Malinda looks for a secret that could free her from a frightening past when she returns to Silverhill, her mother's home.

FROM AMAZON: After decades away, Malinda Rice returns to the New Hampshire estate of Silverhill to make sure her departed mother is buried in her rightful place in the family plot. Still carrying the scars of her past, she’s determined to solve the mysteries behind the bad blood that has divided her family. But, like old memories, Malinda is not welcome at Silverhill.

She faces her embittered grandmother, a manipulative tyrant to be feared and never crossed. And her disturbed aunt is lost in a fantasy world, desperate to be rescued. Malinda finds solace with the handsome family doctor, whom she discovers is the only person she can trust, however guarded. The secrets in this deceptive hall of mirrors run deeper and darker than she imagined. Now, while seeking the truth in a mansion haunted by lies, twisted memories, and ruined lives, she must also fight for her sanity—and her life. ( )

3.5* ( )

One of Whitney's earlier publications, this one still has the intricate plotting and surprises that are missing in her later titles. Conversely, it's one of the less evocatively atmospheric of hers I've read so far.

The thing a reader has to accept about Whitney is that her whole raison d'être in writing was to thrust heroines into the most unwelcome home she could imagine and have her persevere in spite of all stumbling blocks. It's formulaic, definitely, but each of her earlier novels becomes unique in the setting, the secrets and the mystery.

Silverhill absolutely fits the Whitney formula, and it made me a bit impatient at the start as all the usual hurdles, cruelty and heartache were presented along with the future insta-love (these books were written in the 50's and 60's when apparently if it took you longer than 48 hours to decide you'd met your One True Love, you might as well not bother).

But one all of that was gotten through, the story was a surprise. I thought I knew where it was going, and I was sort of right, but the salient detail of the whole thing blindsided me when it was revealed. So much karma getting doled out to everyone. And, of course, a happy ending for our heroine.

When a good Whitney comes along, they are a pure indulgence to a much more innocent, yet horrific, form of story telling for readers who like their suspense served in tandem with romance, and a touch of gothic for garnish. ( )

I don't think I've read Silverhill in decades, but I had remembered quite a bit. The house itself has interesting features, such as a wall that divides the main house. Malinda Rice's mother gave her two tasks before she died. Malinda's overbearing maternal grandmother, who never forgave her youngest child for leaving her to marry the man she loved, is determined that Mallie not succeed. Mallie hasn't been to Silverhill since she was four years old. That visit ended in scarring her for life. This visit could be even more dangerous.

As she would do in several of her later books, Ms. Whitney demonstrates the problems that can result from family secrets, especially not telling a person what happened during a traumatic event in that person's childhood.

Mallie's Aunt Fritzie is a very memorable character and definitely the most likeable of her mother's surviving kin. Fritzie's stage career during the early 20th century sounds as if it would have been fun to watch. ( )

I was excited to find this book as a library discard. I think I read all of the Whitney books when I was younger, but I did not remember this one. It was a classic example of her gothic romantic mysteries and I enjoyed reading it so much. A trip down memory lane. ( )