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Sea Jade
From a New York Times–bestselling In nineteenth-century New England, a desperate young woman’s only refuge becomes an inescapable trap. It was fitting that Miranda Heath’s first glimpse of the forbidding home at Bascomb’s Point was in the fury of a thunderstorm. Despite her late father’s caution to steer clear of his friend Obadiah Bascomb’s New England mansion, Miranda, destitute as she was, had no choice but to accept the old captain’s charitable request. Besides, her father and Obadiah’s adventurous past was as much a part of her heritage as their legendary ship, the Sea Jade. But it’s beyond Miranda’s imaginings when she finds herself swept up in an impetuous marriage with a friend of the Bascomb family, a virtual stranger to her. More victim than bride, and at the mercy of her imposing new mother-in-law as well as Obadiah’s mysterious wife and a threatening housekeeper, Miranda fears the invitation to the isolated house was more a matter of revenge than rescue. She has no way of knowing that buried in her own past is the key to a tragic mystery that’s been left to her to solve—if she’s to make it out of Bascomb’s Point alive. The recipient of the Agatha Award for Lifetime Achievement, Phyllis A. Whitney is “a superb and gifted story teller” (Mary Higgins Clark). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author’s estate.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1964
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538 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis A. Whitney
191 books569 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 57 reviews
December 10, 2014
3 1/2 Stars
This is my second Phyllis Whitney. My first, "Domino " I just couldn't get into. So I didn't have very high expectations for "Sea Jade " but I was pleasantly surprised.
In a nutshell, this is the mystery of three sea captains and the secrets they took to their graves. There is animosity, suspicion and malevolence at every turn among those they left behind.
Within a few days of Miranda's arrival at Captain Boscombe 's mansion she finds herself married and at the center of a bizarre inheritance. Who does one trust and where does one turn when it seems everyone resents your very birth?
Phyllis Whitney did a marvelous job painting the scene. "Sea Jade " is set in a small New England village called Scots Harbor, in a time when whaling had ended but steam had not yet taken hold. I loved the references to carving, figureheads and whaling stamps (carved ivory and wood stamps used to record successful and unsuccessful hunting attempts). You can hear the waves crashing and smell the age of oil drenched decks under your feet.
One thing I found a bit tiring was the continual animosity of virtually every character in the book toward our heroine. It got a bit much. I was torn between giving this a 3 or a 3 1/2.
While the suspense wasn't skin tingling, it did kick up toward the end and the climax was satisfying. Its a solid read and well worth a few hours of your time.
CONTENT :
SEX : None
VIOLENCE : Mild
PROFANITY : None
PARANORMAL ELEMENTS : One character is Chinese and feels that evil forces abound at someone's death if the proper rites are not observed.
MY RATING :G
This is my second Phyllis Whitney. My first, "Domino " I just couldn't get into. So I didn't have very high expectations for "Sea Jade " but I was pleasantly surprised.
In a nutshell, this is the mystery of three sea captains and the secrets they took to their graves. There is animosity, suspicion and malevolence at every turn among those they left behind.
Within a few days of Miranda's arrival at Captain Boscombe 's mansion she finds herself married and at the center of a bizarre inheritance. Who does one trust and where does one turn when it seems everyone resents your very birth?
Phyllis Whitney did a marvelous job painting the scene. "Sea Jade " is set in a small New England village called Scots Harbor, in a time when whaling had ended but steam had not yet taken hold. I loved the references to carving, figureheads and whaling stamps (carved ivory and wood stamps used to record successful and unsuccessful hunting attempts). You can hear the waves crashing and smell the age of oil drenched decks under your feet.
One thing I found a bit tiring was the continual animosity of virtually every character in the book toward our heroine. It got a bit much. I was torn between giving this a 3 or a 3 1/2.
While the suspense wasn't skin tingling, it did kick up toward the end and the climax was satisfying. Its a solid read and well worth a few hours of your time.
CONTENT :
SEX : None
VIOLENCE : Mild
PROFANITY : None
PARANORMAL ELEMENTS : One character is Chinese and feels that evil forces abound at someone's death if the proper rites are not observed.
MY RATING :G
November 18, 2025
An unusually good Gothic that was beautifully written and not poorly dramatic, capturing a magic of old ships and the allure of sailing the sea. Nothing paranormal or ghostly, but we do get a bratty child to scare us!
The mystery isn't award winning but it's pretty good; there were several twists not easily guessed. Not super cerebral but it kept my focus, along with enjoying the protagonist's headstrong personality. There wasn't much in the way of false death scares like most Gothics of this vein, but the story itself was still strong as she finds out about herself in the midst of her family of vipers. I enjoyed the twists about who her father was - there were different layers of backstory to make the present story richer. Clever twist with the marriage too.
I dug the main character - she possessed a spirited backbone. The hero had that personality I can understand eventually being attracted to, although he's an ass most of the book. The author threw in a little sly humor with the main character being spoiled in the beginning.
The mystery isn't award winning but it's pretty good; there were several twists not easily guessed. Not super cerebral but it kept my focus, along with enjoying the protagonist's headstrong personality. There wasn't much in the way of false death scares like most Gothics of this vein, but the story itself was still strong as she finds out about herself in the midst of her family of vipers. I enjoyed the twists about who her father was - there were different layers of backstory to make the present story richer. Clever twist with the marriage too.
I dug the main character - she possessed a spirited backbone. The hero had that personality I can understand eventually being attracted to, although he's an ass most of the book. The author threw in a little sly humor with the main character being spoiled in the beginning.
February 24, 2017
Ready for an exciting adventure, Miranda Heath's life is never going to be the same after she descends the steps of the coach at Bascomb's Piont, the residence of her grandfather. She can never even imagine what he has in store for her! She is now trapped in a world where she doesn't seem to be accepted, a world where revenge consumes every part of the house. Unexpectedly she is trapped into a marriage with a dour Scotsman who seems to want her there even less than everyone else. There is no turning back for Miranda as she must face her new world and conquer it to the last.
August 30, 2020
This light mystery and romance was well written. The main character's father had been in the trading business with two other men in America. Their trading business had them sailing as far away as China. One business partner kills one of the others setting the stage for the meat of the book. Miranda inherits the trade and ship building business from one of the partners she never even knew. Why? Brock is the love interest and eventual co-owner of the business.
I gave the book four stars because the writer's mechanics were good. The book was geared to young adults and teenagers.
Thank you, Ms. Whitney (posthumously), for a good read.
I gave the book four stars because the writer's mechanics were good. The book was geared to young adults and teenagers.
Thank you, Ms. Whitney (posthumously), for a good read.
April 9, 2014
Thinking this 1964 tale took place aboard ship, stayed my hand for years. Had I suspected historical fiction, its repose would be longer. I’m pleasantly surprised my beloved gothic author excels at it. Sea Jade was the site of life-changing circumstances that cut Captain Heath’s career. He wouldn’t tell his daughter, Miranda about it. His sister helped raise her in the city, when his wife died in childbirth. Our heroine enters after her Dad’s death. Though 21, she is without an income in the 1800s, thus returns to her birthplace to live with Captain Bascoe.
Captain Bascoe headed three partners, one killed aboard the Sea Jade. The point of the novel is to glean the facts surrounding that voyage. To all but Miranda, the details are only a partial mystery. The household comprises of: his Chinese wife, the long perished partner’s widow, son - recent widower himself - and his rude young daughter. There is an unrelated man using the lighthouse as a workshop, who has lived with them since his teens. Miranda is shocked to see the household detests her, save Captain Bascoe and the sculptor. Her second mission is to determine why. The Bascoe’s Point income is now in shipbuilding, thus all suspense occurs on land and aboard a retired vessel at the dock.
Persevere with this story! The opening notion of forced marriage and non-independence are nuts to us in 2014. It’s also very dour because not one inch of the hostility lifts, until Miranda teaches the child manners. Her sifting of information increases, the oppression turns into a heart-racing thriller, and the action begins to strike bluntly. I show three stars only because we wade awhile first. Revelations, their implications, guessing, drastic consequences, and the threat of murder raise this story’s calibre in the latter half.
Captain Bascoe headed three partners, one killed aboard the Sea Jade. The point of the novel is to glean the facts surrounding that voyage. To all but Miranda, the details are only a partial mystery. The household comprises of: his Chinese wife, the long perished partner’s widow, son - recent widower himself - and his rude young daughter. There is an unrelated man using the lighthouse as a workshop, who has lived with them since his teens. Miranda is shocked to see the household detests her, save Captain Bascoe and the sculptor. Her second mission is to determine why. The Bascoe’s Point income is now in shipbuilding, thus all suspense occurs on land and aboard a retired vessel at the dock.
Persevere with this story! The opening notion of forced marriage and non-independence are nuts to us in 2014. It’s also very dour because not one inch of the hostility lifts, until Miranda teaches the child manners. Her sifting of information increases, the oppression turns into a heart-racing thriller, and the action begins to strike bluntly. I show three stars only because we wade awhile first. Revelations, their implications, guessing, drastic consequences, and the threat of murder raise this story’s calibre in the latter half.
October 28, 2022
Phyllis A. Whitney hit it out of the park with this Gothic novel set in late 1870s New England. While a fairly typical set-up--orphaned Miranda Heath is thrown on the mercy of her late father's former business partner and his mysterious household--Whitney ups the ante by creating a truly menacing environment in the Bascomb mansion. From the instant she arrives, Miranda is mistrusted by virtually everyone. More than that, she is treated exceptionally cruelly. The aura of nastiness is exceptional for a Gothic novel. Can Miranda overcome these challenges while discovering the secrets of the past? Will she survive long enough? The reader will enjoy finding out and will root for this spirited and self-aware heroine.
March 22, 2020
I have an affinity for novels that are set by the sea, probably because I live by the ocean, so I enjoyed this Gothic that deals with sailing, lighthouses, and a secret tragic event that took place aboard a clipper ship long ago.
All the characters were fleshed out and it was a really interesting story. I did find the ending a tad underwhelming though and the motives of the villain to be kinda eh. The romance didn’t have a strong presence but I was too wrapped up in the story to really care about that element. Overall a very enjoyable read that was well-written.
All the characters were fleshed out and it was a really interesting story. I did find the ending a tad underwhelming though and the motives of the villain to be kinda eh. The romance didn’t have a strong presence but I was too wrapped up in the story to really care about that element. Overall a very enjoyable read that was well-written.
July 3, 2011
It took me a long time to get through this slim novel. At first, I wasn't terribly interested and it was easy to put down. By the time the book became more compelling, it was the holiday weekend and I didn't have much time to read. Sea Jade is the story of Miranda, who comes to Scots Harbor after her father dies because she is broke and needs someone to take care of her. In the beginning of the book, I wanted to smack Miranda for her naivete and her expectation that she would always be loved and taken care of. Unfortunately, only one person in the whole house wants her there. Everyone else looks at her like she's something they've scraped off their shoe. Turns out that nearly everyone has their own reason for disliking her and that at least one of them genuinely want her dead. So, that's awesome. The mystery of who and why is pretty much the rest of the book and the unraveling of old secrets and feuds. Even though this book was short, only 224 pages, the print was really, really tiny. That, plus the aforementioned issues, made reading this slow-going. However, by the end I was quite invested in the story and rather pleased by the ending. 3.5 stars.
March 29, 2023
This earlier effort from the prolific Phyllis A. Whitney is set in New England back in the days of the Industrial Revolution. It is a time when steam engines have supplanted the clipper ships that had earned Miranda's father his living. Her father's sudden death leaves her penniless, and despite a deathbed warning she turns to one of his former business partners for help.
Miranda is admitted to the house at Bascomb's Point but welcomed by absolutely no one save for Captain Bascomb, her father's former partner. A whirlwind of unforeseen events soon leaves Miranda trapped at Bascomb's Point in a house where everyone seems to hate her, and perhaps one of them wants her dead...for reasons she cannot comprehend.
Though somewhat predictable in places, Sea Jade is full of gothic elements and suspense (right down to the dog that howls at night outside the mansion on the stormy seacoast). Whitney excelled at making her readers root for her lead characters, and Miranda is no exception.
Miranda is admitted to the house at Bascomb's Point but welcomed by absolutely no one save for Captain Bascomb, her father's former partner. A whirlwind of unforeseen events soon leaves Miranda trapped at Bascomb's Point in a house where everyone seems to hate her, and perhaps one of them wants her dead...for reasons she cannot comprehend.
Though somewhat predictable in places, Sea Jade is full of gothic elements and suspense (right down to the dog that howls at night outside the mansion on the stormy seacoast). Whitney excelled at making her readers root for her lead characters, and Miranda is no exception.
April 6, 2014
Terrific fun. A very readable and diverting gothic romance, with a little tang of the sea, plenty of dark shadows and lively characters-- none of whom are what they appear to be at first glance. I polished this one off in one evening and an afternoon and enjoyed it thoroughly. Okay, the romance didn't make much sense, the solution to the mysterious goings on didn't make much sense, either, but I was in a mood to forgo logic and just let a good storyteller spin me a diverting yarn.
G: A clean read.
G: A clean read.
August 17, 2011
This is the story of Miranda Heath, who comes to live at Bascomb mansion after the last of her family dies. Little did she know her arrival would be so unwelcome, with hatred, scandal, deception, and fear to await her. I enjoyed the tension created among characters and the eerie, mysterious atmosphere. I would have given this book a 5 star rating, but I think the plot had some holes. Also, the exciting romance that was building fizzeled into a boring ending. I hate it when that happens!
January 30, 2010
This was the first book I read by Whitney. It was fabulous!! I couldn't put it down, and it led to a love for her books. I hesitate to call it a mystery, because her books are always so much more than that... they have a depth and a sense of history that other mystery writers sometimes lack.
September 21, 2011
Favorite novel given to me by my Grandfather! He was a fan!
December 20, 2015
My ultimate favorite book from Phyllis Whitney. It made me realize what a gem of an author she is. :)
October 3, 2020
There's a very good reason she's called the queen of gothics. A great read with good writing in a classic style. It's so hard to rate it on today's scale. It comes from another time and standards. For pure enjoyment I want to give it 5 stars.
July 9, 2020
A classic gothic wonderfully set on the New England seacoast involving clipper ships and the China trade. Well done characters and you are not sure exactly who is up to what, and best of all, you can't predict which male character the heroine is going to end up with. Much better than the cheap copies of gothic romances that are SO obvious. Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart, and Victoria Holt were the masters of this genre!
June 5, 2023
When I was just a young thang, growing up reading and chopping cotton in rural Carroll County, Miss., Phyllis A. Whitney and Grace Livingston Hill were among my favorites, following on the heels of the old Nancy Drew mysteries. Recently at the Carrollton library I spied an elderly copy of "Sea Jade" and had to have a nostalgia trip. I wasn't disappointed in this signature tale of romantic suspense from the 1960s.
September 13, 2010
This one is pretty great. :) I am finding that I prefer Whitney's 60s era novels to her more modern ones. The ones I have read that she published in the 80s and 90s don't seem to be ones that I enjoy.
I highly suggest this one. You can read my full review here at my blog:
http://gothicked.blogspot.com
I highly suggest this one. You can read my full review here at my blog:
http://gothicked.blogspot.com
September 5, 2011
NOW I remember why I adored Phyllis Whitney as a teenager; started this book last night and I'm already loving it. Her writing is good, seamless. Yes, the plots are usually fairly predictable, but she was a master at storytelling, creating atmosphere and a good mystery.
May 25, 2008
Miranda Heath, trapped in a loveless marriage, attempts to solve the mystery of an old murder on a local ship.
Want to read
August 4, 2008Quit; due too soon
March 11, 2009
I usually like Phyllis Whitney's books, but this one was unpleasant right from the beginning, and I really didn't care to wade through all of it to get to the 'happy ending'.
July 11, 2012
nice,fast,light read
June 24, 2013
Romantic suspense.
September 16, 2020
Somebody tell me why I keep reading Phyllis A. Whitney books expecting one of them will be different from the others?
For a review of this one, see my reviews of all previous ones. :)
For a review of this one, see my reviews of all previous ones. :)
September 13, 2010
See Quicksilver Pool.
August 17, 2020
For the story I give it a 3 stars.. for the characterization I give it 1 star.
The plot is typically Gothic, we have the orphan, young, pretty heroine, going to live in a mansion where everybody distrusts her. There is mystery involving a ship and it 3 captains (one of them was the father of the heroine). We have the hero, another possible interest male hero and a child. Oh, and someone is trying to kill her. In summary, all elements necessary for a good Gothic story.
As for the characterization, the heroine alone I wanted to shake so badly; she doesn't have a backbone except for when she has to confront her new husband. All members of the new house have a ridiculous hatred towards her (I can understand the mother in law, but the son?? the grandaughter?? the housekeeper??); she is rudely (un)welcomed that first day and let herself be rudely treated the whole book. The "hero" is the most awful "hero" I've read in a Gothic romance: he has ill manners, is forever miserable, doesn't treat her first like a guest, and then like his wife, at all. I understand her attraction for him, but love?? How did this young girl of 21 fall in love with a widower of 35 who is so rude and uncaring for the first weeks after meeting each other for the 1st time?
