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The Shrouded Walls
Murder complicates the plans of Axel Brandson who has married to insure his inheritance of the family fortune
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1974
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392 people want to read
About the author
Susan Howatch
95 books563 followersSusan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now returned to live in Surrey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 8, 2013
My Summary: Marianne and her brother Alex had no idea that their parents had not made any plans for them in the case of their deaths. Now, orphaned and destitute, the twins have no choice but to fend for themselves. Marianne's only choices -- being the illegitimate child of a high-ranking politician -- are to become a governess or to get married, lest her brother be forced to join the army.
Enter Axel Brandson. A wealthy foreigner, he requests that Marianne become his wife so that he may fulfill the terms of his father's will and inherit the land left to him. She accepts, and all seems well until she reaches the secluded family home that happened to be the scene of a gruesome murder: Axel's father's. And the murderer may or may not be living under the same roof. One thing is certain, though: every member of the family benefitted in some way from Axel's father's death, and they'll also benefit from Marianne's ....
My Thoughts: I read this book almsot eight years ago and adored it. It was like nothing I'd ever read before, and it introduced me to the word of gothic lit. I found it in a discarded box of books outside the library and decided to give it a shot. A few days ago I rediscovered it as I cleaned up my bookshelves and decided to see if I would enjoy it the second time around. Needless to say, twelve year old me was not wrong. Susan Howatch's writing is timeless, pulling you in and not letting go.
Marianne's predicament sounds like the opening of an Austen novel, but it soon becomes clear that she is caught up in a lot more than a simple family drama. The plot is complex and the writing is detailed, yet not too filled with adjectives and descriptions so as to bore the reader. It was a fairly short novel, but it never felt rushed or hurried.
Final Thoughts: I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys gothic lit and anyone who enjoys a good mystery. This book is proof that newer is not always better when it comes to books!
Enter Axel Brandson. A wealthy foreigner, he requests that Marianne become his wife so that he may fulfill the terms of his father's will and inherit the land left to him. She accepts, and all seems well until she reaches the secluded family home that happened to be the scene of a gruesome murder: Axel's father's. And the murderer may or may not be living under the same roof. One thing is certain, though: every member of the family benefitted in some way from Axel's father's death, and they'll also benefit from Marianne's ....
My Thoughts: I read this book almsot eight years ago and adored it. It was like nothing I'd ever read before, and it introduced me to the word of gothic lit. I found it in a discarded box of books outside the library and decided to give it a shot. A few days ago I rediscovered it as I cleaned up my bookshelves and decided to see if I would enjoy it the second time around. Needless to say, twelve year old me was not wrong. Susan Howatch's writing is timeless, pulling you in and not letting go.
Marianne's predicament sounds like the opening of an Austen novel, but it soon becomes clear that she is caught up in a lot more than a simple family drama. The plot is complex and the writing is detailed, yet not too filled with adjectives and descriptions so as to bore the reader. It was a fairly short novel, but it never felt rushed or hurried.
Final Thoughts: I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys gothic lit and anyone who enjoys a good mystery. This book is proof that newer is not always better when it comes to books!
January 25, 2008
Susan Howatch is one of my favourite modern authors. She has a fairly terse style without too many adjectives, and yet builds up realistic and sympathetic characters.
In this, one of her early 'gothic' novels, she uses - as she often does - a first person narrative to get inside the mind of the main character, a 17-year-old girl in the 18th century, who finds herself in worrying and mysterious circumstances.
It's something of a thriller, almost in Mary Stewart's genre although without fast chases or exotic settings. It's also a kind of whodunnit, as the narrator gradually pieces together clues, talking to various people in the household and putting her thoughts and discoveries on paper as she writes to her brother. Naturally the puzzle is eventually solved, and everything tidied up, but not without a few shocks of the gothic style.
It's quite a good book; towards the end it became gripping as I felt more and more drawn into the story. On the other hand, it doesn't feel really authentically 18th century. The research is fine; I can't fault the daily routine or the way people dressed or travelled. On the other hand, the conversation and general descriptions sound like those of 20th century people: they don't have the older style inflexions or styles of speech that the better historical authors use so readily.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it as a bit of escapism. It's not a long book (under 200 pages) and the gothic horror bits aren't unpleasantly gory.
In this, one of her early 'gothic' novels, she uses - as she often does - a first person narrative to get inside the mind of the main character, a 17-year-old girl in the 18th century, who finds herself in worrying and mysterious circumstances.
It's something of a thriller, almost in Mary Stewart's genre although without fast chases or exotic settings. It's also a kind of whodunnit, as the narrator gradually pieces together clues, talking to various people in the household and putting her thoughts and discoveries on paper as she writes to her brother. Naturally the puzzle is eventually solved, and everything tidied up, but not without a few shocks of the gothic style.
It's quite a good book; towards the end it became gripping as I felt more and more drawn into the story. On the other hand, it doesn't feel really authentically 18th century. The research is fine; I can't fault the daily routine or the way people dressed or travelled. On the other hand, the conversation and general descriptions sound like those of 20th century people: they don't have the older style inflexions or styles of speech that the better historical authors use so readily.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it as a bit of escapism. It's not a long book (under 200 pages) and the gothic horror bits aren't unpleasantly gory.
September 1, 2021
"The Shrouded Walls" showed Susan Howatch branching out from the contemporary Gothics she'd written to try on both a historical setting--Regency England--and first-person narration. Marianne Fleury needs security after the death of her parents; Axel Brandson needs a wife to claim an inheritance. From this marriage of convenience, the reader becomes involved in sorting out the truth of what happened nearly a year previously at the family's estate Haraldsdyke, when patriarch Robert Brandson died suddenly. As in her previous novels, Howatch brings a frankness and maturity--to the characters' relationships. Although never explicit, her gothics are not sanitized, as is the case with most of the genre. The revelations of the mystery are a little talky, as they can be with Howatch's gothics. Nevertheless, "The Shrouded Walls" is enjoyable, taking the reader into new territory for the author, including a final chapter that answers most of the reader's questions about the characters' future lives.
April 28, 2016
If you like old school, wild and crazy gothics, this definitely falls into that category. The heroine, Marianne Fleury, discovers upon the death of her parents that she and her twin brother have been left penniless. Her carefree father never saw the importance of drafting a will, so upon his death, everything went to his estranged wife, leaving the family he created with his mistress to be turned into the streets.
However, all is not lost. A sympathetic solicitor refers another urgent client of his to Marianne. This gentleman, Axel Brandson, stands to inherit his father's vast fortune but only if he marries within a year of his father's death. Since Axel has spent most of his life abroad in Vienna, finding an English bride has proven difficult. He proposes marriage, and the desperate Marianne accepts.
And so begins a creepy, weird gothic tale. Some of the creepiness - the good part of it - comes from the mystery plot. Soon after the marriage, Axel takes Marianne to his family estate out in the remote reaches of the countryside. There, Marianne learns that Axel's father did not die by chance. Instead, he was murdered in the house and one of Axel's half-brothers disappeared that same day and was presumed dead as well. Rumor has it that Axel himself may have some connection to the deaths.
And the Brandson family doesn't exactly fall over themselves to welcome Marianne either. She encounters a cold stepmother-in-law and some very strange brothers and sisters in law. With rumors of witchcraft and hints of violence and family secrets running underneath almost every interaction, this crew pretty much defines "dysfunctional family." And the effect is creepy in the extreme.
Unfortunately for this book, the romance is every bit as creepy as the mystery. For starters, Marianne is 17 and Axel 34. And yes, much is made of him being twice her age. This starts off as a marriage of convenience and the brief allusions to sex between the two make it clear that, at least in the early days, they're having awkward, cold, duty sex. Somehow this makes their relationship seem even skeevier.
And then to top things off, Axel treats Marianne more like a child than an equal. He takes a very authoritarian tone with her, and I found some of their interactions very offputting. His air of "I'm only being harsh for your own good because I understand the world much better than you do" did not endear him to me even if Marianne does eventually fall in love with him.
Bottom line? This book does have a creepy and offputting mood, so it works fairly well as a mystery. However, I can't overlook the fact that the romance is just as horrifying as the creepy family secrets.
However, all is not lost. A sympathetic solicitor refers another urgent client of his to Marianne. This gentleman, Axel Brandson, stands to inherit his father's vast fortune but only if he marries within a year of his father's death. Since Axel has spent most of his life abroad in Vienna, finding an English bride has proven difficult. He proposes marriage, and the desperate Marianne accepts.
And so begins a creepy, weird gothic tale. Some of the creepiness - the good part of it - comes from the mystery plot. Soon after the marriage, Axel takes Marianne to his family estate out in the remote reaches of the countryside. There, Marianne learns that Axel's father did not die by chance. Instead, he was murdered in the house and one of Axel's half-brothers disappeared that same day and was presumed dead as well. Rumor has it that Axel himself may have some connection to the deaths.
And the Brandson family doesn't exactly fall over themselves to welcome Marianne either. She encounters a cold stepmother-in-law and some very strange brothers and sisters in law. With rumors of witchcraft and hints of violence and family secrets running underneath almost every interaction, this crew pretty much defines "dysfunctional family." And the effect is creepy in the extreme.
Unfortunately for this book, the romance is every bit as creepy as the mystery. For starters, Marianne is 17 and Axel 34. And yes, much is made of him being twice her age. This starts off as a marriage of convenience and the brief allusions to sex between the two make it clear that, at least in the early days, they're having awkward, cold, duty sex. Somehow this makes their relationship seem even skeevier.
And then to top things off, Axel treats Marianne more like a child than an equal. He takes a very authoritarian tone with her, and I found some of their interactions very offputting. His air of "I'm only being harsh for your own good because I understand the world much better than you do" did not endear him to me even if Marianne does eventually fall in love with him.
Bottom line? This book does have a creepy and offputting mood, so it works fairly well as a mystery. However, I can't overlook the fact that the romance is just as horrifying as the creepy family secrets.
August 27, 2017
When I recently reorganized my collection of gothic romantic suspense novels that I collected and read in my teens, I came across this title, which I did not recognize by title or author. Needing something light, I jumped in. and I was pleasantly surprised. It's not the most brilliant book I've ever read, but it was good and comfortable, like slipping on a pair of old slippers. If you've read and loved Victoria Holt's writing, you might have a similar reaction to this. I appreciated that the author didn't shy away from some unpleasant realities, whether it was the plight of the children of rich men's mistresses, if their noble fathers can no longer help them, or the unpleasant nature of wedding nights in loveless marriages. I must say it was difficult to believe, at times, that Axel really cared for Marianne. Aside from his seeming lack of prowess in the bedroom, he treated her like a child most of the time. Given their difference in age, it seemed like a realistic attitude, especially in an era when women were generally treated like that regardless of their age--but no less unappealing. The way that their characters grew together and developed a relationship was enjoyable, though, and probably more accurate to the time, than if Axel had treated Marianne like a male equal. Overall a quick, engaging read that was a perfect break from the heavier non fiction I'd been reading. I plan to seek out more books by the author in the future.
August 14, 2013
The ending turns out rather depressing for most people except for the heroine.
December 21, 2014
3.5 stars. Quick, readable gothic mystery.
July 24, 2011
This book is proof that random books picked out of your sister's collection can be fun to read after all. I immensely enjoyed the characters and their development as well as the fun mysteryand silly antics of a polite but very young bride. The characters were vivid and they weren't as pristine as Jane Austin would have written them, which somehow made them more believable and real.
Overall: I loved it and I would recommend this book to anyone at all save kids.
Overall: I loved it and I would recommend this book to anyone at all save kids.
May 29, 2011
I became a big fan of Susan Howatch after have read Penmarric and Cashelmara. The Shrouded Wall is a thrilling story about Marianne and her marriage to Axel Branson who was obliged to find a wife after his father dead in order to receive his inheritance.
November 22, 2016
It took almost half of the book to really get the eerie feeling of the gothic mystery genre & all the twists & turns in the storyline. No major character development in this relatively short novel, but an enjoyable read in the genre.
April 12, 2022
I thought this was engrossing. I could feel the heroine Marianne's feelings of entrapment, fear, and helplessness very keenly. I was meh on the love story though. I correctly guessed who the villain was although I also questioned myself many times. Overall, nice read.
March 23, 2013
A true favorite of mine.
February 17, 2016
A suspenseful, who-done-it, set in 1700's England. A young orphaned girl marries a stranger for the convenience of both of them - he needs a wife for his inheritance to be gicen to him, she needs a husband for financial support of both her brother and herself. But when she gets to his family home things are not what they seem, a murderer is out to get the inheritance for themselves, but who of the various family members could it be? And is her life in danger too? An easy to read thriller.
October 25, 2021
I read this for a reading challenge category "reread an old favorite". I read this at 14, then 15 and again at 16 and loved it. But now, many decades later, I found it to be a bit boring. The writing is okay, it's more of a mystery than a gothic romance, and the story is told (mainly through dialogue) rather than shown. It is fun to reread a favorite from so long ago as it gives you a glimpse in to who you were.
June 19, 2015
A simple gothic romance with a murder mystery entwined into it.The story does move along nicely, there wasn't much creepy suspense or spine chilling situations which one might expect in a gothic mystery but still manages to retain reader's interest.
August 19, 2013
Good book...not really scary, but a good mystery.
February 24, 2022
A great gothic read; it's perfect to accompany you on a rainy day to match the gloomy setting of Haraldsdyke mansion among the marshes.
A gripping, eerie story of Marianne Fleury, an orphan who had to marry Axel Brandson, a strange, rich man. Upon marrying him, Axel explained his family situation where his father and stepbrother recently died. But once Marianne joined the family, her suspicions about the murder grew so ferociously, that she was sure the murderer wasn't dead---they could very well live among them in the mansion!
Marianne was a great character and narrator. Modern, intelligent, likable, it was refreshing to follow her journey into marriage and uncovering the secrets of Haraldsdyke. The ending was wrapped up nicely enough to give this a 5 star rating.
A gripping, eerie story of Marianne Fleury, an orphan who had to marry Axel Brandson, a strange, rich man. Upon marrying him, Axel explained his family situation where his father and stepbrother recently died. But once Marianne joined the family, her suspicions about the murder grew so ferociously, that she was sure the murderer wasn't dead---they could very well live among them in the mansion!
Marianne was a great character and narrator. Modern, intelligent, likable, it was refreshing to follow her journey into marriage and uncovering the secrets of Haraldsdyke. The ending was wrapped up nicely enough to give this a 5 star rating.
August 29, 2014
Good historical gothic novel. The heroine is dated--too weepy for today's reader--but the author does a lot right, including deftly raising the stakes at each turn. There's a whodunit which I couldn't anticipate a solution to (could have been one of six people). A little too much reliance on hiding behind draperies to overhear (easy enough to fix, too, so it'd odd she didn't vary it a little). But I was entertained. (And I'll no doubt forget everything about it by tomorrow evening.)
August 31, 2016
A solid 3 stars for this novel, which is reasonably well-written in the 'gothic romance' style. It held my interest all the way through and apart from the occasional illogical plot strategy used to move the narrative forward, it was a satisfying and enjoyable read.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a beguiling gothic romance, without being too concerned about dissecting the story or examining the narrative style too closely ;).
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a beguiling gothic romance, without being too concerned about dissecting the story or examining the narrative style too closely ;).
June 27, 2013
A decent mystery, although I guessed the ending. The main character enters into a marriage of convenience and discovers that one of her new in-laws is a murderer. She just has to figure out which one before she is the next target!
August 30, 2016
I read this whilst I had a break from reading Sins of the Father by the same author. Her older books are certainly very different from her newer ones, this was very reminiscent of Mary Stewart. A good read.
Read
August 5, 2008One volume with "The Dark Shore" (also read)
August 31, 2010
Gothic.
Read
September 6, 2010bot
October 1, 2017
Excellent! Never guessed who the murderer was. Very suspenseful and hard to put down. Absolutely loved it!
May 1, 2020
A Covid-19 level 4 lockdown read i.e. better than nothing. What happened to Edwin? Ignored fact that Alice was 4 months pregnant.
March 13, 2024
I read a lot of Gothic romances (for work and pleasure) and this is not one I recommend. The mystery was very serviceable and there was some degree of tension. However, most of this was caused by Axel (the love interest) keeping our heroine in the dark, commanding her to do things without explanation, and eventually locking her in her room after drugging her teenage brother with laudanum! Classic 'good guy' stuff. Also a classic example of 'literally talking to her and not treating her like a child to command and obey your every word would have sorted out this problem immediately'.
The main issue for me was the romance. It's the type of romance that was the focus of all the negative feminist attention paid to the early Gothic romances, which accused them of normalising the brutal or abusive behaviour of a spouse but making it 'ok' because 'he really does love her after all'. I usually give fairly short shrift to statements that condemn a whole genre containing hundreds of books by many different authors on the strength of a couple of reading experiences. This is the kind of book that inspired that criticism though. Axel spends most of his time commanding her about, minimising her fears, explaining how at 17 (he's 34) she's the perfect age to bear his children (something she is afraid of for various reasons), and having sex with her without seemingly any concern for her enjoyment. I'll leave you with a passage from their first night as 'man and wife' for an example of how the relationship is set up:
'I relaxed happily in the supreme bliss of my ignorance. I had thought myself so sophisticated in knowing all about the passion and ectasy and fulfilment of the act of love. No one had ever told me that this same act could also be painful, embarrassing and repulsive.
Later after he had gone I curled myself up into a ball as if to ward of the horror of the memory, and for the third night in succession I cried myself to sleep.'
If you like Gothic romance, there are MUCH better books out there that don't leave you feeling quite so queasy about the central relationship.
The main issue for me was the romance. It's the type of romance that was the focus of all the negative feminist attention paid to the early Gothic romances, which accused them of normalising the brutal or abusive behaviour of a spouse but making it 'ok' because 'he really does love her after all'. I usually give fairly short shrift to statements that condemn a whole genre containing hundreds of books by many different authors on the strength of a couple of reading experiences. This is the kind of book that inspired that criticism though. Axel spends most of his time commanding her about, minimising her fears, explaining how at 17 (he's 34) she's the perfect age to bear his children (something she is afraid of for various reasons), and having sex with her without seemingly any concern for her enjoyment. I'll leave you with a passage from their first night as 'man and wife' for an example of how the relationship is set up:
'I relaxed happily in the supreme bliss of my ignorance. I had thought myself so sophisticated in knowing all about the passion and ectasy and fulfilment of the act of love. No one had ever told me that this same act could also be painful, embarrassing and repulsive.
Later after he had gone I curled myself up into a ball as if to ward of the horror of the memory, and for the third night in succession I cried myself to sleep.'
If you like Gothic romance, there are MUCH better books out there that don't leave you feeling quite so queasy about the central relationship.
September 22, 2025
This is possibly the worst Howatch novel I’ve read. The main character is a drip who only makes everything worse, her husband comes across as a bit of a monster, and most of the story is her wandering around, having everyone tell her about what happened a year before, things they had never told anyone else, but will now relay to a 17 year-old they just met. This is weirdly one of the few romance novels I’ve ever read that acknowledges that marital sex can just be terrible. Multiple sexual encounters are alluded to and I’m not sure the main character enjoys any of them. The whole thing is a rather dreary read, and I’m glad this was not my first Howatch novel because I would not have read a second.
September 24, 2025
I enjoyed the gothic elements, the age-gap and that's about it. I don't know if an MC who is an obnoxious busybody is a must trope in whodunnit, but that sort of character is like nails on a chalkboard. Events could have unraveled without the heroine harassing everyone around her for information that didn't concern her.
September 18, 2018
I flew through this book. At only 175 pages, it is a quick, fast paced and intriguing Regency whodunit that had me hooked until the end. Yes, it was cheesy in parts, and it followed a formulaic story line, but the author managed to pack quite a lot into such a short novel. Will definitely give more of her books a go.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews