Jane-Emily

Jane-Emily
by Patricia Clapp
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1969
Cover Illustation: Robert McGinnis

"She's dead, I tell you!
Emily's dead!"

Louisa wanted to believe her own words. But the presence of the little girl who had died twelve years before, the hateful, dark-eyed girl who always had her way, could still be felt in the Canfield mansion.

The globe in the garden glows mysteriously at night. Notes are left for the living. And young Jane, a nine-year-old orphan who had come to spend the summer with her and mother, is in touch with Emily. Emily wants her!

Admittedly, this book has a lot going on for it, cover and story wise. Not surprisingly, this Robert McGinnis cover rocks. His woman tend to have unusually long slender fingers and a penchant for touching their faces. The eerie blue glow of the garden gazing ball really give our heroine a creepy bone white quality.

I should note here the my husband's grandmother has one of these gazing balls in her back garden but sadly it does not glow. But perhaps that if for the best as it would tempt me terribly to spend the bulk I my visit standing by it and caressing my face in mock terror.

Story wise, MY GOD! Hateful, dark-eyed dead children are like gothic novel kryptonite. Who wouldn't get weak in the knees? But where is my handsome and brooding Lord of the Manor? Perhaps he could be lonely, misunderstood and have a tendency for memory lapses. MMMM

The Master of Blue Mire and The Yellow Gold of Tiryns

The Master of Blue Mire

by Virginia Coffman

published by Dell Books

Copyright 1971

When lovely young Livia Roy was sent by Captain Nicholas Brandon to the isolated manor of Blue Mire, she was warned that the two Brandon children might seem strange, their minds still affected by the mysterious violent death of their beautiful mother.

But nothing could have prepared Livia for the hate in her youthful charges' eyes - or the growing signs they were in league with the evil that seemed to haunt this accursed mansion where so many already had died. Could these angelic-looking children be spawns of Satan? And if they were, what kind of man then was their father, handsome and dashing Nicholas Brandon, who Livia so helplessly loved and desperately feared? ...

I am sure you will agree that this book description has all sorts of awesome going on with it. We have our heroine who is not only lovely, but young. - Who would have thought! - We also have her new employer and lord of the manor Captain Brandon - We will just drop the Nicholas so we can pretend a loose association with Jane Austen to hopefully help the WRFH genre gain a little residual respect. - and we have evil young children. 

I for one have a handful of evil children at home and personally I go out of my way to avoid mentioning that they might seem strange or their questionable evil Satan pedigree when looking for a sitter but baby-sitting gigs were probably harder to snag back in the day.

One last thought. Am I the only one who has the fact that Livia helplessly loves and desperately fears Captain Brandon setting off all kinds of warning bells?

I have also received this awesome cover from John in California. This cover for The Yellow Gold of Tiryns besides being very cool has the distinction of being one of the rare Strange Dude On the Cover covers that I have so few of. It also appears from my research, and PLEASE let me know if I this is incorrect, that the cover for this edition was actually illustrated by the book's author Helena Osborne.

In the process of trying to locate the illustration information, I have also stumbled across this alternate cover for a later edition.

My thanks go out to John for sharing!

This Strange Adventure

This Strange Adventure
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1971

Wedded to Terror

Young and beautiful Missie Colfax was

willing to keep her bargain with Wesley

Dexter when she married this worldly

older man and came to live in his magnifi-

cent mansion. She would do anything to

escape the poverty and want of her youth -

even be a wife to a man she barely knew.

Missie could not suspect the twisted

torment behind the icy arrogance of her

bridegroom ... nor realize until too late the

horror that awaited her in the hands of a

man bent on making her the victim of

a strange and terrible vengeance ...

MARY ROBERTS

RINEHART

whose bestseller novels have thrilled

millions the world over, has in This Strange

Adventure created a truly haunting story

of romance and danger.

Hate to break it to you Missie, but I'm not hearing anything all that out of the norm here. I mean aren't Wedded and Terror synonymous with one another?

Every wife must play her part in her husband's strange and terrible vengeance, it's in the job description. Sure, you marry yourself an older man he's bound to have more baggage, but that is the price you pay for that sweet situation. Remember, a lot of ladies would put up with a lot of shit to have themselves digs like that.

And if your husband isn't caressing you with the hands of a man bent on vengeance, you're just not doing your job right.

Reception at High Tower

Reception at High Tower by Dewey Ward
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1969
Cover Illustration: Robert McGinnis

THE MONSTROUS TRUTH OF HIGH TOWER

When Maurie Thomas returned against her will to
High Tower, it was as if she were setting foot in her
ancestral manor for the first time. The lovely young
girl had but recently emerged from the darkness of
insanity, and her memory had been destroyed.

But if she did not know the strange secret of High
Tower, there were those who did. Her imperious
grandmother, with her bitter hate for Maurie ... her
father, seeking solace in drink ... the silent, hand-
some groom ... the whispering servants.

Here, where the very walls and corridors seemed
rank with evil, Maurie felt rising from the icy depths
of her mind the horror that would not let her go.

Hooray, we have a McGinnis illustration. And what a fabulous job. I love this cover. The house is awesome and the chick truly look like she is insane. I totally buy it. I'm not sure if it is the nightgown falling from her shoulders, the bizarre way her left arm hangs dead at her side or even the weird way her long finger touch she face but she seems absolutely mad.

Born in Ohio in 1926, Robert McGinnis studied art at the Ohio State University and at the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. With more than 11,000 book cover along with magazine illustrations and movie posters it would be hard not to have seen his work at some time or other.

The Jackal's Head

The Jackal's Head by Elizabeth Peters
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1970

The Curse of the Dead and
the Treachery of the Living ...

Young and lovely Althea Tomlinson had
hoped never to return to the Valley of the
Kings. Here her father was disgraced and de-
stroyed amid the ancient tombs and treasures
that had been his life's work. From here Al-
thea fled to New York, to start life anew.

But now a strange message from a dying fam-
ily servant and a bizarrely marked newspaper
on her doorstep had brought her back ...
back to face the brilliant, ruthless man who
had brought her father to ruin ... back to un-
earth a secret from beyond the grave ... back
to find herself trapped in a labyrinth of sus-
picion and fear, with a corpse at every turn
and the jackal-like laughter of a murderer
echoing everywhere ...

I would like to say that I have had more than my share of experience with the "Treachery of the Living" but you don't see me running from place to place. Althea flees to New York and now seems to be fleeing the Valley of the Kings. It wouldn't surprise me if she fled to Egypt originally to begin with. Althea's father looks to have been an archaeologist and if he wasn't able to "unearth a secret from beyond the grave" I don't see how how our little Miss nomad plans to do it.

I was excited when I got to pick this one up a few weekends back. The cover is a great twist on our theme but just a deserving of swift escape.

Bellwood

Bellwood by Elisabeth Ogilvie
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1968

AT FIRST CAROLINE ASKED NO QUESTIONS...

Bellwood seemed too good to be
true when lovely Caroline Brew-
ster took up her post as governess
at the isolated mansion on the
great cliff overlooking the sea.

Her young charge, Tim, though
crippled, was delightfully alive.
The landscape was dreamlike. And
above all, there was the darkly
handsome master, Rees Morgan.

Caroline was sure she could help
this proud and lonely man forget
the horrible death of his wife, ease
the torture in his eyes, stop his
strange, savage outbursts of rage.
Too late Caroline realized that
Bellwood held a secret that
cursed all who dwelled (sic) ther, and
there was no escape...

We have a three choices here. Caroline is either wearing her schoolmarm get-up, a sexy nightgown in hopes of seducing Rees Morgan, or a cheap wedding dress with a elastic waistband.

While white is great for helping to camouflage chalk dust and on a governess's salary an economical wedding dress maybe the only option, I am voting for seduction-wear.

What woman wouldn't go to any length to secure herself the darkly handsome master of a mansion. Especially if he has tortured eyes and has savage outbursts of rage. The later of which was nothing what-so-ever to do with the horrible death of his wife. Nothing.

Remember there isn't a character defect in the world that really loving a man can't fix.

Unfinished Portrait

Unfinished Portrait by Agatha Christie (writing under the name Mary Westmacott)
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1962

Haunted by Fear

As long as she could remember, Celia had
been haunted by a spectre of evil - a
spectre in the form of an unknown man
whose face was graven in her mind's eye
like a permanent nightmare of terror. Now
Celia found herself alone, beautiful and
vulnerable, in an isolated Spanish town,
staring in horrified recognition at the
stranger who had entered her room and
smilingly closed the door behind him.

It was he - the man of her terrible dreams,
come to brutally rip away the veils of mem-
ory and claim her as his own...

AGATHA
CHRISTIE
wrinting under the name
MARY
WESTMACOTT
displays a dazzling new facet of her
spellbinding genius in this unforgettable
novel of breathless romance,
intrigue and danger.

Here we have an experiment in art therapy. Notice how the weird dude on the cover appears to be emerging from our female character. Also notice that the copy from the back cover clearly tells us that this "mysterious spectre" had only existed in Celia's mind "for as long as she could remember".

Take these two facts, along with statement that his "face was graven in her mind's eye like a permanent nightmare of terror" and we obviously have a case of multiple personalities. From my understanding this condition is not uncommon with those of use who are alone AND both beautiful and vulnerable. Really, it like a beautiful and vulnerable text book case.

I also think Celia needs to get laid.

Darwich Castle

Darwich Castle by Bettina Kingsley
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1974

Return of Darkness

Darcy Hudson's perfect beauty was unscathed
(well, that's what's important) but the very
foundations of her sanity seemed shattered
by the shocking death of her husband. Painstakingly
the doctors sought to rebuild the stricken widow's
stability, and she thought they had succeeded - until
the doors of Darwich Castle swung open to her. (what, by themselves?)

From the moment she entered the gloomy hallway,
Darcy felt tremors of foreboding. (i'm surprised that
she didn't turn around right then. I would have. I
mean, any sane person ... oh yeah) The warm invitation
to visit suddenly seemed a cold-blooded jest. (sounds
like a After School Special I saw once) Her
love for the man who gave it turned to suspicion
and fear. For this place was ruled by a dead girl
whose power reached out from beyond the grave -
and whose instrument of evil was a dark horse and
a shadowy rider that only Darcy could see, as she
felt herself being picked up and borne back into the
nightmare world of madness ...

WOW this book inspires yet another empty promise! I will read this book and report back to you about its total greatness.

The cover art shows no signature only an illustrated lesson on why insane people should avoid heavy eye make-up.

Fear the Light

Fear the Light by Elizabeth Ferrars
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1960

Home of Horror

Peggy Robertson thought she had left the
small town where she was raised far behind
her. Peggy had won honors at college, settled
in the city, and now, despite her good looks
and comparative youth, already had launched
a brilliant career as a scholar and teacher.

But now Peggy was coming home ... back to
a house haunted by violent death and strange
mystery ... back to a man who was a genius
or a devil or both ... back to a love that could
not be spoken, and to a deadly danger that
would not be denied ...

Back to the embarrassing decorating choices of the nouveau riche. Of course if I ever came into any real money I'd purchase my own concrete lion, so I'm just jealous.

Another good thing about money, beside affording concrete lions, is that with money you can hush anything up. Anything, even the scandal of a "love that could not be spoken" and we all know what that is.

The Man in the Shadow

The Man in the Shadow by Rae Foley
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1953

Season of Evil

It all began for Natalie Garrett as an idyllic
vacation at her grandfather's estate near the
resort of Beach Haven. Summer was over, the
tourists had left, the forest and lake were hers
to enjoy undisturbed.

But Natalie had not counted on a handome
stranger name Bill Brown, his life haunted
by a terrible crime. Or on the mysterious
Swedish count and countess, with their
strange links to a nightmare Nazi past. Or on
the horror that opened up before her terror-
bright eyes as she stumbled upon a secret it
was death to discover, and trembled in the
arms of a lover she could neither trust nor
resist...

Rae Foley,

whose novels of romance and intrigue have
made her famous throughout the world, has
created one of her most gripping and sus-
penseful tales in THE MAN IN THE
SHADOW.

Wow! The one had a little bit of everything. handsome strangers, counts, countesses, Nazis, I don't know where this Beach Haven resort town is but it is hopping!

I believe the illustrator nailed it here. If you have a lover that you can neither trust nor resist, a white cotton granny nightgown is the way to go. From my understanding it was 1953's version of the chastity belt.

Again, we have a signature here. I'm not sure I have it correct. But looks to read Bloscoma. I have not been able to track down any information on this one.

Silence Is Golden

Silence Is Golden by Elsie Lee

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1971

What nameless evil?

Silence Eddington had been given her name
by the old woman who had found her as a
motherless baby. Now Silence was nineteen,
lovely and alone, wondering what her future
might hold.

It seemed too good to be true she
became companion to the mysteriously ailing
young heiress of Hazelhurst Grange. Here
Silence was treated like a lady born and bred,
her beauty and charm softening even the
harsh, handsome features of the master, the
strangely distant James Ffolliott.

How could she know
that soon the love
around her would turn to
hate? How could she
dream that she was being
wrapped in the
tentacles of evil reaching
out from the
nightmare past ...?

I love this cover. Who wouldn't be intimidated by such decor. Of course there is no information on the artist.

Mortissimo

Mortissimo by P.E.H. Durston

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1967

GRAND
TOUR OF
TERROR

Barbara Eliot was young, bored,
wealthy and beautiful. This was her
first trip abroad; she had visited
London and Paris and was spending
the last leg of her college
vacation in Rome.

Her hosts were a charming,
ultra-sophisticated English couple,
and all signs pointed to her having
a pleasant if uneventful time
in the Eternal City ...
until the shattering events of one
horror-filled night. Now Barbara
wandered lost through
the Roman streets with a story
about a dead man that no one
would believe ... shadowed by
a pursuer who would not let
her escape ... and with only
the dubious protection of a
man as fascinating as
he was mysterious ...

I personally think when one signs up for a "Grand Tour of Terror" one really should be prepared be frightened and not look quite so putout about it.

Here again we have a wonderful little various on a Women Running From Houses cover. Here we have our lovely American tourist hiding from some exciting Roman ruins!

Alibi for Isabel

Alibi for Isabel by Mary Roberts Rinehart

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1971

THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN

To lovely young Sally Fielding, beautiful
and sophisticated Isabel Eaton had seemed
a kind of savior, rescuing Sally from misery
and deprivation, and opening up a whole
new life of happiness and fulfillment. (and plunging necklines)

But now all that was to be paid for. Now
Isabel had summoned Sally back to the old
Eaton mansion that held such horror-filled
memories of the past ... and Sally was
faced with the agonizing choice between
losing the man she passionately loved, or
becoming the helpless instrument of
Isabel's evil ... (is it really that hard a decision?)

MARY ROBERTS
RINEHART

whose bestselling novels have thrilled mil-
lions the world over, has in these spellbind-
ing tales of romance and intrigue created
one of her most memorable triumphs.

Apparently Mary Roberts Rinehart originally published this one in 1941 under its original name of Test Blackout. It was again published in Good Housekeeping Magazine under the name The Time is Ten. Again there is no cover art credit or signature on the art but check out her figure!

The Willow Pond

The Willow Pond by Mary Kay Simmons

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1972

Troubled
Waters

Kate Morrison was glad to get the job as
private secretary to the Bentons, even
though she found their great mansion re-
mote and lonely. Almost in passing, the
Bentons told her of the death of her prede-
cessor, who had mysteriously plunged into
the icy waters of the Willow Pond, deep in
the woodland of the sprawling estate.

At first Kate thought nothing of it. That
was before she found herself falling in love
with a man she suspect was evil ... be-
fore she began to wonder at the strange
medical experiments conducted behind
locked doors ... before she realized that she
must discover the horrifying secret of the
Bentons or else be the next victim of the
Willow Pond ...

Okay, this cover is a portrayal of two extremes. A visual battle between comfort and conflict. Firstly, Kate looks very cozy in her warm cable knit sweater overlooking the biggest pond I have ever seen. But on the other hand, her face looks as if she is sickened, (maybe she has even thrown up a little) perhaps by her attraction to the wrong kind of men. But let those without sin cast the first stone. Which one among us hasn't found are selves drawn to an EVIL mad scientist type.

On another note, I would think that Mary Kay Simmons would have enough pressure trying to sell her Women Running from Houses book on a shelve with so many other Women Running from Houses books, but to have to share your own book with an advertisement for another Author just seem unfair. Especially when the sales pitch is a high pressure as this ...

The Captain's House

The Captain's House by Mary Kay Simmons

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1970

THE PRISONER

It was on a dying August day that lovely
Hilary Blair first saw the Claymore man-
sion, high on a cliff above the pounding
ocean, its twin towers jutting violently
into a dimming sky.

A maid led Hilary into the great dining
room, with veiled, averted eyes. There
the Claymores waited, their faces in flick-
ering candlelight, their eyes glittering
with strange intensity as Hilary introduced herself.

Outside night descended. But no night
could rival the black void reaching out
to claim this girl who had come as a
guest - and now felt, cold against her
skin, the tightening grip of evil...

I don't have anything to say about this that the back cover text doesn't say for itself.

The Master of Penrose

The Master of Penrose (Originally titled: Here Comes a Candle) by Jane Aiken Hodge

published by Dell Books
Copyright 1967

SHE AD CROSSED
THE SEA TO COME TO
A PLACE OF HORROR

Kate Croston had come to America to
escape the painful memories of her past.
Memories of betrayal. Of grief. Of
death.

But at bleak and lonely Penrose Hall,
the young and frightened girl found her
escape turned into a diabolical jest. Her
position was that of companion to little
Sarah, the disturbed daughter of Jona-
than Penrose. But the Master of Pen-
rose was alwasy near, his powerful

figure throwing her emotions into des-
perate turmoil - until she was held as
if spellbound, while the icy fingers of a
secret guilt reached out to claim her as
a victim ...

Could they used more hyphenated words on their back cover?