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Wildfire at Midnight
The original queen of the page-turner Mary Stewart leads her readers on an unforgettable ride across the Isle of Skye in this tale perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym.
'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times
'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent
'She built the bridge between classic literature and modern popular fiction. She did it first and she did it best.' Herald
Following a heart-breaking divorce, Gianetta retreats to the Isle of Skye hoping to find tranquillity in the island's savage beauty. But shortly before her arrival a girl's body is found on the craggy slopes of the looming Blue Mountain, and with the murderer still on the loose, there's nothing to stop him from setting his sights on Gianetta next . . .
One arrogant wing of rock thrust itself across the sun, flinging a diagonal shadow over the bay. My eye was drawn to the great lonely bulk of the mountain in the east, stooping over the valley like a hawk. Blaven. The Blue Mountain.
'Stylish, educated novels . . . a natural successor to Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte' Guardian
'There are few to equal Mary Stewart as an entertainer' Daily Telegraph
224 pages
First published January 1, 1956
330 people are currently reading
2390 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stewart
92 books2,915 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
May 1, 2018
I have a collection of vintage Mary Stewart novels, and this one is only 175 pages in my 1963 paperback, so it's a very quick but enjoyable read. A bit different than Mary Stewart's other romantic suspense novels, this one has echoes of the old murder mysteries where a group of people in an isolated setting are gradually offed one by one, while the group frantically tries to figure out which of them is the murderer. The story is set in the mid-1950s, against a backdrop of Edmund Hillary's historic climb of Mt. Everest and Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
Gianetta, a young British fashion model, relates in the first few pages her whirlwind romance with a tall, dark and handsome novelist, Nicholas Drury, and their divorce after only a few years as their relationship quickly fell apart and she caught Nicholas cheating. A few years later, Gianetta, now in her late 20s, impulsively decides to do some R&R in a lonely hotel on the Isle of Skye. When she arrives a couple of major shocks await her: the hotel guests include her ex-husband, Nicholas, and everyone in the hotel is on edge because of the recent murder of an 18 year old girl on the nearby mountain, Blaven.
To make matters worse, the murder appears to have been in the form of a ritualistic sacrifice. And then there is another murder on the mountain, and a vanished girl, and yet another murder--and it becomes apparent that only one of the hotel guests could have done it. The pace of the story accelerates as danger stalks Gianetta and the other hotel guests.
There are some really hair-raising scenes in the last part of the book. A scene in a fog, where no one can see more than 10 feet through the mist, and the murderer is searching for Gianetta because she Knows Something, just about had me crawling under my bed.
And then Gianetta, running blindly through the mists, runs herself into a quicksand-like bog . . .
And then . . . well, never mind. :)
Minus one star for Gianetta being a little too "damsel in distress" at the end (complete with fainting scene! ), for a bit too much of a "boys will be boys" attitude, and for promoting the idea that one mustn't make too much of a stink over a straying husband:
Despite these missteps, I do think this is worth reading if you like old-fashioned murder mysteries. Mists and mountain climbing will never be quite the same to me again!
Gianetta, a young British fashion model, relates in the first few pages her whirlwind romance with a tall, dark and handsome novelist, Nicholas Drury, and their divorce after only a few years as their relationship quickly fell apart and she caught Nicholas cheating. A few years later, Gianetta, now in her late 20s, impulsively decides to do some R&R in a lonely hotel on the Isle of Skye. When she arrives a couple of major shocks await her: the hotel guests include her ex-husband, Nicholas, and everyone in the hotel is on edge because of the recent murder of an 18 year old girl on the nearby mountain, Blaven.
To make matters worse, the murder appears to have been in the form of a ritualistic sacrifice. And then there is another murder on the mountain, and a vanished girl, and yet another murder--and it becomes apparent that only one of the hotel guests could have done it. The pace of the story accelerates as danger stalks Gianetta and the other hotel guests.
There are some really hair-raising scenes in the last part of the book. A scene in a fog, where no one can see more than 10 feet through the mist, and the murderer is searching for Gianetta because she Knows Something, just about had me crawling under my bed.
And then Gianetta, running blindly through the mists, runs herself into a quicksand-like bog . . .
And then . . . well, never mind. :)
Minus one star for Gianetta being a little too "damsel in distress" at the end (complete with fainting scene! ), for a bit too much of a "boys will be boys" attitude, and for promoting the idea that one mustn't make too much of a stink over a straying husband:
Gianetta: "Do you want to keep your husband or don't you?"While I agree with pride being a real stumbling block in a relationship, it's a false dichotomy to say that if one partner cheats, the other has to choose between keeping quiet or losing that person. There's a lot of room for heart-to-heart discussions without saying things that will damage the marriage irrevocably (assuming you still want to try to save your marriage). And I don't think keeping quiet about adultery ever helped a marriage much. Maybe it kept the couple together, but at what cost? Still, I'm able to roll with it here because .
Wronged wife: "I--of course I want to keep him! What a silly question!"
Gianetta: "Then leave him alone. Don't you know yet that there's no room for pride in marriage? You have to choose between the two. If you can't keep quiet, then you must make up your mind to lose him. If you want him, then swallow your pride and shut up. It'll heal over; everything does, given time enough and a bit of peace."
Despite these missteps, I do think this is worth reading if you like old-fashioned murder mysteries. Mists and mountain climbing will never be quite the same to me again!
December 30, 2019
the Isle of Skye was rendered in pleasing browns and greys, fog and wind and rain ever present, the surrounding mountainscape stark and threatening. our heroine was independent and poised, always retaining dignity and autonomy. the murder mystery was compelling; the murderer or murderess (no spoilers!) was revealed in all of their madness in a wonderfully fearful set piece - the highlight of the novel. the romance took center stage only at the very end, in a brief but passionate and rather charming scene. Mary Stewart is a calm and confident author; I particularly enjoyed her precise focus on certain body parts - the size and shape of one character's hands, the dancing eyes and throaty laugh of another, the deep tan matching the golden hair of a third, etc. - as a way of making each character vivid and real. overall this was a pleasant surprise for me, and an ideal introduction to this author. I plan on reading more by her.
January 7, 2021
This is a reread for me and what a great one. I love Mary Stewart's books. Her heroines are tough, smart and capable, as well as being beautiful, of course. It is their ability to get themselves out of tough situations that intrigue me. In this one lovely model, Gianetta, is due for some rest so she goes to Skye, an island of the coast of Scotland. Bad luck her ex-husband is at the hotel too and rest is not what she gets, as a murderer is on the loose. A young girl is first, but other deaths follow. Gianetta is about the only person not suspected by the police, including her ex. She must discover the murderer, before he strikes again.
May 23, 2019
3.5★
For me, not one of Stewart's best.
That still means a good story with evocative descriptions of Skye - & who wouldn't want to spend time there, especially with the heather in bloom!
But I prefer the Stewarts with stronger heroines. The only thing Giannetta had in common with the better Stewart heroines is that she smoked like a chimney. For example, Giannetta found
And after being in extreme peril Giannetta's reward will be a happy ever after with
For me, not one of Stewart's best.
That still means a good story with evocative descriptions of Skye - & who wouldn't want to spend time there, especially with the heather in bloom!
But I prefer the Stewarts with stronger heroines. The only thing Giannetta had in common with the better Stewart heroines is that she smoked like a chimney. For example, Giannetta found
And after being in extreme peril Giannetta's reward will be a happy ever after with
December 31, 2016
The front of my copy of this book says "Terror in the Hitchcock manner...a novel that terrifies as it entertains." That sums it up nicely. It is perhaps the most Hitchcock in nature of any of her novels. It is a bit of Agatha Christie as well...there is a murderer loose and it is definitely one of the fellow visitors or the townspeople involved with the hotel in which Gianetta (don't you love that name?) is staying.
I am going to be sorry when my quest to revisit all of Mary Stewart's novels is done. I have so enjoyed the ones I did this year. I don't have many more to go. I cannot express how these books transport me back in time...they are so new and yet so familiar to me. I am grateful that they are still available and that I have this opportunity to enjoy them once more.
I am going to be sorry when my quest to revisit all of Mary Stewart's novels is done. I have so enjoyed the ones I did this year. I don't have many more to go. I cannot express how these books transport me back in time...they are so new and yet so familiar to me. I am grateful that they are still available and that I have this opportunity to enjoy them once more.
May 10, 2022
4.25*
Gianetta, a fashion model, decides to get away from London and its madness, especially with the coronation around the corner, to get solace in a remote lodge on the Isle of Sky. She is met by breathtaking views of a timeless landscape but also by the news that a young woman has been brutally murdered and that all at the lodge are under suspicion, including Gianetta's former husband who happens to be staying there too.
Naturally, no one has an alibi and all could be the culprit, giving this story a kind of Agatha Christie feel. It is different however. Stewart is an expert at creating captivating settings, both in terms of drawing her cast deftly and painting the canvas, usually an impressive and breathtaking location, in vivid strokes. The suspense is expertly done too, with some pretty tense scenes.
Gianetta, a fashion model, decides to get away from London and its madness, especially with the coronation around the corner, to get solace in a remote lodge on the Isle of Sky. She is met by breathtaking views of a timeless landscape but also by the news that a young woman has been brutally murdered and that all at the lodge are under suspicion, including Gianetta's former husband who happens to be staying there too.
Naturally, no one has an alibi and all could be the culprit, giving this story a kind of Agatha Christie feel. It is different however. Stewart is an expert at creating captivating settings, both in terms of drawing her cast deftly and painting the canvas, usually an impressive and breathtaking location, in vivid strokes. The suspense is expertly done too, with some pretty tense scenes.
October 31, 2009
Page 142, "I turned to look back at Blaven, only to find that the mist was, indeed, rolling down the slopes behind us like a tide of smoking lava. Blaven was already invisible, and a great wall of mist bore steadily across the glen behind us, obliterating the afternoon."
Can that woman write or not? Seeking relief from her hectic life as a model as well as the crush for the 1953 coronation, Divorcee Gianetta leaves London for a vacation at rustic resort on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, although she's a bit flummoxed at the surprise appearance of her ex-husband Nicholas Drury as one of the inn’s guests. Gianetta soon finds herself in the midst of a murder mystery with a dead body or two and suspects everywhere - a local girl was murdered in a ritual resembling the ancient Beltane rites.
Soon two female guests disappear while climbing Blaven - but who was the third person seen heading towards the mountain with them? Could Gianetta be marked as the next victim? Inquiring minds want to know, but I am not telling - read it for yourself. This was a fabulous fast paced read and Stewart keeps you guessing to the very end with a doozy of a nail-biting finish set amongst the swirling mists, shifting bogs and the rocky crags of the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye. Written in the 1950's its a bit dated in places (I just cringed every time someone tossed a cigarette but down the mountainside) but other than that another solid read from Dame Mary Stewart.
Can that woman write or not? Seeking relief from her hectic life as a model as well as the crush for the 1953 coronation, Divorcee Gianetta leaves London for a vacation at rustic resort on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, although she's a bit flummoxed at the surprise appearance of her ex-husband Nicholas Drury as one of the inn’s guests. Gianetta soon finds herself in the midst of a murder mystery with a dead body or two and suspects everywhere - a local girl was murdered in a ritual resembling the ancient Beltane rites.
Soon two female guests disappear while climbing Blaven - but who was the third person seen heading towards the mountain with them? Could Gianetta be marked as the next victim? Inquiring minds want to know, but I am not telling - read it for yourself. This was a fabulous fast paced read and Stewart keeps you guessing to the very end with a doozy of a nail-biting finish set amongst the swirling mists, shifting bogs and the rocky crags of the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye. Written in the 1950's its a bit dated in places (I just cringed every time someone tossed a cigarette but down the mountainside) but other than that another solid read from Dame Mary Stewart.
July 24, 2017
3.5 stars
Are you in the mood for an older ’contemporary’ gothic mystery? One that takes place in 1953 rather than the 1800s? Instead of a gloomy castle, there is an inn. And the setting has windy mountains rather than the commonplace ocean and its cliffs. Wildfire at Midnight contained the token first-person tense, an unfaithful marriage, the heroine's need to get away and murder. Or I should say, murders. There are plenty of secrets with madness and mayhem and the final melodramatic scene of revelation.
~~~~
Four years have passed since Gianetta divorced Nicholas Drury. He was an older writer and she was employed as a model. They loved each other passionately before allowing their jobs and distance to affect their marriage. Now, Gianetta needed some rest and her parents were receptive to this. They encouraged her journey to Camas Fhionnaridh (or Fhionnarigh, the author spells it both ways) in the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Typical of stories from this era, just about everyone smokes and enjoys a good drink; something to take the edge off after a trying day of vacation. Fishing, a form of relaxation, takes place at the oddest hours. And pleasure is found by scaling the mountains. That is, unless you spend time with someone else’s spouse.
I am not sure why but I knew when a particular character was introduced that the person was the killer. It was more of what Mrs. Stewart didn’t mention that clued me in. If you love some creepiness and a mystery with the feel of an old black and white movie –no Technicolor here!- look for this vintage short story of suspense.
Are you in the mood for an older ’contemporary’ gothic mystery? One that takes place in 1953 rather than the 1800s? Instead of a gloomy castle, there is an inn. And the setting has windy mountains rather than the commonplace ocean and its cliffs. Wildfire at Midnight contained the token first-person tense, an unfaithful marriage, the heroine's need to get away and murder. Or I should say, murders. There are plenty of secrets with madness and mayhem and the final melodramatic scene of revelation.
~~~~
Four years have passed since Gianetta divorced Nicholas Drury. He was an older writer and she was employed as a model. They loved each other passionately before allowing their jobs and distance to affect their marriage. Now, Gianetta needed some rest and her parents were receptive to this. They encouraged her journey to Camas Fhionnaridh (or Fhionnarigh, the author spells it both ways) in the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Typical of stories from this era, just about everyone smokes and enjoys a good drink; something to take the edge off after a trying day of vacation. Fishing, a form of relaxation, takes place at the oddest hours. And pleasure is found by scaling the mountains. That is, unless you spend time with someone else’s spouse.
I am not sure why but I knew when a particular character was introduced that the person was the killer. It was more of what Mrs. Stewart didn’t mention that clued me in. If you love some creepiness and a mystery with the feel of an old black and white movie –no Technicolor here!- look for this vintage short story of suspense.
August 21, 2019
Aug 17 ~~ Oh, dear. Another for the review asap pile. I need to get caught up!
Aug 21 ~~ I enjoy Mary Stewart's books, but i am not always in the mood for them so when I decided on the spur of the moment to read this one, I wasn't sure how I would react.
I ended up liking it a lot, much more than the last couple of hers that I read. The leading lady did not seem as flighty as I expected, so I didn't spend any part of the book wishing she had more sense. The setting was stunning, which is always a given in Stewart's work. And even though it turned out that I picked the murderer right away, that was just a lucky gut instinct on my part, and I was never completely sure until the final reveal.
So what happens here? Well, imagine you are a beautiful model in London. It is 1953 and a certain young princess is about to have her coronation ceremony to become Queen. The city is packed, you are tired and stressed, you need a vacation. Your mom suggests the Isle of Skye and you decide What the heck, I'll go!
Then when you arrive at your hotel you feel something not quite right in the atmosphere. Why does everyone seem so tense? Why does the mere mention of the name of the nearby mountain cause everyone to hurriedly change the subject? But worse than anything else, why is your ex-husband registered as a hotel guest? A simple coincidence or is something more chilling going on?
I thought this was a great story, one I'll look forward to reading again.
Aug 21 ~~ I enjoy Mary Stewart's books, but i am not always in the mood for them so when I decided on the spur of the moment to read this one, I wasn't sure how I would react.
I ended up liking it a lot, much more than the last couple of hers that I read. The leading lady did not seem as flighty as I expected, so I didn't spend any part of the book wishing she had more sense. The setting was stunning, which is always a given in Stewart's work. And even though it turned out that I picked the murderer right away, that was just a lucky gut instinct on my part, and I was never completely sure until the final reveal.
So what happens here? Well, imagine you are a beautiful model in London. It is 1953 and a certain young princess is about to have her coronation ceremony to become Queen. The city is packed, you are tired and stressed, you need a vacation. Your mom suggests the Isle of Skye and you decide What the heck, I'll go!
Then when you arrive at your hotel you feel something not quite right in the atmosphere. Why does everyone seem so tense? Why does the mere mention of the name of the nearby mountain cause everyone to hurriedly change the subject? But worse than anything else, why is your ex-husband registered as a hotel guest? A simple coincidence or is something more chilling going on?
I thought this was a great story, one I'll look forward to reading again.
January 20, 2014
*contented sigh*
I am so glad I decided to give Mary Stewart another go after being rather disillusioned with The Ivy Tree and Airs Above the Ground(which I never even finished). This book was the bomb it really was. Not A bomb, THE bomb, which is quite different!
A divorcee takes a much needed respite at a hotel on the Isle Of Skye only to find that along with an assorted group of climbers, fishermen, and writers, her ex husband has also turned up. It's not long before she is informed that a rather grisly murder took place just before she arrived. This alone would be reason enough to pack her bags and leave but before anything can be done in that direction, another guest goes missing...
I found this similar in vein to an Agatha Christie or M.M.Kaye's mystery series where you have a group of people, one of which is the murderer but no one knows who. So pretty spooky because there's no one to trust.
I loved the atmosphere of this novel, the writer really penned the area perfectly~ the obliterating mists that engulf within seconds, treacherous mountainsides and shivering bogs; Celtic superstitions and (in my case) shrieking anticipation.
It was a book where I had the killer pegged, then I didn't, then I did. So it kept you second guessing yourself which is what you want. All around a 5 star read!
CONTENT:
SEX: None
VIOLENCE: There are murders (described after the fact)
PROFANITY: Mild
PARANORMAL ELEMENTS: Not really. Old Celtic mountain worship is mentioned. But there's no "other worldly"i.e, ghostly happenings.
DRUG USE: A LOT of smoking!! One reviewer, my GR friend Laura counted 28 cigarettes. A sign of the times in which it was written but a little annoying.
MY RATING: PG
I am so glad I decided to give Mary Stewart another go after being rather disillusioned with The Ivy Tree and Airs Above the Ground(which I never even finished). This book was the bomb it really was. Not A bomb, THE bomb, which is quite different!
A divorcee takes a much needed respite at a hotel on the Isle Of Skye only to find that along with an assorted group of climbers, fishermen, and writers, her ex husband has also turned up. It's not long before she is informed that a rather grisly murder took place just before she arrived. This alone would be reason enough to pack her bags and leave but before anything can be done in that direction, another guest goes missing...
I found this similar in vein to an Agatha Christie or M.M.Kaye's mystery series where you have a group of people, one of which is the murderer but no one knows who. So pretty spooky because there's no one to trust.
I loved the atmosphere of this novel, the writer really penned the area perfectly~ the obliterating mists that engulf within seconds, treacherous mountainsides and shivering bogs; Celtic superstitions and (in my case) shrieking anticipation.
It was a book where I had the killer pegged, then I didn't, then I did. So it kept you second guessing yourself which is what you want. All around a 5 star read!
CONTENT:
SEX: None
VIOLENCE: There are murders (described after the fact)
PROFANITY: Mild
PARANORMAL ELEMENTS: Not really. Old Celtic mountain worship is mentioned. But there's no "other worldly"i.e, ghostly happenings.
DRUG USE: A LOT of smoking!! One reviewer, my GR friend Laura counted 28 cigarettes. A sign of the times in which it was written but a little annoying.
MY RATING: PG
March 24, 2015
Oh. My. Goodness. What just hit me?
Giantta is a devorce, and with a little encouragement from her mother takes a much needed holiday… to the Isle of Skye. The instant Giantta sets foot on the island she knows something is wrong. No one seems to want to tell her just what is going on. When she gets to the hotel she doesn't have a chance to take it easy before she finds out that a ghastly mureder had been committed and that her ex-husband, Nicolas Durey is on the island, in her hotel. Everyone is a suspect, right down to Nicolas. Worse, Giantta, may be the next victim, but why? Then Giantta goes alone up the mountain and the fog comes rolling down upon her, cutting her off from daffy and escape. Hurling her strait into the murderer's arms.
The chase through the bog, the mist carrying every intake of breath, the bog quivering with the murderer's soft footsteps as he calls Giantta's name through the fog gives …
This was shivering suspense! I loved is so much! This book nearly strangled a scream or two from me, especially the bog and craggy cliff scenes. Just hear this passage : "It was uncanny and horrible, to look at someone's familiar face, to listen to someone's familiar voice, and to see a complete stranger looking out of (their) eye's."
Brilliant! This goes on my Top-2014-Reads shelf for sure!
Mary Stewart kept me guessing till the last chapter, literally. I feel I should have guessed who the murderer was, there were In-Your-Face clues, but I still thought, no it's not really him/her. It can't be! And Yet… all the clues said so. But beware of red herrings… they are there only to deceive.
PG for some imagery and the non-stop smoking
Isn't it a beautiful spot for a mountain sacrifice?
Giantta is a devorce, and with a little encouragement from her mother takes a much needed holiday… to the Isle of Skye. The instant Giantta sets foot on the island she knows something is wrong. No one seems to want to tell her just what is going on. When she gets to the hotel she doesn't have a chance to take it easy before she finds out that a ghastly mureder had been committed and that her ex-husband, Nicolas Durey is on the island, in her hotel. Everyone is a suspect, right down to Nicolas. Worse, Giantta, may be the next victim, but why? Then Giantta goes alone up the mountain and the fog comes rolling down upon her, cutting her off from daffy and escape. Hurling her strait into the murderer's arms.
The chase through the bog, the mist carrying every intake of breath, the bog quivering with the murderer's soft footsteps as he calls Giantta's name through the fog gives …
This was shivering suspense! I loved is so much! This book nearly strangled a scream or two from me, especially the bog and craggy cliff scenes. Just hear this passage : "It was uncanny and horrible, to look at someone's familiar face, to listen to someone's familiar voice, and to see a complete stranger looking out of (their) eye's."
Brilliant! This goes on my Top-2014-Reads shelf for sure!
Mary Stewart kept me guessing till the last chapter, literally. I feel I should have guessed who the murderer was, there were In-Your-Face clues, but I still thought, no it's not really him/her. It can't be! And Yet… all the clues said so. But beware of red herrings… they are there only to deceive.
PG for some imagery and the non-stop smoking
Isn't it a beautiful spot for a mountain sacrifice?
February 5, 2024
2024 Review
Would not recommend right before bed but Stewart's remains a master of ambiance!
2021 Review
Well, that was unexpectedly blood curdling. I've grown accustom to Stewart's style of romantic suspense. It often involves chase scenes...but nothing quite like this!
With Queen Elizabeth's coronation flooding London with tourist, Gianetta (model and divorcee) decides to hightail it to the Isle of Skye as a vacation. Except the trip quickly becomes anything but relaxing after she runs into her cheating ex and gets casually caught up with some ritualistic murders. As one by one the people around her get murdered, Gianetta must figure out fast who she can trust and what lengths she will go to protect the one she loves.
This is a fun book that could have been...more. If you've read much Stewart at all, the villain is pretty obvious, but she does make an attempt to throw the reader off the trail. Maybe more than one. I was hopeful that we might get something different. But no.
Still, the writing was lovely and the environment and ambiance delightful. Mary Stewart never disappoints (much ;) )
Would not recommend right before bed but Stewart's remains a master of ambiance!
2021 Review
Well, that was unexpectedly blood curdling. I've grown accustom to Stewart's style of romantic suspense. It often involves chase scenes...but nothing quite like this!
With Queen Elizabeth's coronation flooding London with tourist, Gianetta (model and divorcee) decides to hightail it to the Isle of Skye as a vacation. Except the trip quickly becomes anything but relaxing after she runs into her cheating ex and gets casually caught up with some ritualistic murders. As one by one the people around her get murdered, Gianetta must figure out fast who she can trust and what lengths she will go to protect the one she loves.
This is a fun book that could have been...more. If you've read much Stewart at all, the villain is pretty obvious, but she does make an attempt to throw the reader off the trail. Maybe more than one. I was hopeful that we might get something different. But no.
Still, the writing was lovely and the environment and ambiance delightful. Mary Stewart never disappoints (much ;) )
October 7, 2022
Mary, I love you, but I have some thoughts about the romance angle of this one . . . mostly: YEESH.
But other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a fashion model hiding in the highlands to get away from the crowds of the Queen's coronation (no, really!), the horrible murders she encounters at what is supposed to be a restful retreat!
But other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a fashion model hiding in the highlands to get away from the crowds of the Queen's coronation (no, really!), the horrible murders she encounters at what is supposed to be a restful retreat!
November 9, 2014
Phew! I am so glad to have finished this. Because there are too many scary things lurking in the shadows here at night.
I've read only two books now by Mary Stewart but I have a good sense of her style. This story unfolds along the same lines as This Rough Magic. The nail biting, edge of your seat action/mystery scenes come to life. There are lots of quirky characters. Her heroines are younger, more worldly Miss Marples and seem to fall into the middle of an unfolding mystery despite themselves. They are compelled to put themselves into the most compromising and dangerous situations. The little tidbits of awkward romance thrown in could easily be edited out though as they are not well developed. This sort of thing obviously is not her forte and detracts only (very) slightly. I suppose as these were written in the 50s, it was necessary to throw in a little handsome-man-to-the-rescue bit. Really though, these stories feature strong intelligent women who defy all odds.
This mystery takes place on an awe-inspiring mountainous Scottish island shrouded in mist and richly historical. The vivid imagery employed is so distinctively artistic and poetic. Stewart is worth reading just for the physical descriptions of surroundings and mood created and this is no different. She is genius at creating atmosphere. You will be transported and it is magical. I find myself rereading passages because they are just so intense and alive. Like admiring a beautiful painting, you can not just walk by.
I may hesitate to read more of her work only because the dark ominous tone and violence are a bit too much for me but I will not fault her for my preferences. If you enjoy being transported and are a fan of classic murder mystery and poetic prose, then run (don't walk) to Mary Stewart.
I've read only two books now by Mary Stewart but I have a good sense of her style. This story unfolds along the same lines as This Rough Magic. The nail biting, edge of your seat action/mystery scenes come to life. There are lots of quirky characters. Her heroines are younger, more worldly Miss Marples and seem to fall into the middle of an unfolding mystery despite themselves. They are compelled to put themselves into the most compromising and dangerous situations. The little tidbits of awkward romance thrown in could easily be edited out though as they are not well developed. This sort of thing obviously is not her forte and detracts only (very) slightly. I suppose as these were written in the 50s, it was necessary to throw in a little handsome-man-to-the-rescue bit. Really though, these stories feature strong intelligent women who defy all odds.
This mystery takes place on an awe-inspiring mountainous Scottish island shrouded in mist and richly historical. The vivid imagery employed is so distinctively artistic and poetic. Stewart is worth reading just for the physical descriptions of surroundings and mood created and this is no different. She is genius at creating atmosphere. You will be transported and it is magical. I find myself rereading passages because they are just so intense and alive. Like admiring a beautiful painting, you can not just walk by.
I may hesitate to read more of her work only because the dark ominous tone and violence are a bit too much for me but I will not fault her for my preferences. If you enjoy being transported and are a fan of classic murder mystery and poetic prose, then run (don't walk) to Mary Stewart.
August 22, 2021
trying to be a Mary Stewart completist.
***
Nicci French will have to be included on the list of Stewart's literary descendants. Killing Me Softly echoes the mountain-climbing danger of this book. Stewart has also presented a lovely twist on the country house murder mystery. And, oh, man, does she evoke the the Isle of Skye. She even managed to make fly fishing sound good.
***
She doesn't stop to dine, but it's still a very long chase sequence. And I love seeing someone knock themself out with exertion, say climbing mountains, and then stopping for a smoke. I remember that was a thing, but it's a 20th century thing.
Personal copy
***
Nicci French will have to be included on the list of Stewart's literary descendants. Killing Me Softly echoes the mountain-climbing danger of this book. Stewart has also presented a lovely twist on the country house murder mystery. And, oh, man, does she evoke the the Isle of Skye. She even managed to make fly fishing sound good.
***
She doesn't stop to dine, but it's still a very long chase sequence. And I love seeing someone knock themself out with exertion, say climbing mountains, and then stopping for a smoke. I remember that was a thing, but it's a 20th century thing.
Personal copy
June 25, 2018
The best chase and hide scene ever, this book is worth the read for the big stalking scene with the bad guy and the h alone, fortunately the build up to the big scene is pretty good too. Tho the romance was sub-par but typical of the time period.
September 25, 2022
Quite enjoyable but very old fashioned crime novel set on the Isle of Skye. It is however understandable as it was written 70 years ago, set in the time of the Queen's coronation and the first ascent of Everest. I had an idea who the murderer was, but quite a weak reason for committing the crime.
July 20, 2018
3.5 stars. Wildfire at Midnight was mostly a good read. It was just over two hundred pages but it felt longer than that, mainly because of all the description and some of the back and forth dialog that went nowhere. While I don't always mind the description in Mary Stewart's books, I did find it rather boring at times in this one. I didn't really care what the rocky cliffs and mountainous ranges looked like all that much. A one-time brief description would have sufficed. However here are a couple of photos of the Isle of Skye where the story takes place and it is visually stunning.
I also got bored with some of the needless conversation between characters that sometimes felt never ending. There were two whole pages dedicated to people wondering if a couple of others they were out searching for had been found after one man motioned for another to come have a look over the side of a cliff. There was also a lot of sitting around and chatting with nothing really going on, but at least there was some good information given about the characters that way. It just went on a little too long.
Like all of Stewart's books this is a romantic suspense. I felt like the romance was really underplayed here, but at least there was no instalove. I also would really like to know what all led up to Gianetta's divorce as we as readers are left guessing a lot about what happened and only given some minute details. I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was how Gianetta responded to a woman about her husband cheating on her as though it was something that she just had to overlook if she wanted to keep her husband because those kind of things just happened. That mentality really irks me!
Mary Stewart could write some really edge of your seat suspenseful scenes and that's the number one reason I like her books and Wildfire at Midnight did not disappoint in that way. The parts when Gianetta was lost in the fog with the killer after her were the best, but the parts when she was sneaking around the hotel at night and looking after a character all night long that the police were protecting also kept me glued to the book. I can't say that I was surprised at who the killer turned out to be, I pretty much picked him out right away as the number one suspect, but there were times when Stewart made me second guess myself.
In the end I liked this book a lot and as far as my enjoyment of it went I rate it in the middle of the pack of Stewart's books. It's not one of my favorites, but it's loads better than the Stormy Petrel which is at the bottom for me and above Airs Above the Ground. It was hard to decide which one I liked better. The one thing Airs Above the Ground had going for it that this book doesn't is that I felt like the main character was a bit smarter and more resourceful. In this book Gianetta lost points with me for a fainting spell and not being able to bring herself to protect herself against someone who was going to kill her. In the end she had to be rescued which annoyed me, however this book was still more entertaining and suspenseful than Airs Above the Ground so it wins out.
So far this is how I'm ranking the Mary Stewart books I've read:
1. The Moonspinners
2. Nine Coaches Waiting
3. Madam Will You Talk?
4. The Ivy Tree
5. Wildfire at Midnight
6. Airs Above the Ground
7. The Stormy Petrel
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
I also got bored with some of the needless conversation between characters that sometimes felt never ending. There were two whole pages dedicated to people wondering if a couple of others they were out searching for had been found after one man motioned for another to come have a look over the side of a cliff. There was also a lot of sitting around and chatting with nothing really going on, but at least there was some good information given about the characters that way. It just went on a little too long.
Like all of Stewart's books this is a romantic suspense. I felt like the romance was really underplayed here, but at least there was no instalove. I also would really like to know what all led up to Gianetta's divorce as we as readers are left guessing a lot about what happened and only given some minute details. I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was how Gianetta responded to a woman about her husband cheating on her as though it was something that she just had to overlook if she wanted to keep her husband because those kind of things just happened. That mentality really irks me!
Mary Stewart could write some really edge of your seat suspenseful scenes and that's the number one reason I like her books and Wildfire at Midnight did not disappoint in that way. The parts when Gianetta was lost in the fog with the killer after her were the best, but the parts when she was sneaking around the hotel at night and looking after a character all night long that the police were protecting also kept me glued to the book. I can't say that I was surprised at who the killer turned out to be, I pretty much picked him out right away as the number one suspect, but there were times when Stewart made me second guess myself.
In the end I liked this book a lot and as far as my enjoyment of it went I rate it in the middle of the pack of Stewart's books. It's not one of my favorites, but it's loads better than the Stormy Petrel which is at the bottom for me and above Airs Above the Ground. It was hard to decide which one I liked better. The one thing Airs Above the Ground had going for it that this book doesn't is that I felt like the main character was a bit smarter and more resourceful. In this book Gianetta lost points with me for a fainting spell and not being able to bring herself to protect herself against someone who was going to kill her. In the end she had to be rescued which annoyed me, however this book was still more entertaining and suspenseful than Airs Above the Ground so it wins out.
So far this is how I'm ranking the Mary Stewart books I've read:
1. The Moonspinners
2. Nine Coaches Waiting
3. Madam Will You Talk?
4. The Ivy Tree
5. Wildfire at Midnight
6. Airs Above the Ground
7. The Stormy Petrel
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
April 30, 2015
I have to say this was my least favorite Mary Stewart thus far.
While the prose itself has her usual elegance & descriptive flair, the plot was simplistic & the characters were flat -- especially the narrator Gianetta. MS's heroines are normally sharp as tacks & on their toes re: suspicious happenings & romantic intrigue; they're not fooled by bland excuses & obvious red herrings, even if they're playing along in the eyes of the other characters. It takes a lot to befuddle a MS heroine...but Gianetta was a dim bulb. She rushes to stupid conclusions (esp about her ex-husband) & repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations by doing exactly what she shouldn't -- i.e., leaving the safety of the hotel. She also does very little to contribute to solving the mystery, which is important for gothic/romantic suspense gals.
Gianetta isn't alone in her flatness, though. The entire cast was bland in terms of MS's usual character development & mixed motives. The most interesting character was the middle-aged stage actress, but she left midway through the book based on a weak authorial whim (and we never did get to meet her mysterious limo driver, alas). The villain's crimes are interesting, & I don't mind the "he's batshit insane!" excuse for said murders, but we never got to know him very well. Likewise, the ex-husband was glossed over; we never learned exactly what he did to earn Gianetta's love-hate-love, nor why the marriage imploded in the first place. Frustrating.
Overall, the length of the book (very short) & the flat characterizations put me in mind of a Harlequin. While the writing was still a cut above Harley fluff, the Scooby-Doo mystery & nonsensical romantic turns (I hate you! But actually I've never stopped loving you! How could we not admit this earlier!) were more akin to slapdash Harlequin antics than Mary Stewart's finely-tuned characterizations...so I'll grade it according to my HQN scale.
Harlequin Scale says: 3 stars.
Not a terrible book...but don't expect MS's habitual awesomeness.
While the prose itself has her usual elegance & descriptive flair, the plot was simplistic & the characters were flat -- especially the narrator Gianetta. MS's heroines are normally sharp as tacks & on their toes re: suspicious happenings & romantic intrigue; they're not fooled by bland excuses & obvious red herrings, even if they're playing along in the eyes of the other characters. It takes a lot to befuddle a MS heroine...but Gianetta was a dim bulb. She rushes to stupid conclusions (esp about her ex-husband) & repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations by doing exactly what she shouldn't -- i.e., leaving the safety of the hotel. She also does very little to contribute to solving the mystery, which is important for gothic/romantic suspense gals.
Gianetta isn't alone in her flatness, though. The entire cast was bland in terms of MS's usual character development & mixed motives. The most interesting character was the middle-aged stage actress, but she left midway through the book based on a weak authorial whim (and we never did get to meet her mysterious limo driver, alas). The villain's crimes are interesting, & I don't mind the "he's batshit insane!" excuse for said murders, but we never got to know him very well. Likewise, the ex-husband was glossed over; we never learned exactly what he did to earn Gianetta's love-hate-love, nor why the marriage imploded in the first place. Frustrating.
Overall, the length of the book (very short) & the flat characterizations put me in mind of a Harlequin. While the writing was still a cut above Harley fluff, the Scooby-Doo mystery & nonsensical romantic turns (I hate you! But actually I've never stopped loving you! How could we not admit this earlier!) were more akin to slapdash Harlequin antics than Mary Stewart's finely-tuned characterizations...so I'll grade it according to my HQN scale.
Harlequin Scale says: 3 stars.
Not a terrible book...but don't expect MS's habitual awesomeness.
December 4, 2019
This is probably more like 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up purely because I guessed the twist, and the real murderer, correctly. I'd call this fairly typical of a Mary Stewart novel: a wild and enchanting setting, beautiful description, and a suspenseful plot with a twist. I liked the heroine for being tough and vulnerable at times, and there were some of the secondary characters who were deeply interesting.
Some less-good things: the mystery didn't cohere for me until near the end, and there were times when Gianetta steps out of her present-narrator's role to say things like "if I'd been less ignorant, I would have searched elsewhere, and then everything would have been different" that really didn't work with the suspense. She falls in and out of it like Stewart wanted to play it both ways, both the limited perspective of her narrator in the present and the more omniscient view of someone telling the story after it was all over. Not great if I stopped to think about it.
Other stuff is spoilery:
On the other hand, I liked how the romance played out.
This is probably the last Mary Stewart suspense novel I'll read. I now have all the Arthurian saga, so I might delve into that. It's been a long, long time since I read any Arthurian retellings, and I remember this one being good.
Some less-good things: the mystery didn't cohere for me until near the end, and there were times when Gianetta steps out of her present-narrator's role to say things like "if I'd been less ignorant, I would have searched elsewhere, and then everything would have been different" that really didn't work with the suspense. She falls in and out of it like Stewart wanted to play it both ways, both the limited perspective of her narrator in the present and the more omniscient view of someone telling the story after it was all over. Not great if I stopped to think about it.
Other stuff is spoilery:
On the other hand, I liked how the romance played out.
This is probably the last Mary Stewart suspense novel I'll read. I now have all the Arthurian saga, so I might delve into that. It's been a long, long time since I read any Arthurian retellings, and I remember this one being good.
March 19, 2021
Why some people don't read Mary Stewart:
1. Lush, evocative descriptions--too many details
2. The heroines think & act like products of their time & not like 21st century women plopped down into the 1940s or 50s
3. She references classical literature & mythology instead of pop culture in her dialogue
4. Her oh-so-British sardonic, manly men
What I enjoy about Mary Stewart:
1. Lush, evocative descriptions
2. Her heroines think & act like women of their time period
3. She references classical literature & mythology in her dialogue
4. Her oh-so-British sardonic, manly men
*I first read Mary Stewart in the 70s, an era not so far removed from the time periods (1940s & 50s) she wrote in. I've loved her ever since!
1. Lush, evocative descriptions--too many details
2. The heroines think & act like products of their time & not like 21st century women plopped down into the 1940s or 50s
3. She references classical literature & mythology instead of pop culture in her dialogue
4. Her oh-so-British sardonic, manly men
What I enjoy about Mary Stewart:
1. Lush, evocative descriptions
2. Her heroines think & act like women of their time period
3. She references classical literature & mythology in her dialogue
4. Her oh-so-British sardonic, manly men
*I first read Mary Stewart in the 70s, an era not so far removed from the time periods (1940s & 50s) she wrote in. I've loved her ever since!
May 13, 2022
Mary Stewart is always a skillful writer, evocative, observant, able to bring the suspense, but Wildfire at Midnight seemed not very well conceived to me. It has all the basics—the is-he-the-hero-or-is-he-the-villain character, the gorgeous setting gorgeously described, the plucky heroine—but the justification for the evildoing seemed weak and many of the characters obvious.
Gianetta Drury is a divorcée in her late twenties in an era when divorce was still rather shocking and women were pressured to accept in the name of duty whatever their husband dished out. She married a charismatic writer when still in her teens and was unprepared for his sophisticated world. He cheated and she left. Since the divorce she has thrown herself into her work as a fashion model but is showing signs of exhaustion, so her boss sends her off on holiday. Her parents—a clergyman and his terminally vague wife, forever offstage but influential—point her in the direction of a remote hotel on the island of Skye in northern Scotland, and off she goes.
Of course, the hotel is not the haven of peace she expects; from the first night she senses undertones among the guests and comes face to face with the last person she wants to meet, her ex. Soon she learns there has been violence and more is feared. From that point on it’s a nonstop ride of mutterings in the dark, disappearances, near-death experiences, and atmospheric weather ratcheting up the tension.
As is so often the case, there are two men vying for the favor of the beautiful heroine, but despite the best efforts of the author to misdirect, the true state of affairs was quite apparent to me from the start. A stab was made at multiplying the suspects, but in light of the rules of the genre and the mores of the era, it had to be one of two and I was pretty sure which one. It didn’t help that I wished the ultimate victor consigned to hell because I found the heroine so likable.
One of Stewart’s hallmarks is her gift for scene-setting and mood-setting description. In her first novel (Madam, Will You Talk?) the descriptive passages were tastefully restrained, helped drive the story, and used original imagery; here they sometimes went way over the top into overwritten melodrama. The Scots-Gaelic place-names were challenging and I found myself sometimes unable to tell one from another despite an introduction in dialogue at the beginning. In her characterization Stewart relied a bit too heavily on type—the simple, honest crofter; the abrasive, dykey teacher; the nymphomaniac actress; etc. Some of these characters seemed introduced only to place the heroine firmly in the middle of the normal spectrum, and the first-person narration did that without them.
