bit of a mess, but she's largely insulated in her little independently wealthy bubble and just keeps on keeping on. Some outdated 1960s classist ideas pop up from time to time, but they don't really bang the reader over the head.
The part that really struck me was Bi's treatment. This is a woman with a Ph.D. who is almost 30 years old but everyone pretty much treats her as a child to be protected. She even seems to see herself as somehow incapable of running her own life, which I found pretty frustrating at times.
Even with these quibbles and some plot holes you could drive a truck through, there is something oddly compelling about Elsie Lee's writing style. I will definitely have to read her again.
Bianca ("Bi") is still very much in love with her husband and quite devastated by these goings on. We see her heading down to Chevy Chase, Maryland to stay in her brother's home and get herself back together. Oddly enough, her ex's family treat her like she's still part of the clan somehow. Add into this the fact that Bi's ex-husband Ludo has mysteriously disappeared and Bi is in some kind of strange amorphous danger, and you've got quite the odd thriller here.
On the one hand, I found the book fascinating. Bi's life is a bit of a mess, but she's largely insulated in her little independently wealthy bubble and just keeps on keeping on. Some outdated 1960s classist ideas pop up from time to time, but they don't really bang the reader over the head.
The part that really struck me was Bi's treatment. This is a woman with a Ph.D. who is almost 30 years old but everyone pretty much treats her as a child to be protected. She even seems to see herself as somehow incapable of running her own life, which I found pretty frustrating at times.
Even with these quibbles and some plot holes you could drive a truck through, there is something oddly compelling about Elsie Lee's writing style. I will definitely have to read her again.
June 3, 2013
Bianca Trael was working on her doctorate when wealthy Ludo Trael swept her off her feet and into marriage. Her life the stuff of fairy tales until Ludo Trael divorces on trumped up charges of adultery. Heartbroken, Bianca hides out at her brother's empty home in Chevy Chase. But Ludo is missing and the FBI wants to know where she hid his diaries. Bianca finds herself in the midst of espionage and treason. Elsie Lee wrote romantic suspense novels in the 1960s and 1970s. Her heroines are sophisticated, educated, and witty. I have been reading and rereading her for decades.
January 27, 2021
Racist, class-ist (is that a word?), full of rich snobs and racial stereotypes. Written in 1967, this book is full of the worst of that time period and mind-set.
April 3, 2022
This was very different than what I thought it was going to be. It was a mystery with the romance coming from flashbacks and the last few pages. I couldn't label it a romance because it was almost totally the h working through the reasons for her husband turning on her. We actually had a lot more time with the BIL as they worked together. It kept glued to the book!
August 17, 2021
Season of Evil read more like one of my grandmothers' harlequin romance novels than a mystery. The novel is full of outdated mindsets and stereotypes (to be expected reading a 20th century novel with 21st century sensibilities) but the actual storyline kept my interest.
March 5, 2023
AND AGAIN!!
Of all Elsie's books, this one is by far my favorite!! I enjoyed the candor and wit of the characters, and the assumption that the reader would understand references made. I LIKE an author who respects her readers!
Of all Elsie's books, this one is by far my favorite!! I enjoyed the candor and wit of the characters, and the assumption that the reader would understand references made. I LIKE an author who respects her readers!
June 10, 2025
Some of these books are really not aging well.
October 23, 2017
Hilariously misleading cover - the next "Rebecca" it is not, and the haunted "hating house" is a tidy suburban home with a maid that makes excellent hotcakes. Far more comedy than Gothic, with a clever structure and charming, funny heroine.
Recommended, but also filing away for next conversation about "most inaccurate cover/copy".
Recommended, but also filing away for next conversation about "most inaccurate cover/copy".
February 24, 2023
Surprisingly good for an older gothic romance. The cover, however, bears no relation to the story at all.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews