Kilgaren

by Isabelle Holland

Terribly burned in a nursery fire because of her half-brother had locked her in, Barbara Kilgaren returns to her childhood home in the West Indies to discover that because of a revolutionary movement, the her brother can't get enough help to keep the family plantation from failing

Genres: Gothic, Crime, Fiction, Romantic Suspense

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Isabelle Christian Holland (born June 16, 1920 in Basel, Switzerland — died February 9, 2002) was an author of children and adult fiction. Her father was the American Consul in Liverpool, England during WWII. She moved to America in 1940 due to the war. She wrote Gothic novels, adult mysteries, romantic thrillers, and many books for children and young adults. She wrote over 50 books in her lifetime, and was still working at the time of her death at age 81 in New York City.

Two of her novels have been made into movies:

Bump in the Night, 1991,
The Man Without a Face, 1993

Both of these novels deal with issues or allegations of pedophilia.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like an Agatha Christie mystery without a murder and without a detective. Isabelle Holland gives you a stuffy and decaying mansion and aristocrats with competing agendas. In the end the characters themselves tie up the all the strange happenings in a dialog that is similar to the Hercule Poirot monologues.

This particular mansion is in the Caribbean, on an island fully owned by the family for which it is named. Sugar cane, which once augmented (or maybe created) the Kilgalen wealth, is no longer enough to keep the family and island afloat. Maybe they should build a resort. Maybe there is oil nearby. Whatever they do, they need to do quickly since the island’s natives have had it with feudalism.

The build up to the resolution is far better than the convoluted tale that puts it all together.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read enough Holland books and you'll definitely see a pattern emerging - not that I'm complaining. Nothing much to say about this one - it's a classic Holland. Engaging story-telling, a not-quite-contemporary setting, full of Gothic-ness and this time with convoluted family relationships verging on the scandalous as a bonus.

[Taffeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shades of V.C. Andrews, but somehow not as creepy...

A young girl? Woman? returns to the Jamaican island where she grew up in order to take a teaching job. She hopes to earn money for a trip to Rome to stalk her beloved, but instead finds herself embroiled in political intrigue and family scandal.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old book that I picked up and couldn't put down. Read it over night. Romantic suspence or gothic I believe they called it. Will have to pick up some more by thee suthor.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent classic golthic!

[Sep · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rereading Isabelle Holland's Gothics and do not remember ever reading this one. The ending was a surprise--as was the villain. The hero and the heroine made some bad choices, but that's typical of the genre. Despite their behavior, I found myself rooting for them.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of my favorite books of all time. Thrilling, surprising, and has stuck with me over the years.

[Mermarie · Rating 3 out of 5]