Thursday, June 11, 2020

The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

"I have left a puzzle for you to solve, Eleanor Harper. You, the would-be sleuth. You, of the curious mind. I know you will latch on to it, just as you latched on to the murders of my father and sister all those years ago. I trust you'll be more successful this time. You see, that's why I chose you and brought you to Cliffside. Only you can work out all of the mysteries that are swirling through these halls....my nightmare is over. Yours, however is just beginning."

Brief summary of the plot:
Situated on the shore of Lake Superior, Cliffside Manor was built in 1925 as a TB sanatorium. Decades later, Chester Dare turned it into an exclusive retreat for writers and artists. Penelope Dare, his daughter, has just hired Eleanor Harper to be Cliffside's new director. Eleanor, who spent 20 years as a crime journalist, is looking forward to her new job in this peaceful haven. But all is not as it seems at Cliffside. First, there's an unexpected death. And Eleanor keeps waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of children laughing, only there aren't any children there. Then the five guests--a photographer, a landscape artist, a poet and two writers--all seem to have a connection to Cliffside's past. Why did Penelope bring them all here? And what's the mystery that Eleanor is supposed to solve? And does it have anything to do with the ghostly children haunting the manor?

My thoughts:
This is a very entertaining read. It combines the enigmatic mystery surrounding the Dare family with the history of Cliffside Manor as a sanatorium and a haunting supernatural twist. There's an eerie atmosphere at Cliffside throughout the book that I liked, but the most suspenseful ghostly activity doesn't happen until the last third of the novel. It's the same with Eleanor's attempts to solve the mystery of Cliffside. I felt like she didn't make any real progress until the other guests arrived. Although, to be fair, she doesn't have a lot of clues to go on at first, and none of the servants are exactly forthcoming with their secrets. And the ghostly secrets of Cliffside are as plentiful as they are unexpected. I guessed a few of them, but most I did NOT see coming. Which made for a compelling, if fantastic, ending. I would have liked a few more clues along the way to how this one was going to end because I felt like it came out of nowhere. But it was suspenseful. One other thing bugged me at the end, but to talk about it is to spoil one of the big reveals, so I'll just say this wasn't a perfect read, but I still liked it. What made it even better was reading it with Melody! Be sure to check out her review to see what she liked...and didn't like about this one.

Happy Reading!

Melody's questions to me...and my answers:

1. What do you think of Eleanor and what do you like and/or dislike about her?
For the most part, I liked Eleanor, although I felt she was a little slow to accept the idea that Cliffside might me haunted. And for being a crime journalist, I felt like she kept stopping her investigation into Cliffside's mystery too soon...although I guess the reason for that gets explained at the end. One thing I didn't like is how she was instantly attracted to two of the men she meets at Cliffside, that bugged me. But I liked how she didn't panic or faint at the scary parts. And I liked her interactions with the servants and other guests. Overall, she made a good narrator.

2. In your opinion, what are the attractions of this story? 
The Gothic atmosphere surrounding Cliffside; it's such a cool old manor! And the fact that you know something eerie and creepy is going on there right from the beginning, even though you have no idea what exactly it is. And I always like stories with ghosts, and that have a supernatural twist to the mystery, so that was good, too.

Thanks for another fun buddy read, Melody!



22 comments:

  1. This book is both atmospheric and suspenseful, isn't it? This would have made a perfect read to me if not for that ending (I agree it came out of nowhere). That said, I think the ending may still appeal to some readers, depending on their reading taste. Thank you for another fun buddy read, Lark! I'm already looking forward to our next one already, even if it may take some time to get hold of the library copy. :)

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    1. This one was fun, Melody! Thanks for reading it with me. :)

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  2. That snippet pulls me right in. Plus, I love books with Gothic atmospheres and creepy old manors. :)

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    1. Right? :D Those are two of my favorite things in a book.

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  3. This one sounds like everything I love in a good novel. It seems a little similar to The Broken Girls, which I also loved.

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    1. Definitely has a similar vibe to that one. :)

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  4. Glad you and Melody enjoyed this one!

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    1. It's always fun reading a book with Melody. :)

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  5. Oh wow, this sounds like an AMAZING read!!

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    1. It's very entertaining. Wendy Webb is a good author. :)

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  6. I love the sound of the setting here. Sounds spooky! I do think it's important to have a few clues along the way that give hints at where the mystery is going instead of being completely blindsided in the end. Sometimes a big surprise works, though. Wonderful review, Lark! :)

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    1. Thanks, Rachel! There was a lot I liked about this one. I just wanted some more clues as to what the actual haunting was about before the big reveal. :)

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  7. I have never done a buddy read! In normal times if I start a good book I just plough on through until it's done. I'd be a hopeless buddy reader for anyone!

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    1. Pacing yourself to not finish too soon is one of the requirements of a buddy read....probably the hardest. ;D

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  8. What an interesting sounding book.

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  9. What's not to like about a haunted manor!

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    1. Right? I love a haunted house setting. :)

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  10. Oh this sounds CREEPY! And I like that Elenaor is a former crime journalist in a situation that involves the paranormal. It such a great mix!

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    1. It is a good mix. I just wish she'd done a little more investigating along the way.

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  11. The Gothic atmosphere and old manor would definitely be what draws me to this one too. It sounds like an interested read, even though it falls short in a couple of places.

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    1. I enjoyed it despite the few things that bugged me at the end. Wendy Webb has other atmospheric supernatural mysteries that you could check out, too, like The Fate of Mercy Alban and The Vanishing. :)

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