A Room with Dark Mirrors

by Velda Johnston

With a layover in Paris, the young stewardess wakes up the next morning, had they tried to kidnap her on the busy streets of Paris last night or was is just a dream? Dorothy Wanger is torn between doubting her own sanity and believing that a group of strangers has chosen her to be the victim of a senseless plot.

Genres: Gothic, Thriller, Romance, Mystery, Fiction

211 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1975

About the author

Velda Johnston was a writer of romantic suspense. She also wrote under the pseudonym 'Veronica Jason'.

Reviews

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Velda Johnston has become a favourite mystery authoress of mine and I have more of her hardcovers to look forward to; most in mint condition since the 1970s. “Masquerade In Venice” and “The Late Mrs. Fonsell” are both historic fiction but astoundingly different in setting and tone. “A Room With Dark Mirrors” stays in modern day 1975 and proves that this genre is well-varied, even for one authoress. One disappointment is that the title comes from a brief scene and denotes an eerie adventure, when what it comprises is a chase.

Dorothy Wanger is a flight attendant, who divorced a three-month husband for cheating on her. Eric wants to atone for that and is on her flight, to work in Paris. Determination to win her back, saves her from an abduction. It is nonsense that the police disbelieve Dorothy. Her short layover is spent hiding, with the suspicion that an attempt might be made again. The purpose baffles Dorothy and Eric understandably for awhile, in the belief that she was targeted for her resemblance to someone. Eventually, I felt that the direction of the goal should have occurred to her; if not the specifics of the motive.

Because Velda produced originality at every turn and the pace of this novel was constantly brisk, while it seamlessly filled-in a complex back story; it is a pity for my grade to waver at four stars. There was a flurry of clichés. For starters, Eric had a secure, gated rental house. Dorothy should have stayed there until she returned to New York. She sought a motel the first night and incredulously wanted to go sightseeing, after joining Eric and a bodyguard. I sighed at the weakest cliché: phoning someone with a warning but not stating the crucial information, before the answerer hung up.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot of depth and didn't really make sense, but I enjoyed it. A simple read with likeable characters.

[Brad Wilber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read quite a few of this author's works decades ago. I think I must have missed this one at the time; it felt entirely new. I appreciated so much here: The plot was fairly unguessable and yet made absolute sense as everything unspooled. The prose held emotional resonance and logic without belaboring either; it was crisp rather than self-indulgent. Vintage flavor of 1970s New York and Paris. Urgent ending and HEA. Recommend.

[Alu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly entertaining thriller. I genuinely could not figure out who the major villain was or what the overall scheme was until it was actually presented. There wasn't a lot of action, but that actually really worked for the story. The majority of the suspense really came from Dorothy, the main character, constantly feeling like she was being watched. She never knew if anyone around her was out to get her or not, which was elevated even more with the fact that she was so far from home. I will admit there were a few decisions that the main character made that I didn't really agree with so a few plot threads concluded in a way I didn't enjoy, but these didn't affect the overall plot.

[Patricia Lufkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

very easy read - not the best written mystery/suspense

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book was just plain silly. I hate to say this about an established and beloved author's work, but I found the writing and plot amateurish.