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Three Silver Birches
Lovely young Christy Haven needed three years of medical treatment to recover from the shock of her father's mysterious death. Now, as she returned to her family home of Three Birches, it seemed as if her nightmare of fear was beginning again.
Christy's mother was now married to a man Christy despised. Even more horrible, her mother seemed completely under his spell and totally controlled by the servants he had hired to replace the old family retainers. When she realized that her father had died by a murderer's hand, Christy felt stripped of all defenses, and found she could rely only on the help of the handsome stranger she had met on the plane coming home. There was terrifyingly little time left to unmask the killer, Christy knew, before she became the next victim.
Christy's mother was now married to a man Christy despised. Even more horrible, her mother seemed completely under his spell and totally controlled by the servants he had hired to replace the old family retainers. When she realized that her father had died by a murderer's hand, Christy felt stripped of all defenses, and found she could rely only on the help of the handsome stranger she had met on the plane coming home. There was terrifyingly little time left to unmask the killer, Christy knew, before she became the next victim.
160 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 1975
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January 14, 2021
THREE SILVER BIRCHES by Ruth McCarthy Sears was Candlelight Romance #164, published by Dell in March 1975. It's a romantic suspense novel, with the mystery aspect becoming more prominent in the last third of the book. There are three potential romantic interests for our heroine Christy Haven who has returned home to America after having spent a few years in Ireland being treated for the shock of her father's murder. Vere is the son of her Irish doctor, who gifts her a puppy for the trip home, although their romance seems to be a temporary one. Then there is Drew, who she meets on the plane heading back home, who appears to be the man that has captured her heart, although he spends much of the story away as he investigates her father's murder and the financial dealings of her sinister stepfather. Then there is Eddie, a neighbor that she once had a crush on, who attempts to re-establish a place for himself in her affections.
At the center of the mystery is Christy's stepfather, a friend of her late father who subsequently married her mother and now keeps her medicated and confined to their home as a means of controlling her. The story is well-written, told from the first person perspective of Christy, although unfortunately some of the details of the mystery are not resolved at the end. Who was the person who took a hatchet to the silver birch trees? Who tried to have Christy's mother thrown off the balcony? The answers to those questions are not given. Despite the rushed ending, I thought the novel made for a pleasant read. The presence of the little dog, Pegasus, helped make it more enjoyable as well. I rate it 3 (out of 5) stars.
At the center of the mystery is Christy's stepfather, a friend of her late father who subsequently married her mother and now keeps her medicated and confined to their home as a means of controlling her. The story is well-written, told from the first person perspective of Christy, although unfortunately some of the details of the mystery are not resolved at the end. Who was the person who took a hatchet to the silver birch trees? Who tried to have Christy's mother thrown off the balcony? The answers to those questions are not given. Despite the rushed ending, I thought the novel made for a pleasant read. The presence of the little dog, Pegasus, helped make it more enjoyable as well. I rate it 3 (out of 5) stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review