If you don't mind doormat heroines and rude heroes, then this book is for you.
The plot is typically Gothic, we have the orphan, young, pretty heroine, going to live in a mansion where everybody distrusts her. There is mystery involving a ship and it 3 captains (one of them was the father of the heroine). We have the hero, another possible interest male hero and a child. Oh, and someone is trying to kill her. In summary, all elements necessary for a good Gothic story.
As for the characterization, the heroine alone I wanted to shake so badly; she doesn't have a backbone except for when she has to confront her new husband. All members of the new house have a ridiculous hatred towards her (I can understand the mother in law, but the son?? the grandaughter?? the housekeeper??); she is rudely (un)welcomed that first day and let herself be rudely treated the whole book. The "hero" is the most awful "hero" I've read in a Gothic romance: he has ill manners, is forever miserable, doesn't treat her first like a guest, and then like his wife, at all. I understand her attraction for him, but love?? How did this young girl of 21 fall in love with a widower of 35 who is so rude and uncaring for the first weeks after meeting each other for the 1st time?
If you don't mind doormat heroines and rude heroes, then this book is for you.
November 27, 2025
2.5 stars - this was very strong in the beginning and kind of fell apart quickly in the last 20%, though did manage to more or less stick the landing a bit at the very end. The setting made the formulaic plot more interesting than it would otherwise be, but if you've read a few Mary Stewart novels then you can probably make a fair guess at how the mystery will shake out here. I'm conflicted about Whitney's handling of Lien as a Chinese character - in many respects her portrayal is dripping with the kind of orientalism you might expect from a white author writing in 1964, but she is also rendered with a surprising amount of complexity and pathos, and her ending kind of rejects that same orientalism?
the "romance" is also just sooo underdeveloped because it's largely sidelined in favor of the more central mysteries. I wouldn't normally complain about except I simply cannot buy the idea that she's madly in love with this dude at all by the the end of the book.
the "romance" is also just sooo underdeveloped because it's largely sidelined in favor of the more central mysteries. I wouldn't normally complain about except I simply cannot buy the idea that she's madly in love with this dude at all by the the end of the book.
April 4, 2018
Another Whitney book with the same villain! Again! One can just swap the same person in every whitney book with same characterization and same motivation; The only good book I have read with different villain by Whitney is Hunter's Green which is pretty solid book.
The setting is beautifully described in a small New England town dominated by one family's shipping business. But the plot is ehh. The heroine is feisty but incredibly dumb at moments. What I was surprised about that their is no twist in the ending as was common in the gothic books; the book by 70% has revealed almost majoirty of the mystery just the final "Its YOU!" was dragged to the final pages. Whitney has written lot better books than this.
The setting is beautifully described in a small New England town dominated by one family's shipping business. But the plot is ehh. The heroine is feisty but incredibly dumb at moments. What I was surprised about that their is no twist in the ending as was common in the gothic books; the book by 70% has revealed almost majoirty of the mystery just the final "Its YOU!" was dragged to the final pages. Whitney has written lot better books than this.
March 31, 2020
I just remembered why I had stopped reading these gothic novels written in the 60s-80s. They're quite predictable and follow the same pattern:
- unassuming girl moves to a big house in a small town/village, meets a house full of people who don't want her there ✔
- the house holds secrets to her past that she slowly uncovers ✔
- brooding male figure who she doesn't trust but is falling for ✔
- older relative who puts her down ✔
- creepy changlingish child ✔
- eccentric/foreign random person (sometimes the older relative) who forshadows evil ✔
- SPOILER! the person she confides in (who usually turns out to be the killer) ✔
I've probably forgotten a few more but basically this book was all I'd expect in a gothic novel of this time.
- unassuming girl moves to a big house in a small town/village, meets a house full of people who don't want her there ✔
- the house holds secrets to her past that she slowly uncovers ✔
- brooding male figure who she doesn't trust but is falling for ✔
- older relative who puts her down ✔
- creepy changlingish child ✔
- eccentric/foreign random person (sometimes the older relative) who forshadows evil ✔
- SPOILER! the person she confides in (who usually turns out to be the killer) ✔
I've probably forgotten a few more but basically this book was all I'd expect in a gothic novel of this time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews