Castle at Witches' Coven

by Virginia Coffman

After the deaths of her father and her fiancé, the dashing Brion de Vaudraye, Climene is determined to purchase the mysterious old Vaudraye castle. Ignoring the advice of a guardian she’d never met (Captain Moreau), Climene moves into her unnerving new home . . . only to discover that is rumored to the the gathering-place of a coven of devil-worshiping witches. When her guardian is murdered and Philippe–the “God of the Witches” who had been executed centuries before–appears in her house, Climene wishes she’d headed Moreau’s warning -- Anne Neville

Genres: Gothic, Horror

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Virginia 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.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

breathless gothic set in the darkest, deadliest, most dangerous place on earth: France! probably the least of the Coffmans I've read so far, but still fairly fun. as always, I come to her looking for atmosphere and she has yet to disappoint me. tons of creepy castle atmosphere (doors that close with no one touching them! rooms opening on rooms instead of a sensible hallway! vivid painting of a sexy-evil vampire-witch king!) and tons of creepy country atmosphere (rose bushes but all the roses are dying! overgrown foliage because Le Compte is apparently too cheap to hire gardeners! a poisoned spring plus an unlucky mouse proving that it's poisoned!) the heroine is obstinate and annoying. the hero is - is there even a hero? there is a mysterious, foppish gent who is described by our heroine as weak-looking and there's a big, dull French cop roaming around with some kind of club-cane; neither are particularly compelling or charismatic. the plot: our young heroine, a newly-orphaned and newly-rich bourgeois-but-sympathetic-to-the-French-Revolution up & buys an isolated mansion that belonged to her slain fiancé's family; sinister, maybe-satanic shenanigans ensue. moral of the tale: never up & buy a castle that is literally called "Witches' Coven Castle"?

[Joanne Renaud · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had a great start, with loads of atmosphere and decent historical details of Napoleonic era France. For a while, I was digging it, because I felt for sure the sexy Javert-esque police prefect would be the hero; but alas-- SPOILERS-- that was not to be. For the record, I'm not a fan of introducing the hero way, WAY after the antagonist. That is never a good move, authors.

Definitely not one of Virginia Coffman's best. The twist felt labored, and the heroine was irritating. This sort of feels like her on autopilot. The Dark Palazzo, Moura, and The Alpine Coach are her best Gothic romances that I've read so far, so I'd read those before this one.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst Coffman that I've read so far. There is plenty of atmosphere, I guess, but the story is nonsensical, the threats just confusing, and the heroine has sparks of a backbone but then gets tossed about willy-nilly by the plot. She is apt to do the exact opposite of whatever the sensible thing is and is constantly allowing people to walk all over her. There is a sort of love interest but, again, the story requires him, and indeed everyone, to act in the suspicious way possible at all times.

If this had been my first Coffman, I would have never read another.

[Adrian Griffiths · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young woman who has inherited a large castle through a short-lived marriage finds that it is filled with sinister relatives, none of whom can be trusted, plus it has a macabre history of being the location of a witches' coven - which might still be active!

Virginia Coffman is a skilled author, but as another reviewer has put it, this does seem to be written on autopilot. Not many thrills, and hardly any romance either, so it's just a mild "whodunnit" mystery. Surprisingly bland, given the subject matter that includes beheadings, curses and a 300 year old warlock.

[Anne Neville · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the deaths of her father and her fiancé, the dashing Brion de Vaudraye, Climene is determined to purchase the mysterious old Vaudraye castle. Ignoring the advice of a guardian she’d never met (Captain Moreau), Climene moves into her unnerving new home . . . only to discover that is rumored to the the gathering-place of a coven of devil-worshiping witches. When her guardian is murdered and Philippe–the “God of the Witches” who had been executed centuries before–appears in her house, Climene wishes she’d headed Moreau’s warning.

http://www.numbersonthespines.com/201...

[Terri Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of Coffman's books that had me guessing until the end. Maybe not quite as atmospheric or suspenseful as the "Moura" series, but still a creepy, well-written tale!