I did like the heroine though I disagreed with some of her choices. This is important because in a book like this, the reader’s experience is in large measure driven by how much one is able to identify with the narrator. Gianetta (the name came from a scandalous ancestress) mostly lacked the vanity that so often accompanies great beauty, and she was kind and empathetic as well as possessing that necessary attribute of a thriller heroine, resourcefulness. The direction the plot took, however, drove home the intense pressure to conform that characterized the 1950s and necessitated the revolutions of the 1960s. The reinforcement of conformity will always be an asterisk to any praise I can give a book of the fifties—not only because I personally disapprove but also because it makes the storyline all too obvious.
Gianetta Drury is a divorcée in her late twenties in an era when divorce was still rather shocking and women were pressured to accept in the name of duty whatever their husband dished out. She married a charismatic writer when still in her teens and was unprepared for his sophisticated world. He cheated and she left. Since the divorce she has thrown herself into her work as a fashion model but is showing signs of exhaustion, so her boss sends her off on holiday. Her parents—a clergyman and his terminally vague wife, forever offstage but influential—point her in the direction of a remote hotel on the island of Skye in northern Scotland, and off she goes.
Of course, the hotel is not the haven of peace she expects; from the first night she senses undertones among the guests and comes face to face with the last person she wants to meet, her ex. Soon she learns there has been violence and more is feared. From that point on it’s a nonstop ride of mutterings in the dark, disappearances, near-death experiences, and atmospheric weather ratcheting up the tension.
As is so often the case, there are two men vying for the favor of the beautiful heroine, but despite the best efforts of the author to misdirect, the true state of affairs was quite apparent to me from the start. A stab was made at multiplying the suspects, but in light of the rules of the genre and the mores of the era, it had to be one of two and I was pretty sure which one. It didn’t help that I wished the ultimate victor consigned to hell because I found the heroine so likable.
One of Stewart’s hallmarks is her gift for scene-setting and mood-setting description. In her first novel (Madam, Will You Talk?) the descriptive passages were tastefully restrained, helped drive the story, and used original imagery; here they sometimes went way over the top into overwritten melodrama. The Scots-Gaelic place-names were challenging and I found myself sometimes unable to tell one from another despite an introduction in dialogue at the beginning. In her characterization Stewart relied a bit too heavily on type—the simple, honest crofter; the abrasive, dykey teacher; the nymphomaniac actress; etc. Some of these characters seemed introduced only to place the heroine firmly in the middle of the normal spectrum, and the first-person narration did that without them.
I did like the heroine though I disagreed with some of her choices. This is important because in a book like this, the reader’s experience is in large measure driven by how much one is able to identify with the narrator. Gianetta (the name came from a scandalous ancestress) mostly lacked the vanity that so often accompanies great beauty, and she was kind and empathetic as well as possessing that necessary attribute of a thriller heroine, resourcefulness. The direction the plot took, however, drove home the intense pressure to conform that characterized the 1950s and necessitated the revolutions of the 1960s. The reinforcement of conformity will always be an asterisk to any praise I can give a book of the fifties—not only because I personally disapprove but also because it makes the storyline all too obvious.
October 21, 2015
It was a grey and drizzly day, this morning — even if it brightened up later — so I felt like turning to one of my comfort reads. Wildfire at Midnight isn’t one of my favourite Stewart novels, and indeed the sense of dread and atmosphere in the book makes it perhaps a touch darker than the others, especially with the moral conflict in the last part where Gianetta thinks she knows who did the crime.
The crime itself is pretty chillingly awful; I can’t remember if any of Stewart’s other novels features a mentally ill antagonist, but that’s how it winds up in this one. And he is pretty unsettling, when you compare his later behaviour with all the rest of the book, and think about what lay under the surface… Not a comfortable thought, certainly. It’s also not the warmest in terms of romance, since that’s barely there — there’s one or two great scenes which establish something, but not enough to really make you root for the relationship to happen.
So overall, definitely still not my favourite. But it’s Mary Stewart: the writing is atmospheric, the heroine is self-sufficient, and the ending is, for the heroine at least, a happy one.
One thing I would like to know, from other readers — there’s a scene early on where Gianetta is talking to the actress, Marcia. They’re talking about the two schoolteachers who are there together: the rather sullen older one, Marion, and the younger one, Roberta. Marcia calls them “schwärmerinen”. That seems to mean something to Gianetta, and she treats it as something scandalous/libellous — what on earth’s the implication meant to be? I have the feeling I’m too young to know context.
Originally posted here.
The crime itself is pretty chillingly awful; I can’t remember if any of Stewart’s other novels features a mentally ill antagonist, but that’s how it winds up in this one. And he is pretty unsettling, when you compare his later behaviour with all the rest of the book, and think about what lay under the surface… Not a comfortable thought, certainly. It’s also not the warmest in terms of romance, since that’s barely there — there’s one or two great scenes which establish something, but not enough to really make you root for the relationship to happen.
So overall, definitely still not my favourite. But it’s Mary Stewart: the writing is atmospheric, the heroine is self-sufficient, and the ending is, for the heroine at least, a happy one.
One thing I would like to know, from other readers — there’s a scene early on where Gianetta is talking to the actress, Marcia. They’re talking about the two schoolteachers who are there together: the rather sullen older one, Marion, and the younger one, Roberta. Marcia calls them “schwärmerinen”. That seems to mean something to Gianetta, and she treats it as something scandalous/libellous — what on earth’s the implication meant to be? I have the feeling I’m too young to know context.
Originally posted here.
February 17, 2020
Gianetta Brooke, exhausted by the demands of her job as a fashion model, heads to the Isle of Skye in order to relax. But, to her dismay, her ex-husband Nicholas Drury is also staying there. But soon that will be the least of Gianetta’s troubles, as someone is murdering hotel guests.
To say any more would be to spoil this suspenseful and riveting novel. I loved it, and I didn’t guess the culprit until nearly the end. Another mystery gem from Mary Stewart!
To say any more would be to spoil this suspenseful and riveting novel. I loved it, and I didn’t guess the culprit until nearly the end. Another mystery gem from Mary Stewart!
Read
March 23, 2022This is quite an effective thriller, but not a very good romance as does not shout romance to me.
Also slightly infuriating when Gianetta .
Set on Skye, there is a lot of mountain climbing and mooreland in this one. And it's the first Stewart I've read without a precocious child. Not a one, either in danger or just tagging along.
Also slightly infuriating when Gianetta .
Set on Skye, there is a lot of mountain climbing and mooreland in this one. And it's the first Stewart I've read without a precocious child. Not a one, either in danger or just tagging along.
June 23, 2015
2.5 stars
Serves me right to select a read based on something other than literary merit. This one fit into my PopSugar Reading Challenge, but unfortunately it was blah. Not bad – Mary Stewart never wrote anything bad – but definitely not her best book.
Unlike her other romantic fiction, which usually occurs in some glamorous sunny locations like France or Greece, this one takes the readers to the remote, cloud-shrouded Scottish island of Skye. The landscape is forbidding, the mountains menacing, the weather gray and foggy most of the time, and the murders that pepper the plot are grisly and senseless. And of course, our heroine, a London fashion model, totally ignorant and unbelievably naive, is in the middle of the investigation. That’s her relaxing vacation after all.
The romantic line that is usually strong in this author’s novels is almost invisible here, a trace rather than a full-bodied line.
The tension builds nicely, but the slow moving of the story takes away from that. Almost half the page space is given to descriptions. They are lovely and atmospheric. In theory, they should’ve heightened the feeling of dread in the reader, but their sheer mass produced the opposite effect: they bored me. After a while, I started skipping them and rapidly turning the pages unread to get to the good parts – the action. Too much of anything is never good, neither in fiction nor in real life.
Serves me right to select a read based on something other than literary merit. This one fit into my PopSugar Reading Challenge, but unfortunately it was blah. Not bad – Mary Stewart never wrote anything bad – but definitely not her best book.
Unlike her other romantic fiction, which usually occurs in some glamorous sunny locations like France or Greece, this one takes the readers to the remote, cloud-shrouded Scottish island of Skye. The landscape is forbidding, the mountains menacing, the weather gray and foggy most of the time, and the murders that pepper the plot are grisly and senseless. And of course, our heroine, a London fashion model, totally ignorant and unbelievably naive, is in the middle of the investigation. That’s her relaxing vacation after all.
The romantic line that is usually strong in this author’s novels is almost invisible here, a trace rather than a full-bodied line.
The tension builds nicely, but the slow moving of the story takes away from that. Almost half the page space is given to descriptions. They are lovely and atmospheric. In theory, they should’ve heightened the feeling of dread in the reader, but their sheer mass produced the opposite effect: they bored me. After a while, I started skipping them and rapidly turning the pages unread to get to the good parts – the action. Too much of anything is never good, neither in fiction nor in real life.
December 1, 2024
I love walking into a "new" library and discovering they haven't eliminated all of the older books from their shelves. So I was delighted, while taking a few minutes this morning to peruse the shelves of the library where I'm visiting, to find several authors I love whose books are hard to find. Mary Stewart was the first author I looked for, and I came away with this one. I'm sure I've read it before, but it's been so many years I don't remember it at all. What a great way to spend a few hot, humid afternoons while the grandsons are napping!
Gianetta Brooks, a vicar's daughter turned model, has gone to the island of Skye to get away from the London crowds and continue healing from her divorce. She's less than pleased when her ex shows up at the same remote hotel, along with a assortment of fishermen, mountain climbers, and a famous actress whose reason for being there is less than convincing. Where an MS heroine goes, trouble will soon follow. With a touch of romance, of course.
Once again Stewart gives us a fantastic location with plenty of descriptions of the setting. Search for some images online and you'll get pictures that match her descriptions perfectly. My only complaint with this story is that it was over too soon. I wanted to spend longer with these characters.
"It seems to me a denial of the intellectual progress of centuries, for a nation to consider violence as a tool of policy."
Gianetta Brooks, a vicar's daughter turned model, has gone to the island of Skye to get away from the London crowds and continue healing from her divorce. She's less than pleased when her ex shows up at the same remote hotel, along with a assortment of fishermen, mountain climbers, and a famous actress whose reason for being there is less than convincing. Where an MS heroine goes, trouble will soon follow. With a touch of romance, of course.
Once again Stewart gives us a fantastic location with plenty of descriptions of the setting. Search for some images online and you'll get pictures that match her descriptions perfectly. My only complaint with this story is that it was over too soon. I wanted to spend longer with these characters.
"It seems to me a denial of the intellectual progress of centuries, for a nation to consider violence as a tool of policy."
April 16, 2011
I secretly love novels about people going on holiday and bad things happening to them in some secluded spot. Is it because I’m bitter about the fact that I can never afford to go on a real holiday? Who knows!
Anyway, in that vein, Wildfire At Midnight is about a young fashion model who goes on holiday to the remote and beautiful Scottish island of Skye. Then everything comes over all Agatha Christie and people start dying on the island. Oh, snap! Should’ve stayed at home!
The mystery of Wildfire is serviceable enough, with an interesting reveal. However, it’s weak on the red herrings and ‘gotcha!’ moments that make good mysteries really enjoyable.
According to Wikipedia, Mary Stewart “invented” the romantic suspense genre and, well, Wildfire was certainly better than other “sexy mysteries” I’ve read, where either the romance or the mystery seems like an afterthought. Stewart blends romantic tension with deadly suspense skilfully.
Unfortunately, Wildfire was written in the 1950s and you can really, really tell. Unlike contemporary novels like I Capture the Castle (which still feels fresh today), Wildfire is cringe-y in its outdated gender norms. The central romance is creepy as hell, and modern readers will be yelling at the protagonist that she should SAVE HER OWN DAMN SELF, rather than always waiting for the menfolk to save her. :/
A short and diverting read, but one that felt old-fashioned and, honestly, a bit forgettable.
Anyway, in that vein, Wildfire At Midnight is about a young fashion model who goes on holiday to the remote and beautiful Scottish island of Skye. Then everything comes over all Agatha Christie and people start dying on the island. Oh, snap! Should’ve stayed at home!
The mystery of Wildfire is serviceable enough, with an interesting reveal. However, it’s weak on the red herrings and ‘gotcha!’ moments that make good mysteries really enjoyable.
According to Wikipedia, Mary Stewart “invented” the romantic suspense genre and, well, Wildfire was certainly better than other “sexy mysteries” I’ve read, where either the romance or the mystery seems like an afterthought. Stewart blends romantic tension with deadly suspense skilfully.
Unfortunately, Wildfire was written in the 1950s and you can really, really tell. Unlike contemporary novels like I Capture the Castle (which still feels fresh today), Wildfire is cringe-y in its outdated gender norms. The central romance is creepy as hell, and modern readers will be yelling at the protagonist that she should SAVE HER OWN DAMN SELF, rather than always waiting for the menfolk to save her. :/
A short and diverting read, but one that felt old-fashioned and, honestly, a bit forgettable.
September 26, 2018
I recently finished this book after picking it up from the same old bookshelf as I found Animal Farm in! And it was just as good as Animal Farm, despite being a different genre.
Wildfire at Midnight is a classic mystery 'who dunnit' novel involving murder and suspicion. It's similar to Murder on the Orient Express in the way that there's a murder and only a certain amount of people that it could have been, and these people are the people in the hotel that our main character (Gianetta) is now staying at. However, Gianetta is not a marvelous detective like in Murder on the Orient Express and needs some help from the police to work out what's happening on the Island of Skye.
There's suspicion and false beliefs, mixed with murderers in plain sight and romance that creates mischief. So who dunnit? Read the book and find out. (Wow I sound like a tv advertiser).
Wildfire at Midnight is a classic mystery 'who dunnit' novel involving murder and suspicion. It's similar to Murder on the Orient Express in the way that there's a murder and only a certain amount of people that it could have been, and these people are the people in the hotel that our main character (Gianetta) is now staying at. However, Gianetta is not a marvelous detective like in Murder on the Orient Express and needs some help from the police to work out what's happening on the Island of Skye.
There's suspicion and false beliefs, mixed with murderers in plain sight and romance that creates mischief. So who dunnit? Read the book and find out. (Wow I sound like a tv advertiser).
May 31, 2017
Stewart was such a capable writer that she could've written a textbook and made it worth reading. This one wasn't her best, but it was still very good, indeed.
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