Wildfire at Midnight

Rating:
Summary: Superb storytelling and narrative
Review: This review relates to the printed, not audio, book. This is one of the better Mary Stewarts. She writes what I suppose might be termed romantic suspense, or modern gothic romances. A heroine has to solve a mystery, avoid a danger and find the love of her life. Some Mary Stewarts are just too precious, but this one just escapes that fate. The essential ingredients of suspense, good story-telling and well-drawn characters are all here - and these qualities on their own would make this book a pleasurable enough read. But what makes this book stand out for me is her highly evocative depiction of the Isle of Skye. The Scottish Highlands are generally great fodder for mood writing, and Ms Stewart really milks the romance, majesty and mystery of the Cuillin mountains. It was years after I read this book that I finally clapped eyes on the Cuillin mountains, one quiet late afternoon on a sunny summer's day; yet thanks largely to Ms Stewart I felt my spine tingle with the magic of the moment.

Rating:
Summary: The Romance of Skye
Review: This review relates to the printed, not audio, book. This is one of the better Mary Stewarts. She writes what I suppose might be termed romantic suspense, or modern gothic romances. A heroine has to solve a mystery, avoid a danger and find the love of her life. Some Mary Stewarts are just too precious, but this one just escapes that fate. The essential ingredients of suspense, good story-telling and well-drawn characters are all here - and these qualities on their own would make this book a pleasurable enough read. But what makes this book stand out for me is her highly evocative depiction of the Isle of Skye. The Scottish Highlands are generally great fodder for mood writing, and Ms Stewart really milks the romance, majesty and mystery of the Cuillin mountains. It was years after I read this book that I finally clapped eyes on the Cuillin mountains, one quiet late afternoon on a sunny summer's day; yet thanks largely to Ms Stewart I felt my spine tingle with the magic of the moment.