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Blue Fire
When Susan returns to South Africa as the wife of Dirk Hohenfield, she is apprehensive. Perhaps by seeing her estranged father, she can discover the answers to questions that have haunted her for years. At the center of it lies a magnificent blue diamond that disappeared, a diamond that Dirk thinks she knows something about...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Phyllis A. Whitney
185 books584 followersPhyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".
She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 22, 2020
This was a well written story set in 1960’s South Africa.
The story tied in the theme of the Apartheid government. So Whitney was making a political statement with this story.
This is a story too good to spoil. So if you have a chance read it. Open Road Media has been reprinting her stories as ebooks. I would like to see them back in book print again. Some of them are hard to find.
The story tied in the theme of the Apartheid government. So Whitney was making a political statement with this story.
This is a story too good to spoil. So if you have a chance read it. Open Road Media has been reprinting her stories as ebooks. I would like to see them back in book print again. Some of them are hard to find.
June 28, 2017
Written during South Africa apartheid period, the details are accurate. I find the idea dreadful. Susan Hohenfield returns to Cape Town as the bride a childhood friend and her Father's ward. Her Mother left the family home taking right year old Susan so with her. Susan has forgotten the events before they left. She does have a faint memory of angry voices. Susan learned that her Father went to prison for diamond smuggling and that special diamond, Bluefire in her Father's procession disappeared at the same time. I
Susan soon finds evidence that diamond smuggling is still occurring and it points to her Father. Her husband distanced himself from her and she becomes dependent on the man who sent her Father to prison. Susan must find the answer before civil disobedience begins. I recommend this book.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Open Roads Integrated Media through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
Susan soon finds evidence that diamond smuggling is still occurring and it points to her Father. Her husband distanced himself from her and she becomes dependent on the man who sent her Father to prison. Susan must find the answer before civil disobedience begins. I recommend this book.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Open Roads Integrated Media through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
August 21, 2015
I would give this 3.5 stars. It was a good old-fashioned read. My grandma Mary Lou read this book 4 times. She would write in the front cover when she read a book, each time. I wanted to read it because she obviously loved it. I have enjoyed other Phyllis Whitney novels more than this one. This one was heavier on the romance than the mystery.
September 23, 2013
Reading my mystery and gothic childhood mentor is ever pleasant but all of a sudden, I’m enjoying this piece of work on a sophisticated level! Out of nowhere the story compels me more. We’re working towards an old puzzle, as I'm learning a great deal about South Africa - even their complicated politics of 1961. The environment is skilfully brought to us too. You know this very gifted writer was there. Anyone who includes the seasonal wildflowers of any location with the import she places upon them, brightens my heart! A setting is presented best through its tiniest natural growth.
Paired with Phyllis Ayame Whitney’s attuning to any landscape’s vibrancy, the mistress of suspense always did impeccable research. She thanked specialists in dedications for consulting with her generously. She observed people around the world and cared for them. Her husband agreeably made vacations of settings. It paid off. Book covers look lamely romantic or gothic but between their pages, I learn sound geography and sociology. In “Blue Fire” 1961, Susan is urged by a childhood friend to leave Chicago, USA and acquaint her Father in Cape Town. Readers are shown South African words, monuments, their mountains, photography, and diamonds. I wouldn’t know what ‘an industrial diamond’ was if not for fiction. ‘Precision tools’ are made with diamonds beneath gemstone calibre.
Get through the first two chapters, clashing with today’s couples: where you don’t marry upon attraction nor consider a husband master of your household. The story sneaks up and engages in numerous ways. The past differs from what Susan imagined, she enjoys her birthplace, and is less dependent on others to fulfill her life than she believed. The climax of the mystery is adventurous. I merely wish Phyllis had spun magic into stories, perhaps an energy in the blue stone.
Paired with Phyllis Ayame Whitney’s attuning to any landscape’s vibrancy, the mistress of suspense always did impeccable research. She thanked specialists in dedications for consulting with her generously. She observed people around the world and cared for them. Her husband agreeably made vacations of settings. It paid off. Book covers look lamely romantic or gothic but between their pages, I learn sound geography and sociology. In “Blue Fire” 1961, Susan is urged by a childhood friend to leave Chicago, USA and acquaint her Father in Cape Town. Readers are shown South African words, monuments, their mountains, photography, and diamonds. I wouldn’t know what ‘an industrial diamond’ was if not for fiction. ‘Precision tools’ are made with diamonds beneath gemstone calibre.
Get through the first two chapters, clashing with today’s couples: where you don’t marry upon attraction nor consider a husband master of your household. The story sneaks up and engages in numerous ways. The past differs from what Susan imagined, she enjoys her birthplace, and is less dependent on others to fulfill her life than she believed. The climax of the mystery is adventurous. I merely wish Phyllis had spun magic into stories, perhaps an energy in the blue stone.
April 25, 2012
The protagonist Susan embarks on a journey back to South Africa as the wife of Dirk Hohenfield. Filled with apprehension, Susan hopes that by reuniting with her estranged father, she can find answers to the lingering questions that have haunted her for years. At the heart of it all is a magnificent blue diamond that mysteriously vanished—a diamond that Dirk believes Susan possesses crucial information about.
The book transports readers into a world of intrigue, suspense, and a touch of romance. Susan's return to South Africa not only opens the door to uncovering long-held secrets but also tests her relationships and resolves. As she navigates through the complexities of her past, Susan finds herself entangled in a web of mystery surrounding the missing blue diamond, which holds the key to unraveling the truth.
Whitney masterfully weaves together elements of suspense, romance, and self-discovery, drawing readers into a story that is both captivating and atmospheric. With vivid descriptions of South Africa's landscape and a cast of memorable characters, Whitney creates an immersive reading experience.
As a fan of gothic romances, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author's talent for crafting strong, multidimensional female characters shines through in Susan's portrayal. Her resilience, determination, and unwavering pursuit of the truth make her a compelling protagonist. Whitney's storytelling prowess is evident as she skillfully builds tension and intrigue, keeping readers engrossed until the final revelation.
The book transports readers into a world of intrigue, suspense, and a touch of romance. Susan's return to South Africa not only opens the door to uncovering long-held secrets but also tests her relationships and resolves. As she navigates through the complexities of her past, Susan finds herself entangled in a web of mystery surrounding the missing blue diamond, which holds the key to unraveling the truth.
Whitney masterfully weaves together elements of suspense, romance, and self-discovery, drawing readers into a story that is both captivating and atmospheric. With vivid descriptions of South Africa's landscape and a cast of memorable characters, Whitney creates an immersive reading experience.
As a fan of gothic romances, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author's talent for crafting strong, multidimensional female characters shines through in Susan's portrayal. Her resilience, determination, and unwavering pursuit of the truth make her a compelling protagonist. Whitney's storytelling prowess is evident as she skillfully builds tension and intrigue, keeping readers engrossed until the final revelation.
April 14, 2022
I could not get into it. I tried. I liked the Cape Town setting and the commentary on the cruelty of apartheid. I admittedly skimmed a lot. Something about the way it was written just didn't grab me. I have read a few other Whitney books that I enjoyed, so this is surprising.
September 10, 2020
Heroine marries South African dick head who is super racist and sexist, even for the sixties. Scenery is beautiful and diamond smugglers keep things suspenseful.
July 1, 2016
O enredo de Blue Fire lida com o comércio Sul-Africano de diamantes e o apartheid. Enquanto a história segue um padrão semelhante a muitos dos romances de suspense de Whitney - uma heroína sem pais ou afastada de um deles, com um terrível segredo do passado muito bem enterrado, um namorado ou marido controlador e a sensação opressora de isolamento e risco - ele tem uma consciência social mais pronunciada do que era comum nos romances desta época. Na verdade, apesar de os romances de suspense de Whitney serem definidos como góticos, eu não colocaria Blue Fire nesta classe. Não há características góticas realmente e a história se inclina para o lado do mistério policial.
O título "Blue Fire" refere-se à luz branco-azulada do Kimberley Real, o diamante que é centro da trama no livro. As leis draconianas que regulavam a mineração de diamantes e o monopólio da indústria De Beers na África do Sul deram origem ao contrabando, um crime pelo qual Niklaas van Pelt foi preso. Quando Susan descobre que seu pai empobreceu a fim de pagar o preço do diamante para o proprietário, ela começa a suspeitar da inocência de seu pai, embora não aceite a sugestão de que sua mãe havia roubado o diamante ao partir com ela da África do Sul.
O diamante Kimberley Real e o mistério em torno de seu desaparecimento serve como maior motivação dos personagens em Blue Fire, tudo isto com o apartheid servindo de fundo e as descrições bem feitas que a autora nos dá dos locais em que a história se passa. Ao longo do livro temos cenas que caracterizam a sociedade da época na África do Sul que ajudam a "entrar" na história.
A protagonista freqüentemente faz referências aos defeitos dos sistema político, observando e avaliando as desigualdades diárias e preconceitos através de sua família, casamento e trabalho. Tudo o que ela presencia muda sua forma de ver a vida e fortalece seu caráter.
Em relação ao romance, Susan casa logo no inicio da história, mas depois o casamento começa a sofrer sob pressões externas e a presença de um outro possível interesse romântico complica tudo. Temos neste livro mais um protagonista dominador e egoísta, como acontece em boa parte dos livros de Whitney, só que sem o charme da maioria deles. É realmente muito irritante o tanto que o marido da mocinha é machista e patético como ela atende a todas as suas vontades anulando a própria personalidade.
Apesar de ter mais profundidade em relação as tramas costumeiras da autora, eu colocaria este livro no fim da minha lista de preferência dos livros dela. Não consegui sentir empatia por ninguém na história e se quer fiquei curiosa para saber qual a resolução dos mistérios e como tudo acabaria. Pelo menos valeu pela experiência de ter lido algo tão diferente, já que li pelo menos (até agora) metade dos livros de Phyllis A. Whitney.
O título "Blue Fire" refere-se à luz branco-azulada do Kimberley Real, o diamante que é centro da trama no livro. As leis draconianas que regulavam a mineração de diamantes e o monopólio da indústria De Beers na África do Sul deram origem ao contrabando, um crime pelo qual Niklaas van Pelt foi preso. Quando Susan descobre que seu pai empobreceu a fim de pagar o preço do diamante para o proprietário, ela começa a suspeitar da inocência de seu pai, embora não aceite a sugestão de que sua mãe havia roubado o diamante ao partir com ela da África do Sul.
O diamante Kimberley Real e o mistério em torno de seu desaparecimento serve como maior motivação dos personagens em Blue Fire, tudo isto com o apartheid servindo de fundo e as descrições bem feitas que a autora nos dá dos locais em que a história se passa. Ao longo do livro temos cenas que caracterizam a sociedade da época na África do Sul que ajudam a "entrar" na história.
A protagonista freqüentemente faz referências aos defeitos dos sistema político, observando e avaliando as desigualdades diárias e preconceitos através de sua família, casamento e trabalho. Tudo o que ela presencia muda sua forma de ver a vida e fortalece seu caráter.
Em relação ao romance, Susan casa logo no inicio da história, mas depois o casamento começa a sofrer sob pressões externas e a presença de um outro possível interesse romântico complica tudo. Temos neste livro mais um protagonista dominador e egoísta, como acontece em boa parte dos livros de Whitney, só que sem o charme da maioria deles. É realmente muito irritante o tanto que o marido da mocinha é machista e patético como ela atende a todas as suas vontades anulando a própria personalidade.
Apesar de ter mais profundidade em relação as tramas costumeiras da autora, eu colocaria este livro no fim da minha lista de preferência dos livros dela. Não consegui sentir empatia por ninguém na história e se quer fiquei curiosa para saber qual a resolução dos mistérios e como tudo acabaria. Pelo menos valeu pela experiência de ter lido algo tão diferente, já que li pelo menos (até agora) metade dos livros de Phyllis A. Whitney.
October 23, 2022
As I've said before, reading Phyllis Whitney is like traveling through time, and her books are my guilty pleasure. I find myself consistently giving her books three stars because, though they do not stand up as particularly remarkable books in the modern day, I absolutely adore reading them anyway!
In Blue Fire, our main character Susan finds herself married to her childhood crush and reluctantly moving from Chicago to South Africa, the country she and her mother left when she was only 7 years old. In classic Whitney style, we can't help but learn all about Cape Town geography, South African flora, the many evils of the diamond industry, and the dynamics of apartheid circa 1961. It is actually devastating to read, because both author and heroine are progressive and eager to fight for racial equality, yet today we know that apartheid would persist for 30-odd more years.
Disappointingly, the romance aspect of this book is weak. Dirk is a hotheaded racist who treats his wife as a commodity (even insisting that she grow her hair longer), and their marriage and Susan's childlike devotion to him happen without much buildup. In true book-as-time-machine form, it is suggested that Dirk and Susan consider themselves a modern couple. Still, we see strict gender roles taken for normalcy, as the otherwise impulsive and independent young photographer urges herself to adapt to her role as submissive and supportive wife. Her internal struggle is there, but she is tolerant and willing to make it work.
Because of the abundant descriptions and dense facts in the book, the plot does move slowly. Yet I was still intrigued as each layer of the mystery peeled away. I googled many of the references, and the dangers and suspense kept me turning pages.
--------------
Aside: Though the cover here shows a woman with short reddish hair as the book describes, the cover of the edition I read had an irrelevant long-haired brunette in a late-60s style shift running on a beach.
In Blue Fire, our main character Susan finds herself married to her childhood crush and reluctantly moving from Chicago to South Africa, the country she and her mother left when she was only 7 years old. In classic Whitney style, we can't help but learn all about Cape Town geography, South African flora, the many evils of the diamond industry, and the dynamics of apartheid circa 1961. It is actually devastating to read, because both author and heroine are progressive and eager to fight for racial equality, yet today we know that apartheid would persist for 30-odd more years.
Disappointingly, the romance aspect of this book is weak. Dirk is a hotheaded racist who treats his wife as a commodity (even insisting that she grow her hair longer), and their marriage and Susan's childlike devotion to him happen without much buildup. In true book-as-time-machine form, it is suggested that Dirk and Susan consider themselves a modern couple. Still, we see strict gender roles taken for normalcy, as the otherwise impulsive and independent young photographer urges herself to adapt to her role as submissive and supportive wife. Her internal struggle is there, but she is tolerant and willing to make it work.
Because of the abundant descriptions and dense facts in the book, the plot does move slowly. Yet I was still intrigued as each layer of the mystery peeled away. I googled many of the references, and the dangers and suspense kept me turning pages.
--------------
Aside: Though the cover here shows a woman with short reddish hair as the book describes, the cover of the edition I read had an irrelevant long-haired brunette in a late-60s style shift running on a beach.
July 14, 2017
I tried a few Phyllis Whitney a while ago, when they were recommended as Mary Stewart read-a-likes, and was pretty underwhelmed by them. I think though that they were latter-career offerings and I'm thus I'm once again so grateful that Open Road exists and has re-issues some of her earlier titles. In a lot of ways, this is a very typical 60s/70s Gothic / Romantic Suspense. Innocent but knowing young girl, foreign (kind of) setting, long-buried secrets, the good guy who is really bad and the bad guy who is really good, terrible decision-making, etc. And I'm such a sucker for all of it. But I also found this really interesting on a historical level, just because it takes place is 1960s South Africa, before apartheid, but you can see it coming and it's really evocative of that. (And also, really easy to tell which guy is the better pick. When in doubt, go for the man who doesn't want to beat and control the natives.)
February 22, 2022
Susan Van Pelt fled Cape Town as a child with her mother, running away from a father and a family scandal. As an adult, the past catches up with her, bringing her back to a South Africa that she barely remembers and whose present is full of the simmering tensions of apartheid. After the gothic "Thunder Heights," Whitney returned to the contemporary moment with "Blue Fire," moving away from the more character-driven complexities of her earlier historical novels. With "Blue Fire," as she did in "The Moonflower" before it, the reader can see Whitney beginning to settle into the formula she would deploy for several decades: vivid depictions of settings, allowing readers to travel to faraway locales, where her heroines would experience chills and spills.
June 7, 2020
This book is pretty over-the-top cheesy suspense with strong caricatures of characters. But it gets three stars for a strong sense of place. I loved reading about all the places I had visited in Capetown—Long Street, Table Mountain, Camp’s Bay, etc. Written in the 60s, this book had some things to say about apartheid.
August 31, 2010
Mystery.
February 8, 2011
Good romantic suspense/gothic mystery!
May 15, 2014
Susan returns to Cape Town after 16 years to reunite with her father and unravel the past.
October 28, 2019
Great suspense
Lots of turns and mystery. Love the setting of South Africa and the brief lesson of the troubles affecting the country.
Lots of turns and mystery. Love the setting of South Africa and the brief lesson of the troubles affecting the country.
April 12, 2025
Phyllis Whitney wrote this book in 1961, so some of the contents are out of date. Regardless, she wove a suspenseful story that kept me entertained to the very end. She was an amazing author.
May 24, 2026
Set primarily in Cape Town, South Africa in the mid-20th Century, the effects of Apartheid and diamond smuggling serve as the background for Susan's reclamation story. Born in South Africa but taken when she was a child to the USA by her American mother when her father was jailed for several years for diamond smuggling, Susan finds herself as a very young bride returning with her new husband, Dirk, the teen she idolized as a child. Dirk is her father's ward and business partner, and is sent to the US to persuade Susan to come home to South Africa to see her father again for the first time since she was a child. Resistant at first, Susan ultimately finds herself in love, married to Dirk and returning as his young bride. Once she arrives, memories Susan has repressed of events from her final days in Cape Town as a child start to surface, and much seems amiss, not just within her marriage and family, but in Cape Town and the relationships between the various ethnic groups.
This is one of the very first novels to be set against apartheid and diamond smuggling in South Africa. From commentary: More than a classic gothic tale, [this] is one of the first novels to deal with the turmoil in South Africa. It was written nearly three decades before the dismantling of apartheid and a half-century before the film Blood Diamond would bring attention to the devastating effects of the smuggling trade. Whitney visited every setting she used in her books (save one in Newport RI due to illness), meticulously researched it all, and that attention shows, as the settings, from the color and scent of the flowers to the political tensions and happenings, are so well presented that I was present, side by side with the MC Susan. The period in which this gothic romantic suspense plot is set is the time just as anti-apartheid movement explodes into violence, and Whitney lays it out well.
Yet for all its strengths, there was for me a significant weakness: Susan herself. For much of the novel, Susan is more child than adult woman, and her constant internal monologues relating to her relationship with her husband and her need to subjugate herself to him, to please and obey him, had me nearly gagging when I read phrases like this: Dirk was her husband. It was he who must guide her. Of course, Dirk from the beginning This persists until very close to the end, when Susan finally 'grows up' and takes the blinkers off. However, there never really is a strong sense that even once she reclaimed her memories, all truths are revealed, and she's freed from all that has haunted her and bound her, there's no real sense that she has shaken off those shackles to male dominance. Thus, if what Whitney intended was to include how Susan evolves and becomes a strong woman standing on her own two feet, she failed.
I also had a minor quibble -- the gothic suspense plot itself had no subtlety. There was very little that ended up being any surprise once revealed - as Susan finally reclaimed her suppressed memories - except for details minor to the plot. Alas, strong as the setting of the effects of apartheid and diamond smuggling, of Cape Town itself, were, the book suffered badly from these weaknesses.
Whitney was one of my favorite authors as a teen/young adult in the late 1960s/early 1970s where she reigned as one of the Queens of Gothic Romantic Suspense. I've re-read a few over the years and do not remember taking against any of them as I have this one with respect to the portrayal of Susan and her marriage. This was published in 1961, and very clearly reflects the 1950s, those values, beliefs, expectations. Perhaps Whitney did too good a job of that in this novel. I will read - or reread - more of her novels because the settings are simply amazing, but also because I don't recall the others I've reread as echoing female subjugation as intensely.
This is one of the very first novels to be set against apartheid and diamond smuggling in South Africa. From commentary: More than a classic gothic tale, [this] is one of the first novels to deal with the turmoil in South Africa. It was written nearly three decades before the dismantling of apartheid and a half-century before the film Blood Diamond would bring attention to the devastating effects of the smuggling trade. Whitney visited every setting she used in her books (save one in Newport RI due to illness), meticulously researched it all, and that attention shows, as the settings, from the color and scent of the flowers to the political tensions and happenings, are so well presented that I was present, side by side with the MC Susan. The period in which this gothic romantic suspense plot is set is the time just as anti-apartheid movement explodes into violence, and Whitney lays it out well.
Yet for all its strengths, there was for me a significant weakness: Susan herself. For much of the novel, Susan is more child than adult woman, and her constant internal monologues relating to her relationship with her husband and her need to subjugate herself to him, to please and obey him, had me nearly gagging when I read phrases like this: Dirk was her husband. It was he who must guide her. Of course, Dirk from the beginning This persists until very close to the end, when Susan finally 'grows up' and takes the blinkers off. However, there never really is a strong sense that even once she reclaimed her memories, all truths are revealed, and she's freed from all that has haunted her and bound her, there's no real sense that she has shaken off those shackles to male dominance. Thus, if what Whitney intended was to include how Susan evolves and becomes a strong woman standing on her own two feet, she failed.
I also had a minor quibble -- the gothic suspense plot itself had no subtlety. There was very little that ended up being any surprise once revealed - as Susan finally reclaimed her suppressed memories - except for details minor to the plot. Alas, strong as the setting of the effects of apartheid and diamond smuggling, of Cape Town itself, were, the book suffered badly from these weaknesses.
Whitney was one of my favorite authors as a teen/young adult in the late 1960s/early 1970s where she reigned as one of the Queens of Gothic Romantic Suspense. I've re-read a few over the years and do not remember taking against any of them as I have this one with respect to the portrayal of Susan and her marriage. This was published in 1961, and very clearly reflects the 1950s, those values, beliefs, expectations. Perhaps Whitney did too good a job of that in this novel. I will read - or reread - more of her novels because the settings are simply amazing, but also because I don't recall the others I've reread as echoing female subjugation as intensely.
August 6, 2026
I would rate this a 3.5. It was hard for me to get into the story or like the main character at first, but I learned a lot about South Africa during the 60s and although the mystery was a bit easier to figure out than in some of her other stories, there were still things I didn’t expect that made it enjoyable. Mara and Dirk are absolutely awful and infuriating. This is especially apparent as Dirk mansplains to the main character before he is about to murder her on how his weapon was crafted. I was of course disappointed she didn’t use this time to grab it out of his hands and give him a good beating, but this would have been too intense for Phyllis, which I understand. As others have said, the romance wasn’t really present and this was more of a thriller, but I actually enjoyed this aspect and I hope that Susan learned to be more happy being independent in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2026
I read a lot of Phyllis Whitney's books in my teens (1970s) but this one didn't seem familiar. The main character is a young woman who was born in South Africa but moved to the United States as a child. She is supportive of equal rights in the U.S. (this was written in 1961 before Martin Luther King was assassinated) and is optimistic that whites will allow blacks to have some power in South Africa. The politics made me think of Helen Suzman: liberal, saying English white folks are anti-apartheid while Afrikaners are racist.
October 22, 2025
Good romantic suspense/gothic mystery!
April 5, 2023
“Blue Fire” by Phyllis Whitney is a 1969 publication.
Susan spent her early years in Cape Town but moved to Chicago after a fiery exchange between her parents. After her mother’s death, Dirk, a guy she remembers as a child, shows up in Chicago with the sole purpose of convincing her to come back to South Africa. Initially she is quite resistant, but Dirk refuses to leave, and she ends up falling in love with him. After a whirlwind romance, she and Dirk marry- and she finds herself back in Cape Town after all… and face to face with her estranged father.
Before long, Susan realizes that several people are under the impression she might have some memories related to a missing diamond and are hoping that her being back in Cape Town might shake those memories loose. She is also made aware that her own mother was suspected of diamond theft- a scenario she refuses to entertain. But a series of incidents have Susan on edge- making her hyper-aware of the diamond smuggling operations in Cape Town and the danger she might be in…
Phyllis Whitney was one of a handful of authors back in the sixties and seventies that rose to the top of the mass-produced Gothic/ Romantic suspense genre that was extremely popular at the time. This book, however, does not fall into that category- in my opinion- as it is missing several huge, key elements required to make it fit into the Gothic category. Romantic suspense is also out, though there is a promise of that, but nothing I'd truly call romance. To me, the style seemed more like today’s psychological thriller genre. This story is very suspenseful, and the reader is kept in the dark as to who is or is not trustworthy. The atmosphere is very taut and edgy- especially for its time.
Overall, for a book written over a half a century ago- it's pretty good. There are some dated terms and verbiage one will have to overlook, but kudos to the author for exposing the dangerous, greedy diamond industry long before the general population was made aware it. A solid 'retro-read' for me.
4 stars
Susan spent her early years in Cape Town but moved to Chicago after a fiery exchange between her parents. After her mother’s death, Dirk, a guy she remembers as a child, shows up in Chicago with the sole purpose of convincing her to come back to South Africa. Initially she is quite resistant, but Dirk refuses to leave, and she ends up falling in love with him. After a whirlwind romance, she and Dirk marry- and she finds herself back in Cape Town after all… and face to face with her estranged father.
Before long, Susan realizes that several people are under the impression she might have some memories related to a missing diamond and are hoping that her being back in Cape Town might shake those memories loose. She is also made aware that her own mother was suspected of diamond theft- a scenario she refuses to entertain. But a series of incidents have Susan on edge- making her hyper-aware of the diamond smuggling operations in Cape Town and the danger she might be in…
Phyllis Whitney was one of a handful of authors back in the sixties and seventies that rose to the top of the mass-produced Gothic/ Romantic suspense genre that was extremely popular at the time. This book, however, does not fall into that category- in my opinion- as it is missing several huge, key elements required to make it fit into the Gothic category. Romantic suspense is also out, though there is a promise of that, but nothing I'd truly call romance. To me, the style seemed more like today’s psychological thriller genre. This story is very suspenseful, and the reader is kept in the dark as to who is or is not trustworthy. The atmosphere is very taut and edgy- especially for its time.
Overall, for a book written over a half a century ago- it's pretty good. There are some dated terms and verbiage one will have to overlook, but kudos to the author for exposing the dangerous, greedy diamond industry long before the general population was made aware it. A solid 'retro-read' for me.
4 stars
June 21, 2017
4 stars
As Susan returns to her former home with her new husband to restart her life and new adult identity, her South African rediscovery opens her eyes to more than just the incredible landscape around her and the growing realization that her memories may be more than just a little faulty. She immerses herself in the culture, surrounding the reader with evocative descriptions that capture the senses even while the racial overtones surfacing through the veil of apartheid raise awkward questions.
It did scratch my Mary Stewart itch too, though the action wasn't as fast-paced, as a growing sense of looming fate starts to take over, and as Susan tries to piece her memories together to solve the mystery. I can see myself reading more of these!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As Susan returns to her former home with her new husband to restart her life and new adult identity, her South African rediscovery opens her eyes to more than just the incredible landscape around her and the growing realization that her memories may be more than just a little faulty. She immerses herself in the culture, surrounding the reader with evocative descriptions that capture the senses even while the racial overtones surfacing through the veil of apartheid raise awkward questions.
It did scratch my Mary Stewart itch too, though the action wasn't as fast-paced, as a growing sense of looming fate starts to take over, and as Susan tries to piece her memories together to solve the mystery. I can see myself reading more of these!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2016
South African born Susan Van Pelt is living in Chicago when Dirk Hohenfield finds her. The two had been friends growing up near Cape Town. Dirk had been looking for her to encourage her to return to South Africa at the request of her father. Having plenty of negative memories of her father, Susan resists yet finds herself falling for Dirk and returns as Mrs. Hohenfield. Once there, the things she’d believed about her father begin to unravel as she uncovers a web of deception and danger.
Published in 1961, this is full of apartheid disparity but taken in context it's a gripping tale. It pulled me in from the beginning and the intrigue and suspense carried it through to the end. It could be interesting to re-read it, knowing the outcome, to see if there were clues scattered throughout as the story builds.
Published in 1961, this is full of apartheid disparity but taken in context it's a gripping tale. It pulled me in from the beginning and the intrigue and suspense carried it through to the end. It could be interesting to re-read it, knowing the outcome, to see if there were clues scattered throughout as the story builds.
April 12, 2024
It's mostly set in South Africa long before the end of apartheid, presumably around 1960 when it was published. Even though I've lived during many years that apartheid existed there, it's been enough time since it was abolished that I found it a strange feeling to read it. To be more accurate, it was rather unsettling to read, knowing that apartheid continued for decades after this story. Aside from that, there's also a theme of diamonds and the greed of the humans involved in the industry.
I remember this book from my teenage and young adult years. I don't remember having read it but I did read many others by the writer and when I came across the title, I decided to delve back into the catalogue. Mostly enjoyable but the main female character sometimes seems easily deceived, especially earlier in the book.
I remember this book from my teenage and young adult years. I don't remember having read it but I did read many others by the writer and when I came across the title, I decided to delve back into the catalogue. Mostly enjoyable but the main female character sometimes seems easily deceived, especially earlier in the book.
August 7, 2024
A little free library find.
I have seen Whitney around, probably because I like Mary Stewart, but alas, this book was similar to a Stewart merely in form, not in substance. Too many clichés, too much telling instead of showing, and too much change in the relationships between the characters given the events that happen. I didn't find it emotionally believable. Mind you, Stewart is the queen of the instalove, but somehow she makes it more compelling than this.
Whitney gets a star, though, for tackling a large and important political situation (South Africa in the 1960s) as thoroughly as I suppose one can in a novel of romantic suspense...? which is to say fairly superficially, haha, but she does it, and without too much of the 'white saviour,' either.
I have seen Whitney around, probably because I like Mary Stewart, but alas, this book was similar to a Stewart merely in form, not in substance. Too many clichés, too much telling instead of showing, and too much change in the relationships between the characters given the events that happen. I didn't find it emotionally believable. Mind you, Stewart is the queen of the instalove, but somehow she makes it more compelling than this.
Whitney gets a star, though, for tackling a large and important political situation (South Africa in the 1960s) as thoroughly as I suppose one can in a novel of romantic suspense...? which is to say fairly superficially, haha, but she does it, and without too much of the 'white saviour,' either.
October 19, 2017
I saw where this one was going from the first chapter. I felt like the characterizations were flat, the author referenced the political issues but never really explained anything about apartheid, the romance was unbelievable, and there wasn't any of the suspense I had hoped for. Not my favorite of Whitney's books by a long shot.
May 19, 2020
I would like to give this a rating of 3.5. This book is interesting because it was written during the Apartheid era of South Africa and also covers the issue of illegal diamond trading. The story was interesting and I enjoyed escaping in this novel.
April 5, 2021
I’m glad women aren’t this passive anymore
The story was good. I’m sure that when it was written women weren’t as sure of their place and in keeping it. I often feel like shaking these women, but I still enjoy the story.
The story was good. I’m sure that when it was written women weren’t as sure of their place and in keeping it. I often feel like shaking these women, but I still enjoy the story.
April 2, 2019
This book felt dated and at times I was ready to give up, just when the plot picked up again ....
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