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Black Heather Night
Vintage paperback
Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Virginia Coffman
90 books43 followersVirginia Edith Coffman aka Jeanne Duval, Diana Saunders, Victor Cross, Ann Stanfield, Virginia C. Du Vaul, Kay Cameron.
A native of San Francisco, Coffman contributed movie reviews to the Oakland Tribune from 1933-40. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938 and was a movie and television script writer for Columbia, RKO, and other Hollywood studios in her early writing career (1944-56). She had her first success with writing novels in 1959, when Crown Publishing decided to take a chance on Moura, and the novel was showcased by Library Journal. By the 1980s, Coffman was recognized as "the author largely responsible for setting off the Gothics craze of the 1960s, "earning her the reputation of "Queen of the Gothics."1
She quit her day job in Reno and became a full-time writer in 1965. While historical romance novels seldom find their way into the literary canon, Coffman, who was both prolific and dedicated, took her writing seriously. Her research for historical fiction was meticulous. She also drew upon personal experience as a world traveler when setting some of her novels in Hawaii, Paris, and other romantic locales. Several of her historical romances and gothic mystery novels were translated into other languages, and many have been published in large print and audio editions.
She was recognized by Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the West. She was a member of the Authors League of America and the Mystery Writers Guild of America. The Reno Gazette-Journal featured Virginia Coffman and her sister in a biographical story on April 4, 2002. In 2003, she donated a collection of her gothic mystery and historical romance novels to the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.
A native of San Francisco, Coffman contributed movie reviews to the Oakland Tribune from 1933-40. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938 and was a movie and television script writer for Columbia, RKO, and other Hollywood studios in her early writing career (1944-56). She had her first success with writing novels in 1959, when Crown Publishing decided to take a chance on Moura, and the novel was showcased by Library Journal. By the 1980s, Coffman was recognized as "the author largely responsible for setting off the Gothics craze of the 1960s, "earning her the reputation of "Queen of the Gothics."1
She quit her day job in Reno and became a full-time writer in 1965. While historical romance novels seldom find their way into the literary canon, Coffman, who was both prolific and dedicated, took her writing seriously. Her research for historical fiction was meticulous. She also drew upon personal experience as a world traveler when setting some of her novels in Hawaii, Paris, and other romantic locales. Several of her historical romances and gothic mystery novels were translated into other languages, and many have been published in large print and audio editions.
She was recognized by Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the West. She was a member of the Authors League of America and the Mystery Writers Guild of America. The Reno Gazette-Journal featured Virginia Coffman and her sister in a biographical story on April 4, 2002. In 2003, she donated a collection of her gothic mystery and historical romance novels to the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 3, 2013
This book was scary!
It all starts with the heroine Kathleen Bodmun running around on the moors looking for a stray kitten and getting caught in a rainstorm. She is forced to seek shelter in a nearby building,wich turns out to be an old abandoned inn.
At once she feels that there isnt something quite right about the place..a sinister atmosphere,and what is that strange tapping sound?
She is further scared when a man appears and wonders what the hell she is doing there
Feeling quite embarrassed at her state (drenched by the storm) she exclaims that she might think about buying the old inn for her girls school at wich the man seems displeased.
She returns to the place where she is staing with an old friend of her mothers and the womans granddaughter who for no reason dislikes Kathleen.
Turns out the man she encountered was Sir Anthony and that the inn Old Hags Head belonged to the old ladys daughter it was partially burned down after she was found murdered in the cellar.The one suspected of doing it was the daughters husband.
The local people claims that it was the Old Hag who did it though and that you can see her prowling the moors at night.
Things are further complicated when the dead daughters husband Patrick turns up and Kathleen by a various of circumstances finds herself returning to the inn.
You have to suspend disbelief at some things,like how often the heroine finds herself alone (without a chaperone) with some man or how plausible it would be for a 17 year old girl to try to start up a girls school. But I decided to put those thoughts aside and just immerse myself in the story
I also had some inkling about what was behind the strange going ons but that didnt stop me from being genuinely freaked out by what the heroine experienced. Its just something about the way the author described it that made it so creepy.
Especially evocative is when the heroine is stalked by something she thinks is a wild dog and flees for her life in fear. She is found by Sir Anthony and taken to his home where she is put in bed to recover...and then she glances out the window and sees a figure crawling over the moors towards the house....
Now thats what I call the right gothic spirit!
But it did have its flaws apart from those i mentioned.
The romance on the other hand isnt that strong. The hero remains a mystery throughout and the age difference and the speed wich the heroine realizes her feeling did some to keep me from believing in it fully. And his incessant use of "child" in reference to the heroine also does its bit.
A funny thing that I have to mention is that this takes place on the Yorkshire moors and the heroine hails from Cornwall-the other place where so many gothics take place.
I couldnt help but think that the author was making a point there.
If youre looking for a truly scary gothic this is it.
I recommend it..but also that you dont read it late at night. Otherwise your imagination might start playing tricks on you...
It all starts with the heroine Kathleen Bodmun running around on the moors looking for a stray kitten and getting caught in a rainstorm. She is forced to seek shelter in a nearby building,wich turns out to be an old abandoned inn.
At once she feels that there isnt something quite right about the place..a sinister atmosphere,and what is that strange tapping sound?
She is further scared when a man appears and wonders what the hell she is doing there
Feeling quite embarrassed at her state (drenched by the storm) she exclaims that she might think about buying the old inn for her girls school at wich the man seems displeased.
She returns to the place where she is staing with an old friend of her mothers and the womans granddaughter who for no reason dislikes Kathleen.
Turns out the man she encountered was Sir Anthony and that the inn Old Hags Head belonged to the old ladys daughter it was partially burned down after she was found murdered in the cellar.The one suspected of doing it was the daughters husband.
The local people claims that it was the Old Hag who did it though and that you can see her prowling the moors at night.
Things are further complicated when the dead daughters husband Patrick turns up and Kathleen by a various of circumstances finds herself returning to the inn.
You have to suspend disbelief at some things,like how often the heroine finds herself alone (without a chaperone) with some man or how plausible it would be for a 17 year old girl to try to start up a girls school. But I decided to put those thoughts aside and just immerse myself in the story
I also had some inkling about what was behind the strange going ons but that didnt stop me from being genuinely freaked out by what the heroine experienced. Its just something about the way the author described it that made it so creepy.
Especially evocative is when the heroine is stalked by something she thinks is a wild dog and flees for her life in fear. She is found by Sir Anthony and taken to his home where she is put in bed to recover...and then she glances out the window and sees a figure crawling over the moors towards the house....
Now thats what I call the right gothic spirit!
But it did have its flaws apart from those i mentioned.
The romance on the other hand isnt that strong. The hero remains a mystery throughout and the age difference and the speed wich the heroine realizes her feeling did some to keep me from believing in it fully. And his incessant use of "child" in reference to the heroine also does its bit.
A funny thing that I have to mention is that this takes place on the Yorkshire moors and the heroine hails from Cornwall-the other place where so many gothics take place.
I couldnt help but think that the author was making a point there.
If youre looking for a truly scary gothic this is it.
I recommend it..but also that you dont read it late at night. Otherwise your imagination might start playing tricks on you...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2017
I am sad to say that the story was dull. It has all the ingredients to be a good gothic, but somehow, while it is very short, it seemed much longer to me. I wasn't hooked one moment. Maybe if I hadn't read this author's other books... maybe if the MC had a better personality. Maybe if the characters were more interesting... I think the only interesting one for me was the hero, Nicholas.
The mystery is good, quite frightening since the h is dealing with a ghost, a "hag", or so it seems. She was pretty brave in spite of being so young. I like that it takes place somewhere in Cornwall. That is very "gothic", and what I always look for.
But the romance was very disappointing. Day One: h meets the H, she instantly dislikes him, he treats her like a child (he is at least twice her age). Day Two: h still dislikes H, but also admires him. H treats her like a child. Day Three: h starts to like him, H is nicer and still treats her like a child. Day Four: h realizes she is in love with him, they end somewhat engaged. WHAT.
I disliked all the times he calls her "child". He was more fatherly than boyfriend material! And what happen with his first love? His past was not specific. The ending was disappointing.
The mystery is good, quite frightening since the h is dealing with a ghost, a "hag", or so it seems. She was pretty brave in spite of being so young. I like that it takes place somewhere in Cornwall. That is very "gothic", and what I always look for.
But the romance was very disappointing. Day One: h meets the H, she instantly dislikes him, he treats her like a child (he is at least twice her age). Day Two: h still dislikes H, but also admires him. H treats her like a child. Day Three: h starts to like him, H is nicer and still treats her like a child. Day Four: h realizes she is in love with him, they end somewhat engaged. WHAT.
I disliked all the times he calls her "child". He was more fatherly than boyfriend material! And what happen with his first love? His past was not specific. The ending was disappointing.
March 29, 2018
This is a suspenseful little read. Would recommend it to fans of Mary Stewart and the like. The heroine was a forthright stolid girl who gets thrust into a dark and creepy unsolved mystery that threatens her staunch hold of being a proper adult - adults aren't afraid of the dark - and forces her to face her biggest fear - falling for an impossible man.
(I don't know how she managed to survive this without a flashlight is all i'm saying)
(I don't know how she managed to survive this without a flashlight is all i'm saying)
November 15, 2011
A genuinely creepy little entry in the 1970s Gothic craze by prolific author Coffman, this book vividly evokes the Yorkshire moors as it tells the tale of the Hag's Head Inn and its ghostly namesake who may still be haunting its halls...and of the young heroine whose attempts to put the mystery to rest may have dire consequences.
October 29, 2013
A rather short, but good one from Coffman. So far, everything I've read by her I've loved. Had my guessing from the first chapter.
June 9, 2019
I love these vintage gothic paperbacks. This is the first of several in my reading pile. I should have counted the number of times I read the word, "heather." I'm not knocking it though; it was a very well-written novel. I would look for this author again.
July 21, 2023
3.5 Fun Gothic romance/suspense.
November 22, 2025
Dull. Was waiting for the Scooby-Doo thing to happen where the hag's face is removed and everyone gasps that it's Sir Nicholas, but no.
October 13, 2015
I’m always on the search for the next set of Victoria Holt-style novels, but I have not found them again with this author.
Unfortunately, her attempt to write in an older style sounds stilted and false in Black Heather, and although that story had the dramatically Gothic (although really implausible) ending, it is outdone by the second novel, Night at Sea Abbey. In this one, the author’s modern (1960s) style works smoothly, and the overall story is intriguing, but the gender roles and conventions are too outdated for my taste.
Both stories would make great starters for someone not familiar with the Gothic style. They are easy to read with a basic plot. I felt the three- day romances were ridiculously unbelievable, but maybe that’s how it normally works in romance novels; I’m not sure as I don’t read general romance novels, just Gothic ones. I see that the author was a television and movie script-writer and perhaps that explains her short timeline for the two stories I read.
In both books I was interested enough to finish and read the “who-done-it” part, but I felt like I was wading through them both to get it over with and find out the ending. I wouldn’t read either again.
Unfortunately, her attempt to write in an older style sounds stilted and false in Black Heather, and although that story had the dramatically Gothic (although really implausible) ending, it is outdone by the second novel, Night at Sea Abbey. In this one, the author’s modern (1960s) style works smoothly, and the overall story is intriguing, but the gender roles and conventions are too outdated for my taste.
Both stories would make great starters for someone not familiar with the Gothic style. They are easy to read with a basic plot. I felt the three- day romances were ridiculously unbelievable, but maybe that’s how it normally works in romance novels; I’m not sure as I don’t read general romance novels, just Gothic ones. I see that the author was a television and movie script-writer and perhaps that explains her short timeline for the two stories I read.
In both books I was interested enough to finish and read the “who-done-it” part, but I felt like I was wading through them both to get it over with and find out the ending. I wouldn’t read either again.
May 10, 2024
I really liked the gothic atmosphere on the whole of this story, however, I did like the first part of the story much more than the last couple of chapters. All in all this was a well written and I mostly did like it.
September 21, 2015
I found this rather dry and tedious.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews