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The Dark Secret of Hunters Hall
Deanna Banning had fled her family home in Brimstone, Colorado, harboring a secret so shaming and terrible that its burden threatened to destroy her. But after toiling as a governess in faraway New York for five long years, Deanna dared to return to Hunters Hall and the twin brother she missed so much. Surely the haunting ghosts of the past had been laid to rest by now. But the moment Deanna stepped off the train, she knew that coming home had been a mistake...and that her life was in deadly danger. Her brother and his wife kept their distance. A former suitor shocked her with his vicious words. Even the handsome new minister seemed to mistrust her. Then a visitor met a gruesome death in the garden...and Deanna was accused. Someone wanted her to leave Hunters Hall - and would stop at nothing to silence her - permanently!
303 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
About the author
Lee Karr
23 books4 followersPseudonym/s: Leona Karr
From Harlequin.com Author Bio
The first time Leona (Lee) Karr saw her words in print was in the sixth grade when she won an essay contest and her entry was published in the city newspaper. That same thrill, always tinged with a little surprise, is still there after over 30 published books.
Although she has written mysteries, historical romances, gothics, and paranormal romances, her favorite genre is romantic suspense, and her bookshelves are filled with tales of mysterious heroes and courageous heroines caught up in the excitement of an intrigue.
A native of Colorado, she has set many of her books in the majestic Rocky Mountains near her home. Graduating from the University of Colorado with a B.A., and from the University of Northern Colorado with an M.A. degree, she taught as a reading specialist until her first book was published in 1980. Her books have been translated and published in many foreign countries with over a million of her books reprinted.
After being widowed for five years, she recently married and is living her very own romantic story with her new husband and soul mate. Leona "wheels and deals" from a wheelchair after she was struck with a bout of polio just one year before the vaccine was approved for use. She has been blessed with children and grandchildren.
She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller List, nominated by Romantic Times for Best Romantic Saga, and Best Gothic Author. She has been honored as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year, and has received Colorado's Romance Writer of the Year Award. She is a presenter at numerous writing conferences and has taught college courses in creative writing.
She writes five hours a day, happily chasing new stories of love, danger, and happiness. She is delighted when readers confess that her books kept them up half of the night reading.
From Harlequin.com Author Bio
The first time Leona (Lee) Karr saw her words in print was in the sixth grade when she won an essay contest and her entry was published in the city newspaper. That same thrill, always tinged with a little surprise, is still there after over 30 published books.
Although she has written mysteries, historical romances, gothics, and paranormal romances, her favorite genre is romantic suspense, and her bookshelves are filled with tales of mysterious heroes and courageous heroines caught up in the excitement of an intrigue.
A native of Colorado, she has set many of her books in the majestic Rocky Mountains near her home. Graduating from the University of Colorado with a B.A., and from the University of Northern Colorado with an M.A. degree, she taught as a reading specialist until her first book was published in 1980. Her books have been translated and published in many foreign countries with over a million of her books reprinted.
After being widowed for five years, she recently married and is living her very own romantic story with her new husband and soul mate. Leona "wheels and deals" from a wheelchair after she was struck with a bout of polio just one year before the vaccine was approved for use. She has been blessed with children and grandchildren.
She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller List, nominated by Romantic Times for Best Romantic Saga, and Best Gothic Author. She has been honored as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year, and has received Colorado's Romance Writer of the Year Award. She is a presenter at numerous writing conferences and has taught college courses in creative writing.
She writes five hours a day, happily chasing new stories of love, danger, and happiness. She is delighted when readers confess that her books kept them up half of the night reading.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 15, 2025
I file this one squarely under the "blah" sub-header of Zebra Gothics. I struggle to say anything useful about it, as it was mostly forgettable. Maybe two stars is a little generous of me, but I didn't flat out hate it, I was just bored. While not a fan of most other Karrs I've read so far, I can recommend Castle of Crushed Shamrocks over this one.
September 18, 2024
For reasons valid and myriad I'm so behind on my reading challenge it's hilarious. So once again I've committed myself to a book-a-day reading side quest to help me along. Last year it was all of Sept and a few days into Oct, this year it's obvs Aug into Sept (+Oct days? stay tuned). Starting today also provides me the thrill of emptying one of two big bags of books I've acquired from friends/garage sales/library sales to constitute the side quest -- and I wanna read them but I also very much want to be be rid of these books!
At first I thought to make a second "oadsept" shelf but in the end decided they can all commingle--it's not as if they aren't dated.
* * *
September Readathon
Really more quick notes on this one than a ~review.
I nabbed this one at a recent library sale because I'm trying to get some excellently bonkers books into my life. Part bonkers books are often so great, part the amount of Regency in my longtime accumulated tbr is far too much and I want other genres in the mix.
Not as bonkers as I'd hoped! but certainly a nice departure from Regency or other wallpaper historicals.
I was surprised this was in 1st person, which wasn't the norm in '93. It also isn't my favorite (3rd is my preference). But I didn't mind it here. Karr's prose is solid and I'd say I enjoyed the read more than the story itself.
Karr has a good sense of place and description to make that place feel grounded and alive. I've never read a gothic frontier/western before. I suppose what makes it gothic is the oppressive mystery and interpersonal bitterness and big secrets binding a family -- and their misery -- together.
I kept reminding myself this was a "gothic" imprint and to be less critical in my annoyance of how:
-- Everyone in town is freaking awful
-- The heroine never has a 'win' in her interactions, not even really with her romantic interest
-- If something worse can be piled on, it'll be piled on twofold
For that, I don't get why at the HEA she or anyone else good/redeemed in the story would stay in that awful town with all its terrible, small, townfolk.
I still wanted the heroine to get a win or two in her interactions, particularly as she's continually described as a fighter, a little hellcat, someone who stands up for herself, etc.
And by the time we got to the second rape attempt -- with absolutely zero consequence or her even being able to talk one/both over with someone sympathetic -- that led to her being arrested and put on immediate trial, I could only laugh.
Didn't buy the twin brother loved his (basically arranged marriage) wife. I liked him and his amateur botanist characterizing well enough, but I didn't think it was necessary that even he too wimped out on the heroine and doubted her. You could argue this was to lift the hero even higher, as the only one to champion the heroine without question or fail, but that wasn't done strongly or with enough intent to have that dynamic play out.
The horndog carousing dead half-brother... what a piece of work lol. But their shared father's story (also dead before the book begins) drew my sympathy, to a point.
The ending is far too brief and rushed for all that does get piled on her.
The chemistry that's managed between the heroine and the hero, who also have relatively brief encounters and time given to them on the page, is excellent. I never bought him as a minister, and I think that's part of the idea? but it's fine. I did buy he immediately wanted, and then came to love, the heroine.
The twists I saw coming rather early, although the SiL as a red herring worked well -- and look, twists don't have to be opaque to be good. Often that makes them nonsensical. So this was more decent foreshadowing and understanding the genre than me outsmarting anything.
An editor needed to take the word "mammoth" away from Karr.
And, I hope Karr envisioned Howard Keel as her hero, for I certainly did.
Remaining in Brimstone with its terrible bitter and suspicious people will make for a strange HEA for them. Maybe staying because they're exonerated and not going to budge is part of the HEA -- at least they'll (newly found grandpa, bro and SiL who's still a ninny, nice kids, and particularly the main couple) have each other.
At first I thought to make a second "oadsept" shelf but in the end decided they can all commingle--it's not as if they aren't dated.
* * *
September Readathon
Really more quick notes on this one than a ~review.
I nabbed this one at a recent library sale because I'm trying to get some excellently bonkers books into my life. Part bonkers books are often so great, part the amount of Regency in my longtime accumulated tbr is far too much and I want other genres in the mix.
Not as bonkers as I'd hoped! but certainly a nice departure from Regency or other wallpaper historicals.
I was surprised this was in 1st person, which wasn't the norm in '93. It also isn't my favorite (3rd is my preference). But I didn't mind it here. Karr's prose is solid and I'd say I enjoyed the read more than the story itself.
Karr has a good sense of place and description to make that place feel grounded and alive. I've never read a gothic frontier/western before. I suppose what makes it gothic is the oppressive mystery and interpersonal bitterness and big secrets binding a family -- and their misery -- together.
I kept reminding myself this was a "gothic" imprint and to be less critical in my annoyance of how:
-- Everyone in town is freaking awful
-- The heroine never has a 'win' in her interactions, not even really with her romantic interest
-- If something worse can be piled on, it'll be piled on twofold
For that, I don't get why at the HEA she or anyone else good/redeemed in the story would stay in that awful town with all its terrible, small, townfolk.
I still wanted the heroine to get a win or two in her interactions, particularly as she's continually described as a fighter, a little hellcat, someone who stands up for herself, etc.
And by the time we got to the second rape attempt -- with absolutely zero consequence or her even being able to talk one/both over with someone sympathetic -- that led to her being arrested and put on immediate trial, I could only laugh.
Didn't buy the twin brother loved his (basically arranged marriage) wife. I liked him and his amateur botanist characterizing well enough, but I didn't think it was necessary that even he too wimped out on the heroine and doubted her. You could argue this was to lift the hero even higher, as the only one to champion the heroine without question or fail, but that wasn't done strongly or with enough intent to have that dynamic play out.
The horndog carousing dead half-brother... what a piece of work lol. But their shared father's story (also dead before the book begins) drew my sympathy, to a point.
The ending is far too brief and rushed for all that does get piled on her.
The chemistry that's managed between the heroine and the hero, who also have relatively brief encounters and time given to them on the page, is excellent. I never bought him as a minister, and I think that's part of the idea? but it's fine. I did buy he immediately wanted, and then came to love, the heroine.
The twists I saw coming rather early, although the SiL as a red herring worked well -- and look, twists don't have to be opaque to be good. Often that makes them nonsensical. So this was more decent foreshadowing and understanding the genre than me outsmarting anything.
An editor needed to take the word "mammoth" away from Karr.
And, I hope Karr envisioned Howard Keel as her hero, for I certainly did.
Remaining in Brimstone with its terrible bitter and suspicious people will make for a strange HEA for them. Maybe staying because they're exonerated and not going to budge is part of the HEA -- at least they'll (newly found grandpa, bro and SiL who's still a ninny, nice kids, and particularly the main couple) have each other.
February 2, 2016
I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Lee Karr is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews