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Strangers at Dawn: A Novel
Throughout Sara Carstairs' trial for the murder of her sister's husband, Max Worthe had studied her cool demeanor in the dock, fascinated by her even as he was convinced she was guilty as charged. For three years after the ravishing heiress was acquitted, he used the power of his newspaper to pursue the truth--hoping to find the still-undiscovered body of the murder victim and at last prove Sara's guilt. But not only had the body disappeared without a trace, so had Sara Carstairs....
When Max finally catches up with Sara by sheer chance, he doesn't even know it's her...at first. By the time he does, it's too late--they've already spent a night together that both of them know they will never forget and can never repeat. Has he fallen in love with the woman of his dreams or with a cold-blooded murderess? And has she put herself in the hands of a knight in shining armor--or a ruthless scoundrel bent on destroying her?
When Max finally catches up with Sara by sheer chance, he doesn't even know it's her...at first. By the time he does, it's too late--they've already spent a night together that both of them know they will never forget and can never repeat. Has he fallen in love with the woman of his dreams or with a cold-blooded murderess? And has she put herself in the hands of a knight in shining armor--or a ruthless scoundrel bent on destroying her?
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 2, 1999
13 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Thornton
61 books154 followersMary Forrest George, née Baxter was born and educated in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she taught school for a number of years before establishing her own nursery school, St. Swithin Street Nursery School, an institution that is still going strong today.
She and her husband then emigrated to Canada with their three young sons. She taught kindergarten and Grade One for a number of years in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before becoming lay minister at a Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg.
As part of her continuing education, she enrolled in evening classes at the University of Winnipeg to study Classical Greek. Five years later, having completed an Honor's thesis on Women in Euripides, she received her B.A. (Classics Gold Medalist).
After reading her first romance, a Regency by Georgette Heyer, she was captivated by the genre. Hereafter, writing became her hobby. In 1987, her first book, a small Regency entitled, Bluestocking Bride, was published by Zebra books.
She is the author of twenty-four historical romances, and two novellas. She has been nominated for and received many awards including the Romantic Times Trophy Award for the best New Historical Regency Author and Best Historical Regency. Seven of her novels have been finalists in the Romance Writers of America Rita awards, Scarlet Angel, Strangers at Dawn, Princess Charming and The Perfect Princess, Shady Lady, The Marriage Trap, and The Bachelor Trap. Her books appear regularly on national best-selling lists and have been translated into many languages.
Elizabeth's hobbies include reading (particularly mystery and suspense novels, biography, and history), and traveling to do research for her novels. She is also an avid Harry Potter enthusiast.
She and her husband then emigrated to Canada with their three young sons. She taught kindergarten and Grade One for a number of years in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before becoming lay minister at a Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg.
As part of her continuing education, she enrolled in evening classes at the University of Winnipeg to study Classical Greek. Five years later, having completed an Honor's thesis on Women in Euripides, she received her B.A. (Classics Gold Medalist).
After reading her first romance, a Regency by Georgette Heyer, she was captivated by the genre. Hereafter, writing became her hobby. In 1987, her first book, a small Regency entitled, Bluestocking Bride, was published by Zebra books.
She is the author of twenty-four historical romances, and two novellas. She has been nominated for and received many awards including the Romantic Times Trophy Award for the best New Historical Regency Author and Best Historical Regency. Seven of her novels have been finalists in the Romance Writers of America Rita awards, Scarlet Angel, Strangers at Dawn, Princess Charming and The Perfect Princess, Shady Lady, The Marriage Trap, and The Bachelor Trap. Her books appear regularly on national best-selling lists and have been translated into many languages.
Elizabeth's hobbies include reading (particularly mystery and suspense novels, biography, and history), and traveling to do research for her novels. She is also an avid Harry Potter enthusiast.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 27, 2020
An accused murderer as a heroine? That sounds great!
This is what I said to myself prior to picking up Strangers at Dawn by Elizabeth Thornton. The entire experience, however, turned out not-so-great. I’m honestly at a loss, because this book was so poorly written I don’t think I can even discuss the merits of the story or characters at all.
No matter how “great” your story is, if I can barely read your prose, it’s completely wasted. And that’s pretty much what happened here.
The story, essentially, is that Sara appears to have murdered her abusive brother-in-law (presumably in self-defense). Lord Max runs is a newspaper magnate and really wants to get at the truth of the issue, even though Sara was acquitted by the jury, since there’s literally zero material evidence against her.
Anyhoo.
So basically Lord Max hates Sara and thinks she’s a murderous harlot. He thinks about how fun it would be to strangle her on the regular. Then, suddenly, he’s got a boner because her hair is “so pretty” and now he’s on her side, going to help her discover who actually murdered the brother-in-law. Okay??? Consistentcy is clearly not the name of the game in Strangers at Dawn.
The majority of the novel is kind of a suspenseful mystery, but super poorly done. Like I said above, Thornton is a terrible writer, who relies way to much on modern idiom and other strange anachronisms. There was neither suspense nor mystery here. The Big Reveal was gratuitous and even a little raunchy. The romance was absolutely unbelievable. The side characters were horrendously annoying and unlikeable.
I have absolutely nothing positive to say about this book. Which is a shame, really, since murderer-heroine is a great idea. Unfortunately, the entire book was a bunch of soggy, smelly, garbage. I don’t want to think about it anymore, honestly.
Rating: DO NOT RECOMMEND
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This is what I said to myself prior to picking up Strangers at Dawn by Elizabeth Thornton. The entire experience, however, turned out not-so-great. I’m honestly at a loss, because this book was so poorly written I don’t think I can even discuss the merits of the story or characters at all.
No matter how “great” your story is, if I can barely read your prose, it’s completely wasted. And that’s pretty much what happened here.
The story, essentially, is that Sara appears to have murdered her abusive brother-in-law (presumably in self-defense). Lord Max runs is a newspaper magnate and really wants to get at the truth of the issue, even though Sara was acquitted by the jury, since there’s literally zero material evidence against her.
Anyhoo.
So basically Lord Max hates Sara and thinks she’s a murderous harlot. He thinks about how fun it would be to strangle her on the regular. Then, suddenly, he’s got a boner because her hair is “so pretty” and now he’s on her side, going to help her discover who actually murdered the brother-in-law. Okay??? Consistentcy is clearly not the name of the game in Strangers at Dawn.
The majority of the novel is kind of a suspenseful mystery, but super poorly done. Like I said above, Thornton is a terrible writer, who relies way to much on modern idiom and other strange anachronisms. There was neither suspense nor mystery here. The Big Reveal was gratuitous and even a little raunchy. The romance was absolutely unbelievable. The side characters were horrendously annoying and unlikeable.
I have absolutely nothing positive to say about this book. Which is a shame, really, since murderer-heroine is a great idea. Unfortunately, the entire book was a bunch of soggy, smelly, garbage. I don’t want to think about it anymore, honestly.
Rating: DO NOT RECOMMEND
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November 11, 2023
Murder Trial
The opening scenes with a mysterious h in dock for murder with the baying crowd turning around to favor her all due to her calm and serene beauty - reminded me of an Agatha Christie and maybe a Perry Mason. She has supposedly killed her sister's husband who was also her lover (and she also has a legion of other lovers). There are 'heated' love letters in her hand to the murdered man that allude that they were indeed lovers.
Also familiar is the H is who gets somewhat obsessed with her.
Anachronistically for a (late) Georgian, the H is a newspaperman (a gentleman owner of a newspaper.) He is obsessed with the unsolved mystery of the murder and keeps increasing the rewards for clues. He meets her again after years and remains determined to dig out the truth. And later sets out to right a wrong by trying to help her.
The plot and characterizations are more complex than that.
The h comes from a wealthy merchant family. As her father is dead - long before the murder - she's the head of her family that includes a youngish and beautiful stepmother, a sister and three step-siblings. And another om - a solicitor/manager who lives on their estate. He's another man supposedly in love with the h but, further along, his intentions and attentions become suspect to the reader. Which woman from the household is he really interested in?
The murdered (or is he?) was actually ex-beau of the h who later married her younger sister for money. The h, even after exoneration, stays away from her family home that's in a village near Bath. Firstly, because before and soon after the trial, locals and outsiders hounded her and her family home in order to get the reward, and later as she starts getting threatening notes in the dead man's hand, she goes into hiding. Her plan is to marry an amenable man, get control of her fortune, divide it into her family and go off to America.
The H begins to believe her innocence and tries to help her with a marriage of convenience!
The moc starts to feel real to both of them and that scares the h as she has secrets that she is keeping from the H and needs to solve for her own peace of mind. All the secretiveness causes MU between the couple.
The murdered man's family - his strange parents and their family secrets add another dimension to the story. And then there's their handsome but sly footman whom the ladies allow too many privileges.
The clues to the murder trickle in later in the book. As do hidey holes/priest's holes.
The h is kidnapped before there's the final reveal.
Happy ending and just deserts for some.
The opening scenes with a mysterious h in dock for murder with the baying crowd turning around to favor her all due to her calm and serene beauty - reminded me of an Agatha Christie and maybe a Perry Mason. She has supposedly killed her sister's husband who was also her lover (and she also has a legion of other lovers). There are 'heated' love letters in her hand to the murdered man that allude that they were indeed lovers.
Also familiar is the H is who gets somewhat obsessed with her.
Anachronistically for a (late) Georgian, the H is a newspaperman (a gentleman owner of a newspaper.) He is obsessed with the unsolved mystery of the murder and keeps increasing the rewards for clues. He meets her again after years and remains determined to dig out the truth. And later sets out to right a wrong by trying to help her.
The plot and characterizations are more complex than that.
The h comes from a wealthy merchant family. As her father is dead - long before the murder - she's the head of her family that includes a youngish and beautiful stepmother, a sister and three step-siblings. And another om - a solicitor/manager who lives on their estate. He's another man supposedly in love with the h but, further along, his intentions and attentions become suspect to the reader. Which woman from the household is he really interested in?
The murdered (or is he?) was actually ex-beau of the h who later married her younger sister for money. The h, even after exoneration, stays away from her family home that's in a village near Bath. Firstly, because before and soon after the trial, locals and outsiders hounded her and her family home in order to get the reward, and later as she starts getting threatening notes in the dead man's hand, she goes into hiding. Her plan is to marry an amenable man, get control of her fortune, divide it into her family and go off to America.
The H begins to believe her innocence and tries to help her with a marriage of convenience!
The moc starts to feel real to both of them and that scares the h as she has secrets that she is keeping from the H and needs to solve for her own peace of mind. All the secretiveness causes MU between the couple.
The murdered man's family - his strange parents and their family secrets add another dimension to the story. And then there's their handsome but sly footman whom the ladies allow too many privileges.
The clues to the murder trickle in later in the book. As do hidey holes/priest's holes.
The h is kidnapped before there's the final reveal.
Happy ending and just deserts for some.
April 2, 2017
It is difficult to find good HR suspense that is full of details, good banter and pulse pounding action. However, this is one author who delivers riveting suspense stories.
This review was written a few years after I read the story will update in the future.
The story begins with the heroine at the Bailey on trial for a murder. She's found not guilty but the hero is unconvinced of her innocence. Immediately after the trial she disappears due to the many threats made on her life. Without giving away to many spoilers, he finds her then compromises her and that's where the story begins. I think, I understand Sara's loneliness and her consentual agreement to lovemaking. It had to be strong chemistry upon meeting.
Update: I like Max because he is an aristocrat with a real job. He knows how to handle Sara's family. Sara is the caretaker of her family and at times she can be overly rigid. Sara has to learn how to trust Max. I enjoy Elizabeth Thornton's books.
This review was written a few years after I read the story will update in the future.
The story begins with the heroine at the Bailey on trial for a murder. She's found not guilty but the hero is unconvinced of her innocence. Immediately after the trial she disappears due to the many threats made on her life. Without giving away to many spoilers, he finds her then compromises her and that's where the story begins. I think, I understand Sara's loneliness and her consentual agreement to lovemaking. It had to be strong chemistry upon meeting.
Update: I like Max because he is an aristocrat with a real job. He knows how to handle Sara's family. Sara is the caretaker of her family and at times she can be overly rigid. Sara has to learn how to trust Max. I enjoy Elizabeth Thornton's books.
October 4, 2015
Thornton tackles another type of abuse in this book, but only at the very end, thank heaven, because it's too awful. And it doesn't involve the main characters, both of whom show integrity and character.
This story actually has several villains, which may be atypical for the genre, but not unrealistic. In addition to the missing wife abuser, there is his child molester father and freakish mother (no wonder the son became a Bad Seed), and the mother's would-be rapist/murderer footman. Eesh! Then there is the greater evil, that of the press that hounds an innocent woman and prejudices the public against her.
There is mystery (who is writing the notes that Sara keeps receiving?) and humor (see below), shame, guilt, prejudice, lust, and love--the whole gamut of human emotion, and the whole gamut of human behavior.
I could appreciate Thornton's oblique jabs at greedy family members, and the occasional humor always at Max's expense, e.g., his having to dress up as a fortune teller (cum gold earrings) at the town fair, or realizing that he's been set up to fight the same hulk he fought (and lost to) in London. He's a gem, and a real trooper. So is Sara. I find her more appealing than many of Thornton's other heroines.
Unlike several of Thornton's other books, the title of this one actually makes sense, too, which is refreshing. Generic, meaningless 1-2 word titles like "Mistress", "Sin", "Deceipt", "Surrender", with or without the requisite "Duke/Earl/Viscount", etc. are, I admit, a pet peeve.
This story actually has several villains, which may be atypical for the genre, but not unrealistic. In addition to the missing wife abuser, there is his child molester father and freakish mother (no wonder the son became a Bad Seed), and the mother's would-be rapist/murderer footman. Eesh! Then there is the greater evil, that of the press that hounds an innocent woman and prejudices the public against her.
There is mystery (who is writing the notes that Sara keeps receiving?) and humor (see below), shame, guilt, prejudice, lust, and love--the whole gamut of human emotion, and the whole gamut of human behavior.
I could appreciate Thornton's oblique jabs at greedy family members, and the occasional humor always at Max's expense, e.g., his having to dress up as a fortune teller (cum gold earrings) at the town fair, or realizing that he's been set up to fight the same hulk he fought (and lost to) in London. He's a gem, and a real trooper. So is Sara. I find her more appealing than many of Thornton's other heroines.
Unlike several of Thornton's other books, the title of this one actually makes sense, too, which is refreshing. Generic, meaningless 1-2 word titles like "Mistress", "Sin", "Deceipt", "Surrender", with or without the requisite "Duke/Earl/Viscount", etc. are, I admit, a pet peeve.
June 4, 2011
I debated between three and four stars since I can't figure out how to give half stars (I don't think it's possible, is it?). Basically, the writing was good, but Sara's refusal to trust and confide in Max began to really, really, really, annoy me, so much so that I almost started skimming. And while I thought, in the beginning, that this might be one of those understated romances that I love so much, the relationship between Sara and Max fizzled at some point. I think it may have been a scene or two after Max, alone, was contemplating Sara's deception and his new sense of hatred for her (and his plan) that he suddenly seems to care about her, confessing to her in the church that he wants to right the wrongs he's done her. I don't know. Not a great book, but good.
June 27, 2011
Reread. and still it holds my interest like the first time i read this almost 5 months ago...
Love you Lord Maxwell..
(what is it with a hero named Max or sebastian makes me love them very much) hahaha
Love you Lord Maxwell..
(what is it with a hero named Max or sebastian makes me love them very much) hahaha
September 14, 2009
Last re-read Sep 09.
April 26, 2011
Will look for some more by her.
May 9, 2011
Sort of trashy historical romance/mystery. It was a good brain break.
August 23, 2016
Strangers at dawn
Five stars for a fun read with mystery, romance, and action. It drew me in from the first chapter and didn't let me go until the epilogue.
Five stars for a fun read with mystery, romance, and action. It drew me in from the first chapter and didn't let me go until the epilogue.
October 11, 2019
Sara Carstairs is acquitted of murdering her brother-in-law, but because his body is never found, suspicion still follows her. Max Worthe, Lord Maxwell, is owner and publisher of The Courier newspaper and covered the trial. Three years later, he's still keeping the case in the public eye with annual stories and a reward. Sara meanwhile is in hiding, but needing to come out. She wants to marry in name only to break her father's trust so she can divide his fortune between her siblings. Max and Sara have a volatile chance meeting and he later realizes who she is and follows her. They become reluctantly involved with each other, to try and flush out the real murderer and solve many of their problems - which are numerous. Many secondary characters, but the mystery is well kept until near the end. Some mostly tasteful bedroom scenes.
May 17, 2019
Great historical romantic suspense
This was my first Elizabeth Thornton. I loved it . It was interesting from the beginning to the end. The premise of the heroin being wrongly accused of murder and the hero, the person who fonts to believe her guilty. I was confused with who committed the murder almost into the end. There was no way I had guessed the motive though. Good novel, fun read. 👍 it was difficult to put down.
This was my first Elizabeth Thornton. I loved it . It was interesting from the beginning to the end. The premise of the heroin being wrongly accused of murder and the hero, the person who fonts to believe her guilty. I was confused with who committed the murder almost into the end. There was no way I had guessed the motive though. Good novel, fun read. 👍 it was difficult to put down.
December 8, 2022
i have a lot of feelings for this
my head hurts after finishing this, the writing was so modern and it didn’t feel like i was reading a historical romance for one second
H was absolutely nasty, he was rude and unapologetically so, i didn’t really like him
my head hurts after finishing this, the writing was so modern and it didn’t feel like i was reading a historical romance for one second
H was absolutely nasty, he was rude and unapologetically so, i didn’t really like him
April 6, 2019
The novel was nice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2019
Genial, muy recomendado XD
historical
January 2, 2019Throughout Sara Carstairs' trial for the murder of her sister's husband, Max Worthe had studied her cool demeanor in the dock, fascinated by her even as he was convinced she was guilty as charged. For three years after the ravishing heiress was acquitted, he used the power of his newspaper to pursue the truth--hoping to find the still-undiscovered body of the murder victim and at last prove Sara's guilt. But not only had the body disappeared without a trace, so had Sara Carstairs....
When Max finally catches up with Sara by sheer chance, he doesn't even know it's her...at first. By the time he does, it's too late--they've already spent a night together that both of them know they will never forget and can never repeat. Has he fallen in love with the woman of his dreams or with a cold-blooded murderess? And has she put herself in the hands of a knight in shining armor--or a ruthless scoundrel bent on destroying her?
When Max finally catches up with Sara by sheer chance, he doesn't even know it's her...at first. By the time he does, it's too late--they've already spent a night together that both of them know they will never forget and can never repeat. Has he fallen in love with the woman of his dreams or with a cold-blooded murderess? And has she put herself in the hands of a knight in shining armor--or a ruthless scoundrel bent on destroying her?
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews