About the author: Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. (from Goodreads)
Major characters:
- Serena "Sissy" March, New York script writer, our protagonist
- Amanda Condit, her older sister
- Sutton Condit, Amanda's husband, ranch owner
- Luisa de la Vega Condit, Sutton's aunt
- Leda Blagden, Amanda's friend
- Johnny Blagden, Leda's just ex-husband
- Jeremy "Jem" Daly, Serena's lost love
- Dr. Dave Seabrooke, researcher
- Bill Lanier, US Army
Locale: Monterey, California
Synopsis: Script writer Serena March - originally from California - takes a vacation from her New York City office to visit her sister Amanda Condit, who is married to wealthy Sutton Condit; owner of a large ranch on the Monterey, California peninsula. It has been four years since Amanda's wedding, at which time Serena fell in love with Jeremy "Jem" Daly. She could not attain a relationship with him, and left California for New York to escape. Now she is returning, and as she hoped, meets up with Jem again. He is unchanged, and the chemistry seems intact.
However, the former camaraderie of the Condits and their friends seems to have dissolved, and there is tension and bitterness; which Serena senses but cannot understand. There are rumors about others, particularly Johnny Blagden, having affairs with Amanda. Sutton's aunt, Luisa de le Vega Condit, goes walking on the cliffs with Serena and falls to her death. During the investigation, another killing occurs, and Serena is the prime suspect by circumstantial evidence.
Review: This title features two of Eberhart's usual setups: the protagonist (Serena) in a love triangle (she loves Jem, who loves Amanda); and the action occurring in a fascinating sort of Spanish architecture. Eberhart's stories frequently use a three or four sided residence built around an open patio/courtyard, two stories, bedrooms upstairs, with verandas around the inside with spiral stairs on either side. This provides opportunites for persons on the verandas to observe and listen to the people below. This story has these two exterior stairs as the only connection between floors, handy for the plot but totally impractical for a residence. In any event, I always look forward to stories using this sort of residence, as it is already in my mind's eye.
It is interesting seeing how the four years' absence - and the war -has changed the group of friends for the worse. Amanda deteriorates before our eyes.
I did pick the killer out early on. But that's OK, still an engaging story.
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