Mary Stewart’s novels are always good comfort reads. There’s definitely a formula to them—they always take place in an exotic location, and feature a smart, somewhat skeptical heroince (who’s usually in her mid to late twenties). Throw in some romance and suspense, and you have the recipe for a really fun, atmospheric read. Wildfire at Midnight is no exception to this.

Giannetta Drury is a model, who decides to take a break from London to visit the Island of Skye, up in the Hebrides. She stays at a local hotel, but is perturbed when her ex husband, Nicholas, is also one of the guests there--ouch, how awkward! As Giannetta becomes more familiar with the other guests at the hotel, she learns the story of the murder of a young local girl, whose throat was brutally cut. But as events unfold, it turns out that the murderer hasn’t yet finished their work…

Wildfire at Midnight is more of a mystery than some of Mary Stewart’s other books, and the suspense is right up there as some of the best that she’s ever offered. There are several truly bone-chilling scenes in this novel, especially the one in the fog towards the end! I feel that character development is weaker here (for example, I felt that Dougal Macrae seemed rather undisturbed by the murder of his daughter, two and a half weeks prior to the events in the book). But I enjoyed the romance aspect—it’s there all along, though Giannetta doesn’t realize it until the end. Giannetta also seems to be less skeptical than some of Stewart’s other heroines, but that more or less works in her favor this time. Again, another strong novel from Mary Stewart. ( )

I wanted to read this book after a recent visit to Skye, and the descriptions of the mountains and the mist reminded me very much of the holiday. This is the story of fashion model Gianetta Brooke, who goes on holiday to Skye to get away from it all. When she reaches her designated hotel she learns of a recent murder in the mountains. She also finds that, by what felt like a bizarre coincidence at the time, her ex-husband has also checked into the same hotel.

Everybody in the hotel is a suspect in the murder and this story is an Agatha Christie style closed-room murder mystery, but in this case more of a closed hotel. The writing is a little dated now, as the book was first published in 1956, but I found it an enjoyable enough read. ( )

Protagonist: fashion model Gianetta Drury
Setting: the Isle of Skye, Scotland, in the 1950s
Standalone

While not traipsing through the sewers of London, I seem to find myself wandering around the Highlands of Scotland. Fashion model Gianetta Drury decides to take a holiday on Skye to de-stress. When she arrives, she finds that her stay is going to be anything but stress-free. Her ex-husband is staying at the same hotel, and a young girl was recently murdered not far away from the place. The police are sure that one of the people staying at the hotel is the murderer.

Originally written in 1956, the book has aged gracefully. The only thing that really dates it is having the heroine smoke like the proverbial chimney. The setting is superbly done, and although the murderer was easily guessed, Wildfire at Midnight was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of
hours. ( )