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Read Wildfire At Midnight (2003)

Wildfire at Midnight (2003)

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Rating
3.89 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0060093579 (ISBN13: 9780060093570)
Language
English
Publisher
harpertorch

Wildfire At Midnight (2003) - Plot & Excerpts

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 series of shocks awaits 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 could 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! (view spoiler)[And for heaven's sake, grow a spine and throw some friggin' rocks at the murderer! (hide spoiler)]

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 smokingIsn't it a beautiful spot for a mountain sacrifice?

What do You think about Wildfire At Midnight (2003)?

I really loved this book. This is a murder mystery set at a remote hotel on the Isle of Skye. There were several aspects to the book, and they were all handled very wel.The characters were interesting and well-written. There was a wide range of people, and there was more going on than just the mystery. There are rather a lot of characters, sometimes identified by first name and sometimes by last. Writing up your own cast of characters as they're introduced might be helpful, at least in early stages.The mystery was well done. The murderer wasn't given away too early, things made sense. I wasn't left frustrated in the end because things didn't seem finished.The writing was very evocative of the location. I've been to this area, though not the actual hotel, and Stewart gives a very good sense of place. Her writing had a very poetic feel to it and it was a pleasure to read. If you can find an online map of the area, it might be helpful. Names of various mountains and hills were thrown around with abandon and it'd be easy to get confused.
—Wayne

*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: NoneVIOLENCE: There are murders (described after the fact)PROFANITY: MildPARANORMAL 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
—Dorcas

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.
—MomToKippy

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