The Scarlet Thread

by Evelyn Anthony

Snag number one is her difficult hero, Steven Falconi, son of a New York Mafiosi, who meets pretty, blond Angela Drummond, a Sussex doctor's daughter, in Palermo during the war. Angels gets pregnant by and married to Steven in short order, but then vanishes when she learns about her husband's violent stateside life. Imagining Angela to be the victim of a German bomb, Steven goes home to the "family" in New York and marries Clara, the overripe and insanely jealous daughter of a rival don.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Italy, Crime, British Literature, Historical

311 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Stephens Ward-Thomas,

Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.

She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.

They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.

In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.

In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.

In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.

She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.

NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.

Additional information added from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Applefruit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-written book. Steven Falconi, the hero, was both compelling and interesting. I wasn't too fond of Angela Drummond, the heroine, however. I didn't like how she ran off with Steven's unborn child, without even giving him a chance to explain about his ties to the mafia. The fact that she kept father and son separated for so many years made me almost dislike her. Also, I didn't find it believable that Steven would love Angela for so many years. To me, she was nothing special. Anyway, I don't like books where the H/h are separated for years and years, so that probably affected my overall review. Just not my cup of tea.

[Ellie Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic


I loved this book it is well written with a lot of great characters!! Easy to follow and just enough mystery to keep you reading!! I will read other books by her!!

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might be under-rating this book but there was sadly very little to like. The story was like a freight train: it kept moving forward on a steady pace without the twists and turns you'd expect from a novel which supposedly is supposed to be a suspense novel. The chapters were extremely long and the "climaxes" (if you can call them that) were quite unexciting. The characters were one-dimensional and stereotypic. I couldn't wait to reach the end. I give the book credit for the last 10 pages which were sort of interesting and surprising.

[Eileen Zhou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but

I loved this book for so long. Read it in hardcover three times. Made a request to amazon for a kindle version and it was granted. However the Publisher pulled a first one. Why I don't know? In the end the son goes back to America to visit his father's family. It ends with a cliff hang. Because of that missing part the book gets a 3 instead of a five. The book has it all murder, romance and traitors. It moves through the decades from world war two to the golden era of the stars. This is a mafia book.

[She Reads ~♥~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The story hooks yoy from the first sentence. The first a third did seem rushed, like literally the whole blurb happens in the first part, leaving you wondering what will happen next but nevertheless the author didn't disappoint. I won't go much into details but I liked the writing. It was easy to flow along. Steven and Angela's love story was a nice one plus the ending didn't disappoint.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like Evelyn Anthony's books. They usually have good plots and take place in different countries and include some mystery/espianage. She has written many books and I have read quite a few. She died a while back but her stories live on.

[claudia bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

love Evelyn Anthony’s books

This was much different than Anthony’s other books- but I love reading all her work- thankfully, there are plot twists, but am happy they always end “happily ever after”-

[Rezi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books that would make a good film or TV series.

[agnes mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

the scarlet thread love this book

I loved this book would love to have read a sequel.I have read about 4times over the years it’s my favourite romantic and thrilling romance story

[Jane Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an 'OK' book - I felt that the main characters were a bit weak and I didn't connect with them. However, it did give an insight into how the Mafia work and how cheap life is. Probably not a book that I will remember for long.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story line.

This kept me riveted throughout. A love story that travels through time and troubles. Highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for an escape.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting book sad to see how badly sita was treated but so good to see how she fought back and turned her life around. Really enjoyed this