A Relative Stranger

by Anne Stevenson

What would it be like to be unsure whether you could recognize your own brother? This is the terrifying quest that Julie Davidge, a young free-lance artist living in London, suddenly and bewildering finds herself confronted with. Her brother Richard, 10 years her senior and always a remote figure to her, has disappeared, presumably kidnapped as a British agent by the enemy. One day a man claiming to be Richard appears in London, and almost simultaneously Julie receives a postcard in Richard's handwriting, saying he is alive in France and needs her help. Is the man in London her brother or is he an enemy plant, waiting for any clue to the whereabouts of the real Richard in order to have him killed?

Genres: Mystery, Gothic Romance, Suspense, Gothic, Romance

251 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Felicity Avery (Anne Stevenson, pen name) was born in Cardiff in 1928, she read History at St. Anne’s at the University of Oxford from 1946 to 1949. After her degree, she worked as historical archivist for the Holland-Martin banking family, before turning to journalism and fiction, which was initially published in the form of short stories and serials in magazines and journals. Composed under the nom de guerre of Anne Stevenson, her first novel, Ralph Dacre, was immediately snapped up by Billy Collins in 1967 and quickly became a best seller. It was followed by eight further novels that spanned various genres from thrillers to historical sagas. She has variously been compared to Mary Stewart and, in her pared-down shorter fiction, to Graham Greene and during her most prolific years in 1960s and 1970s, she gathered a considerable number of loyal readers for her intelligent, well-crafted thrillers.

She was married to the economic journalist and naval historian, Ronald Avery (1915-1996) and spent the last years of her life in Oxford, before losing her fight with breast cancer in 2008. She is survived by her daughter, Anne Louise, and grandson, Inigo. There are plans to republish her works in the next couple of years, following a resurgence of interest in her fiction.

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 5 out of 5]

05/2015

I have an old hardcover (this is from 1969). The dust jacket fell off in the few years of my possession. I fully expected this to be cheesy. When I started reading it last week, I did not assume I'd read that much.
But it was great. I loved it. A Hitchcockian spy thriller with romance. Extremely well plotted. I was entertained all the way through.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you recognize your brother if he disappeared for three years, then abruptly returned? Julie was never very close to hers and she isn't quite sure. And then she starts getting postcards from France that purport to be from her brother. Can she trust the handsome man who turns up at her front door to help her untangle this mystery?

Here is a link to my review:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

[Dean Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would it be like to be unsure if you could recognize your own brother? That is the disturbing question that Julie Davidge, a young free-lance artist living in London suddenly and bewilderingly finds herself confronted with. Her brother Richard, ten years her senior and always a remote figure to her, has disappeared, presumably kidnapped as a British agent by the enemy. One day a man claiming to be Richard appears in London, and almost simultaneously Julie receives a postcard in Richard's handwriting, saying he is alive in France and needs her help. Is the man in London her brother, or is he an enemy plant, waiting for any clue to the whereabouts of the real Richard in order to have him killed?

I found this book and one day opened it, reading just the first few pages. I soon found I couldn't put it down and in the end I very much enjoyed Stevenson's whole story!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Anne Stevenson book I've read, in search of "more books like Mary Stewart's."

I liked this one much better than the first one I tried, "Mask of Treason." The plot was quite suspenseful and interesting. I felt quite anxious to know which was the real brother and what would happen to him. The love story was also more interesting than the one in "Mask of Treason." Still pretty slight and unmemorable, but better.

I find myself wanting to find and buy another Anne Stevenson book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good spy-suspense story. Young English girl has a brother who's arrested during the Cold War era by the enemy. Three years later he's part of a prisoner exchange and he is returned to London. Girl is not comfortable with him, and then she receives a postcard send from France which appears to be from her brother seeking help. So off to France she goes with a friend of his----and the trouble starts.
Fast read. Keeps you turning pages right to the end. The last paragraph is a doozy.

[Avynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good quick read. Had a few twists that I enjoyed. I got this book for free so I definitely wasn't disappointed. But all in all a pretty likable book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2. Reads like a dry martini.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly, Anne Stevenson was heavily influenced by the writing of Mary Stewart. A Relative Stranger, written in 1969, has a very Stewart-ish feel to it when reading it, but there's something "off" about her attempt. The best I can say is that Stevenson had a relatively intriguing plotline worked out, but failed to successfully execute it like Stewart would have done.

A so-so book, but if you're looking for a Mary Stewart look-alike, don't try Anne Stevenson, go for Susanna Kearsley.

[David Vanness · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a ** or three ***. Had a hard time deciding. It was an enjoyable quick 10 cent novel. Was worth the dime.