Call in the Night

by Susan Howatch

From half way around the world, American Clare Sullivan obeys a desperate summons from her glamorous sister Gina and flies to Paris. But when she arrives, there’s no sign of Gina. Her sister’s trail leads Claire to London and to Garth Cooper, a boyfriend of Gina’s, who seems to have a secret to hide. As time passes, Claire begins to understand that Gina’s disappearance is not just another one of her sister’s melodramatic stunts.

Genres: Mystery, Gothic, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Gothic Romance

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Susan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now returned to live in Surrey.

Reviews

[SheriC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sensible Manhattan schoolteacher is drawn overseas by a panicked call from her sister. On arrival, the sister seems to have vanished, and our heroine tries to unravel the mystery, although she takes plenty of time to sightsee around Paris and enjoy plenty of cocktails and dinners with the charming stranger that had last been in her sister’s company. The tension ratchets up when she discovers that everyone is lying to her, and she realizes that she has fallen so deeply in love with the charming stranger over the course of 3 days that she doesn’t even consider calling the police when she literally digs up the body of his ex-fiance out of his garden. It’s not badly written, and as stupid as the insta-love is and as puzzling as all the characters’ motivations are, I was sort of enjoying it until the last couple of chapters, in which the mystery is revealed much like a Scooby Doo cartoon, where everyone shows up and offers long monologues explaining everything. Then everybody lives happily ever after, except the murdered and the murderer.

Read for the 2017 Romance Bingo. I had intended to use this for the Gothic Romance square, because the author is a writer of gothics and the cover art certainly looked gothic, but this story was missing most of the key elements of gothic literature. The applicable squares are:
Insta-love: The heroine and her mysterious stranger are madly in love within 3 days, despite the concern of missing sisters and dead bodies turning up
Love is Murder: crimes of passion galore

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual fare but, after Tolstoy and Yourcenar and in the midst of Turgenev, I needed something mindless that I could zip through quite painlessly. Susan Howatch spins a good yarn, a bit slow and mundane at first, but the final 20 percent of the novel made it all worthwhile. Decent entertainment in the midst of winter’s bluster.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Claire is leading a very boring life, alone in her small New York apartment night after night while her younger sister Gina, a model, is off in Paris living the glamorous life. Claire's life is forever changed when she receives a panicked phone call from Gina, a cryptic call that ends with the phone being clicked off. When Claire cannot reach her sister and finds that the call came from a man's apartment in London, she makes the rash decision to race to Paris and find out what has happened to her little sister.

Upon arrival, Claire is shocked to find that Gina's model room mate Candy-Anna has no idea where she is. Gina was to have gone to London for the weekend with mystery man Garth Cooper and never returned. Adding further confusion is the fact that the jealous fiance Gina had broken up with -Warren- is very much on the scene searching for Gina and when they find she has gone to London and disappeared from there, the two embark to England to find her. Further complications come from the fact that Garth's very possessive ex-fiancee Therese caused a scene at the London airport when he arrived with Gina in tow and after a loud row at her apartment, Therese has disappeared as well!

Claire meets Garth's business partner Lilian and her long-suffering husband Eric who is convinced- as was Therese- that Garth having an affair with wife Lilian. As Garth begins to romance Claire, she has to wonder if he is covering something up.

Where are Gina and Therese? What did Claire discover at Garth's secret cottage in the countryside in Surrey, England? And is it possible that Claire has fallen in love with a killer (Garth) or else been traveling with one (Warren). Read it and see.

This was quite engrossing, well-written, and a nail-biting, can't-stop-reading, page turner of a mystery/suspense with a dab of romance thrown in.

[Misti · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I do so love gothic romantic suspense novels. This is a fun one. It's dated, but it's fun because it's dated. I love the glimpses of life in another era. Air travel seems so pleasant back then, not the hectic mess it often is now. My only complaint is the one TSTL moment from Claire. Seriously, when you find a dead body you really need to call the police. Seriously. :)

This is my first book from Susan Howatch, but I will definitly be looking for some of her others.

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very light read. Susan Howatch before she became the great novelist.

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, I sort of liked it, but it felt very unfinished, esp. the characters and their motivations.

[Heather Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just a quick, fun read. Don’t expect great literature here, but it’s very entertaining. That’s the point of reading anyway.

[Terrylee Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is great and I can see myself in Claire, this have me so attached I found myself reading it 3 times, I really like it and if there was a movie for it id be thrilled!

[Katarzyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Czytała: Joanna Jędryka

Ostatnio więcej gotuje i stwierdziłam, że czas spróbować posłuchać jakiegoś audiobooka. Jest to moja pierwsza próba i w sumie jestem ogromnie zadowolona. Co prawda głos pani Joanny Jędryki chwilami mnie denerwował, jest to głos starszej osoby i na początku czułam się jakbym była świadkiem rozmowy dwóch staruszek które plotkują :P jednak po pewnym czasie się przyzwyczaiłam ;)

Co do samej książki, nie jest to kryminał wysokich lotów ale całkiem przyjemny. Mini wątek romantyczny, zagadka i na koniec akcja, dla mnie w sam raz jak na audiobooka :)

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This starts out fun and the MC is pleasant enough to hang out with but the love interest, who was dating her sister the week before, spends a lot of time lying to her and insists on inviting her to London despite the fact that he doesn't want her involved in anything going on there. None of his motives make sense and none of his actions stand up to scrutiny. The conclusion requires multiple monologues and the whole thing gets a bit tiring.

This is definitely not the author at her best.

[Ulrike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this hidden in one of my bookshelves (the real life ones) and read it again..
Must have been about twenty years ago when I first read it. And I was astonished to see that
the book itself was written in 1967! That explains some of the "old-fashioned" views and ways.
(That she (and later on he!) loves the PanAm Building.. just had a look at google.. well....)
But anyway, it was fun to read it again, light suspense and light romance (could have been a bit more ;-))

[Ruthiella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book opens with our plain and practical heroine in New York City, Claire, getting a panicked phone call from her beautiful but flighty sister, Gina, in London. The call is interrupted, however, and Claire is unable to call her sister back or contact her again. Worried, Claire flies to Paris, where Gina is working as a model, to investigate.

This slim novel (under 200 pages) was first published in 1969. But since it is early Susan Howatch and was available at the library book sale for $0.50, how could I resist? This was very much along the lines of Mary Higgens Clark or similar romantic suspense. Not what I normally read and anywhere near as good as her magnificent Starbridge series, but still fun fluff.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but I didn't find it as engaging as other Susan Howatch books such as The Devil on Lammas Night.

[Jinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dated.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Susan Howatch's early 'Gothic' novels - there are six of them in all. They're short, less than 200 pages, each, and nothing like as powerful as her later family sagas and the Starbridge series. Nevertheless, they're well-written and suspenseful without being ghastly. I read this book in about three hours this afternoon and didn't find it disturbing at all, despite not being much of a thriller reader. The genre is more like Mary Stewart's thrillers than a modern one, based as it is in the pre-computer pre-mobile phone era, where long distance calls had to be done via an operator and were extremely expensive.

This story starts with Clare Sullivan (who narrates the book in the first person) receiving an anguished phone call in New york from her sister Gina, who is in London. The call is stopped abruptly, and Gina apparently vanishes. Clare's intuition tells her something is badly wrong, so she flies first to Paris, then on to London, and finds herself quickly embroiled in a dangerous and worrying set of circumstances.

Showing a distinct flair that comes out more strongly in the later novels, Susan Howatch manages to build up suspense by Clare's research: she meets people who know something about Gina, or what's happened to her, and they give their perspective. Each time we learn a little more although we're not entirely sure who can be trusted until the end. The climax of the book is highly dramatic, perhaps somewhat over melodramatic, but in context it appears entirely possible - another sign of a great writer!

[Arismeire Fiedoruk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A protagonista, Claire, tem uma vida calma e sossegada em Nova York, enquanto que sua irmã mais nova, Gina, é modelo e vive em Paris. Tudo muda quando certa noite Gina liga para Claire em pânico, sem falar coisa com coisa e de repente, no meio da conversa, o telefone é desligado. Claire liga para a irmã e não consegue encontrá-la, então decide ir a Paris encontrar Gina e descobrir o que aconteceu.
Assim que chega Claire descobre que a colega de apartamento de Gina não faz ideia de onde ela está, já que esta havia ido passar o fim de semana em Londres com um homem chamado Garth Cooper e ainda não retornara.
Claire procura por Garth para solucionar este mistério e logo uma atração surge entre os dois.
O fim de semana de Garth com Gina resultara em uma briga com a noiva, o fim do noivado e o sumiço tanto de Gina quanto de sua ex-noiva. Sendo assim, ele se une a Claire na esperança de encontrar as duas e descobrir o que se passa, mas algumas pessoas sugerem que Garth está envolvido no sumiço de Gina e Therese, sua ex-noiva e Claire fica confusa, temendo estar se apaixonando por uma pessoa perigosa; talvez até um assassino. Tudo se complica quando o corpo de Therese é encontrado.
Livro bem divertido, com um bom mistério ao estilo Susan Howatch de ser. Das mocinhas de Susan, esta é uma das melhores.

[Susan Liston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as a twofer with "April's Grave" so I'll review them together, since they getting confused in my brain anyway.** Although they are I guess technically Gothic novels, they both lack a brooding mansion. I used to devour these books as a young teen, anything with a chick-in-front-of-a-big-house on the cover I gobbled up. And I might have loved both of these if I was thirteen. But as I am not, they were more funny than suspenseful. I easily guessed the outcome of April's Grave. I guessed the ultimate outcome of Call in the Night, but not the way it got there, that was far too convoluted to have figured out oneself. In fact it took so many explanations from so many characters to explain what had actually happened I didn't try to understand as by then I certainly didn't much care. But they were entertaining in a nostalgic sort of way.

**in both novels the story catalyst is that our heroine's sister has gone missing, and in both our heroine just so happens to stumble upon a freshly dug shallow grave, and digs into them just enough to discover, gasp, a HUMAN HAND. As one does when one stumbles upon a freshly dug shallow grave.

[Nattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting at all, and I wasn't very impressed with what I got. It was a perfectly readable book, but it wasn't the thriller that I was wanting.

It started off well enough, but I couldn't take Claire's quest very seriously before long. It was obvious that she wanted to find her sister, but so much of the time she seemed more interested in catching the man.

If it were me and I was trying to track down my loved one, romance would be the last thing on my mind.

I'm not so sure Gina was even worth looking for, but I suppose Claire wouldn't feel the same way I did.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

From halfway around the world, American Claire Sullivan jets to Paris on the basis of a desperate phone call that she received from her glamorous sister Gina. However, when she arrives, Gina is missing and her trail leads to a mysterious boyfriend, Garth Cooper now living in London with a secret to hide. As time passes, Claire begins to realize that Gina's sudden disappearance is not another one of her sister's harebrained stunts.

I usually enjoy Susan Howatch's books, but I think that this book was one of her weakest. I give this book a C!

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a nice simple read. It isn't a very well developed mystery, but it is entertaining and kept my interest. It is a little dated, but I did chuckle at the mention of travelers checks.

[Jenny Dawid · Rating 2 out of 5]

To jedna z tych książek, w której pomysł na historię jest nawet niezły, ale wykonanie tragiczne. Plus tłumacz nie znający chyba zbytnio języka polskiego i tłumaczący na losowe zwroty. Dwie gwiazdki, bo święta.

[Eneli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modellist neiu läheb Londonisse puhkama ning jääb kadunuks, teda asub otsima New Yorgis elav vanem õde. Armulood, salajased vihjed, mõrvad ning salapärased koostööpartnerid teevad loo kaasahaaravaks ja põnevaks kuni viimaste lehekülgedeni.

[Miss Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved it. This one got me hooked onto Susan.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good vacation read--no thinking needed, a story that pulls you to keep turning the page, and crazy characters to entertain. Lots of fluff, but perfect for Spring Break reading.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sister trying to find her sister. Good story.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy - 3 stars; Ron - 3 stars

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Susan Howatch before she was Susan Howatch! The hints are there.

[Eliza Redgold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all Susan Howatch's books! She is one of my favourite authors and the paperbacks are falling apart ... time to get her on Kindle.

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a straight mystery with less of the nuttiness of The Devil On Lammas Night, but still enjoyable.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting, chilling and awesome!!!!