Eye of the Gargoyle

by Wendy Webb

At a metaphysical conference, Camille Dare finds an envelope filled with travel documents, a photograph, a bloody scarf, and a directive sending her to Germany, India, and finally to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Who sent the envelope? And who knew Camille was obsessed with an unusual missing person case? The mystery and her own quest for self-understanding send Camille to points around the world.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2020

Reviews

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an enjoyable read!

Having just finished Wendy Webb’s thriller, I was expecting a similar experience with this book. However, this book felt completely different which I definitely appreciated! I think her ability to write two vastly different stories speaks to her talent as an author.

I loved getting to follow Camille, our main character, on her travels. Setting off from Germany, Camille finds herself launched into the search for the missing Katherine Agurre. I really enjoyed experiencing Camille’s travels with her and thought the cast of characters made the story really enjoyable. I did find that the mystery aspect of the book was sort of lost at times and wasn’t a huge driver of the plot, which I missed. I would’ve liked to see the book focused more on the mystery and solving said mystery.

All in all though, an enjoyable read! I do feel like the book could use an updated cover as I don’t feel like this cover does the book any favors.

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tati Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5

Eye of the Gargoyle is out of my normal realm of genres I gravitate towards. However, I’m glad I picked it up and gave it a chance, because I found myself sucked into the story.

I really enjoyed our MC, Camille, who is on the hunt to find the missing Katherine Agurre. The mystery aspect was interesting and it went in a direction I didn’t really expect. I felt like Camille learned more about herself and the world around her, rather than just finding out what’s the mystery woman was. Definitely not a complaint, just different.

There were a few times I felt like the writing was too slow or too rushed, but overall I think the author is a fantastic writer and puts her own twists on stories.

[✩₊*Shelby ⋆ ☾⋆ LiteraryFaery ⁺₊✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks so much to the author for gifting me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts below are entirely my own!

I read this one on the heels of this author's mystery thriller Widow's Walk, and while this one was chock full of mystery, it served a totally different vibe which I appreciated! This one focused on an intriguing investigative adventure, a journey upon which the main character, Camille, is able to learn things she never dreamed of.

This is the kind of book I feel would make an alluring television miniseries--I always get sucked into these stories about searching for someone tragically lost, and the fateful search provides for the investigator to actually discover the content of their own character as much as they're uncovering secrets of an untold mystery.

Highly recommended for those interested in global adventures amid captivating mystery!

[Chiara | wordsbychiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

Mystery books are always uncertain ground for me, but having already read Widow’s Walk by this author, I knew they’d be able to weave an atmospheric and suggestive read. The two books couldn’t have been more different, but the story certainly was suggestive! We follow Camille Dare who, after a metaphysical conference, finds a letter addressed to her at the bar. Inside it are clues linked to the disappearance of Katherine Agurre—clues that lead her to Germany. Camille doesn’t know Katherine, but she’s intrigued enough to follow the directives of the letter first to Germany, and then to India. But who is sending Camille these clues, and what is the link between her and Katherine? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

EYE OF THE GARGOYLE was so much more than a simple mystery novel. In fact, it was quite different from the traditional mystery and investigations that I would have expected. Oftentimes, the story focused more on the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of Camille’s journey, and I really enjoyed that! This is especially true in the chapters where Camille is in India, which were filled with entertaining characters. These were definitely my favorite chapters. Instead, I had a harder time with the beginning of the novel, when the narration shifted between moments where Camille was in Germany and “flashbacks” of Camille in the United States, when she first received the letter. The narration becomes linear later on, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been so from the start. Despite there being a moment where the mystery wasn’t the focus of the story, it still had an interesting progression and it didn’t lack its unexpected plot twists. However, I do wish we’d gotten more of a “traditional” investigation, as Camille’s intuitions were mostly based on hunches rather than facts or interactions with the people involved in the case.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to readers of women’s fiction and mystery novels.

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

[Maria Elena | pagesofmaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Eye of the Gargoyle was a unique read. One I certainly wasn’t expecting. The story follows Camille Dare, who sets out to find the missing Katherine Agurre after receiving a mysterious envelope containing clues leading her to Germany. From there, Camille begins a sort of wild goose chase leading her from Germany to India and then back to the States in search for Katherine.

The story is a mystery, but I was expecting it to be more of the classic type of mystery with clues to follow, leads, suspects. Instead, it was both a physical and metaphysical journey for Camille. She goes places, but she’s not really investigating. She meets people and has some spectacular experiences that were beautiful to witness—some of the events even had me cackling. The only elements that maintain the mystery were the letters that she either finds or receives, and the newspaper articles she reads, from which she starts developing her own (correct) theory. As much as I liked the story for the characters, the settings (especially India) and the travel aspect, I would have preferred it if the mystery had been more central to the plot. I did, however, love the plot twists that had me making (wrong) theories!

This was an interesting read that I would recommend to people who like reads with a mix of adventure, introspection and surprising twists.

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

[Ve (ve_xo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5

Usually not my normal genre to go to, but I enjoyed this book. I was super intrigued in Camille’s journey in finding the missing Katherine. There were times where the plot was steady and intriguing. The Main character was super interesting, her thought process in completing this task kept me hooked. This was not just a mystery it was also a story of character development, especially for our main character.

Although there were great aspects of the book, there were some areas where I was a bit lost and it slowed down. But the author does a great job in pulling the reader back in with her surprise storylines.

Huge thanks to the author for sending this my way!

[Book My Imagination · Rating 2 out of 5]

found this to be a somewhat strange and quirky read.
At times it read like "Eat, Pray, Love", that life changing journey with more questions than answers, just without the love aspect. At other times it just plodded along and then all of a sudden it started to fall into place.
The mysteries of this book seemed to big for it at times, and at others it seemed to lack direction.
I really don't know what to think of it. 😬
I don't know that I disliked it, it just didn't excite me. I did however read it in a day so it was a quick read.

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye of the Gargoyle by Wendy Webb was an interesting read that certainly held my attention. It's about a woman whose obsession with finding a missing young heiress leads her on a worldwide journey of self-discovery, metaphysics, and mysticism. Not even really fully knowing what it is she seeks, Camille's search takes her to multiple continents--the plot continually thickening until her search begins to feel more like a game of cat and mouse than hide and seek. It's like every single step she takes, every person she meets, and every detour along the way is being orchestrated by some higher power. What's unclear up until the very end is whether that higher power is friend or foe and that discovery was fun to unravel. I also enjoyed some of the stories of mysticism and the philosophical conversations between characters. With that being said, the characters themselves were largely not very likeable and the overall reading experience was just okay for me.

[Linda D. Politte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Gothic Wendy but...

I can imagine how jarring it would be for a reader to choose this book, start reading and think, what's going on! I knew before I started, this was not the Wendy Webb I had been reading. That said, I went in with open eyes to see what this Wendy had to say. It was interesting. Still a little confusing but I'll remember this story. And the adventurous side of me wonders how I would handle the journey. I too think there is something in India waiting for me... thanks not gothic Wendy.

[Gale Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to all Wendy Webb’s books that are available in audiobook form. This one is very different than her normal mystery/thriller I equate with her. When I see a book by her automatically think of this creepy thriller. Her style of writing is unique which I find refreshing. This book wasn’t my favorite but still fit into the different plot category. What I didn’t like was it went into too much detail about the environments. There were sections where I felt like “let’s get back to the people and the plot”. Other than that, I think it’s worth reading.

[Lisa Vroegh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the author I thought it was. Same name, similar genre. NOT THE SAME!! What a terrible waste of time. This book could be separated into at least four novels and with the proper character development could be decent. As it is, it was a jumble of half ideas, no character, no plot, no feeling. It reads like a travel journal and first draft notes of a story. I hate to be so critical but there’s obvious confusion with the other Wendy Webb that this author is benefiting from.w

[Nancy D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed in this book. I couldn't make myself finish it. I agree with other reviews. The writing style is just silly. Wendy Webb has provided me with hours of escapism and enjoyment. Seems like she was trying something new with this book. Try "The End of Temperance Dare" or other of this author's books.

[Kelly M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if I started with the wrong book by this author but it was not at all what I was expecting. I thought she was a supernatural writer and this read like “Eat, Pray, Love” but a more realistic version and the mystery was meh and definitely secondary. I want to try something else by this author because this book very just OK for me.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I just wasn't interested, and the whole game seemed incongruous. It was as if the mystery aspect was an excuse to write about travel in India. The characters all annoyed me, but I appreciated what Camille got out of the adventure. Not necessarily why she was judged to have a boring life and be used as she was.

[Anne Shock · Rating 5 out of 5]

What next?

It kept my interest from beginning
to end. Every character was fascinating. It had enough foreign content to be a little creepy,even.
Would only recommend it to the strong of heart!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I normally enjoy this author very much it took all I had to finish this book. All in all it was a giant jumble of unconnected ideas that never developed a plot line. Nothing about this book made sense and nothing about it was enjoyable.

[Kristen Mirabal · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as I can tell this was the author's first try at a non gothic horror book. Her gothic books are excellent. This experiment failed. So mired in convoluted mysticism this book was barely readable.

[KARYN RASSEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mysterious and haunting the story is so good and entertaining you will not want to miss the next chapter.

[Barbara LeBoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very different from other novels. How to do more with our choices and paths that we choose in life from an individuals challenges. A mystery but slow reading for almost the first half.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't read the reviews first

I enjoyed this adventure. It did leave me with questions, but that's okay. I think that is a good thing. Thank you for a wonderful story.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

TERRIBLE book! Boring, convoluted, pointless. Main character is not at all likeable. Stopped reading at 13%.

[Jacqueline Larson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not believe this is the correct Wendy Webb that wrote Daughters of the Lake or the Vanishing.

[Loren Heistand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not like other Wendy Webb stories, I was disappointed. The story on its own is ok. I did want to finish it, but the ending was did not have the suspense or twists I was craving and expecting.

[Rachel White · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good!

This author is fantastic!! I have read quite a few of her books and they all have been amazing. I highly recommend anything she writes. You won't be able to put it down!

[Erica]

Today I learned that there are two authors with the name Wendy Webb. I thought this was the other one.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my thing. Was hoping for it to turn around in the latter half, but alas.