The Glass Flame

by Phyllis A. Whitney

"If anything happens to me down here, don't let it pass as an accident. You owe me that, Karen..." David Hallam had written those words in his last letter to his wife from a small villiage in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. (inside flap.).

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Gothic, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Gothic Romance, Cozy Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".

She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another well written thriller by Phyllis A. Whitney.

This is one you want to try and finish in one sitting.

Saying anymore about this one will spoil it.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Hallam receives her pointless but last letter from her supportive husband who unexpectingly died in a strange string of fires of which taking place in Belle Isle is where she intents to investigate meanwhile she forces her husband’s family to come good on her trip to Belle Isle, which once there learns that her husband may have had an affair with his sister-in-law that doesn’t do much more than not help this investigation because it looks like a good reason for murder, but Trevor didn’t seem like the type to commit murder.
I like the references Whitney’s to James Dickey, ‘green, mindless, unkillable ghosts’ and the comparison Grecian style of Isadora Duncan.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the mystery was good. It was creepy and there were just enough people involved that you got to know them but not too many that you got confused. I liked getting to know more about architecture and photography. The book is dated, but not in a bad way.

I will say that the characters didn’t really behave in a way I expected, so I didn’t really connect with them, but I still enjoyed the mystery. The only thing that seemed over the top was Karen’s love for Trevor. For some reason it annoyed me, maybe because it seemed so baseless.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I’ve always enjoyed “gothic” style fiction and ones like this - “vintage” now - I particularly like. If you have read any of my reviews over the years you know I like to read books set where I’m traveling to. So, I bought this for a trip to the Smoky Mountains. Yes it is dated but it is quite good, just enjoy the ride!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a suspenseful, fun mystery. I was not expecting the twist at the end, so that made it especially fun!

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting and edgy, with lush - and usually creepy - settings just waiting to be explored. I thoroughly enjoyed The Glass Flame and it is the first book of Phyllis A. Whitney's that I've read, but it won't be the last!

Right from the beginning, I was drawn in. There are lots of little mysteries, nagging questions, to chew on...a cast of extremely colorful and memorable characters...and as with any really good mystery book, though at the end you can look back and see how it all fit together, when you're reading it the first time, it isn't in the slightest bit obvious, and nobody is above suspicion.

Karen, the heroine, is someone I felt for, and cheered for. Especially for the time (this book was written in 1978) she's pretty plucky and doesn't go to pieces very easily (a couple of times, a little, but it's understandable.) Since some of the information I saw on this book before I read it labeled it as a "mystery/romance" I was wondering how much would be mystery and how much would be romance, as the mix can vary wildly. I don't mind a romance in a story like this as long as it doesn't completely overwhelm the entire book - and this one certainly doesn't. It ended up being very much in the background, with mystery and exploration taking the front seat, which was exactly what I'd hoped for.

I found the architectural details fascinating, too. I loved the detail put into Trevor's sprawling mountainside house, as well as the creepy octagon house on the Belle Isle. Great atmosphere and mood. Intriguing yet also with an undercurrent of horror (though not overtly so). The romance between Karen and Trevor (or, more specifically, Trevor's sudden decision to fall in love with Karen after giving her the cold shoulder for the first 90% of the book) did seem a bit rushed at the end, from cold indifference to "let's spend our lives together," but in all honesty, I wasn't reading this for the romance angle so I didn't care.

I couldn't put this book down, and I know I'll come back and read it again!

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that uses "shan't" and "mustn't" so very much a departure for me.


I didn't like single character in this book. I did like the twist at the end. I must say, I didn't see that coming, but then I didn't really care all that much either. This book felt more like a chore to me, but someone I knew loved it so I persevered.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Phyllis A. Whitney is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery! Some of the characters were a bit creepy. A good mystery.

[Ann L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery story! As always, the author delivers surprise and twists! Loved it!

[Diana Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

My hardcover copy is from the Double Day Book Club and published in 1978. At first I was doubtful if I would enjoy this book. I felt that I was reading Architectural Digest instead of a romance mystery thriller. About three quarters the book became very intriguing and carried my interest through until the end. I was blind sided and thought the ending was made this book a good read. I tend to enjoy more of the conversations and thoughts between the characters and not so much all the details of their surroundings which went on at length. I was surprised when I did research and found the author had indeed wrote a great many books in her lifetime and I will be looking to read more of her work in the future.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a mysterious gothic novel...... sadly this was not one of them. She has written a lot of books so maybe I happened upon one of the dumb ones. I love the mystery, suspense, damsel in distress, mysterious hunky man, second guessing and so on that the gothic genre serves up, so give me some suggestions!!!!

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen travels to the Smokies in Tennessee to bury her husband who has died in an explosion while investigating a series of fires. In a letter a few weeks earlier, he had told her that if anything happens to him, it won't be an accident. She stays with his half-brother's family while there and gets caught up in a web of strange happenings. It kept me guessing till the end.

[Chioma Uzoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHILLIS KNOWS HOW TO CREATE A WEB.....EXCELLENT BOOK...ENOYED IT A LOT!

[Agnes Fells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and I like the authors style. it's a short read that moves right along.

[Jenna (readinginjennaland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not put it down

I love mysteries where I can guess who the killer is but I'm wrong. I was shocked and my mind is reeling. Phyllis A. Whitney's books are timeless.

[Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same-o same-o...

At first I was so delighted and so impressed with the first book I read of Ms.Phyllis Whitney. So excited to read the next and then the next one like in a speed of lightning. Before I know it, I was almost at the end of the 6th book, and I'm feeling so utterly burned out and feeling cheated too. I realized I was reading the same book, only with different titles, different place and different characters. They all center around family roots. It's all about interpersonal relationships amongst family and their ancient past. Its focus on interpersonal family relationships is the core of all her stories. There's always the hate they bore towards one another, secrets, greed, the heroine in love or falling in love with a man who is a husband or a fiancé of another. There's always a grandmother who turns out to be the villain, who's covered up lies & deceptions, a family who lived together & manipulated each other, etc.etc. No matter how I tried, I couldn't warm up in this particular book, none of the characters are likeable. At times, I even find the heroine pathetic and so weak in character.

It's one thing to spend time and money to read a book but to feel cheated is another. Maybe the fault lie on me. I shouldn't have read them one after another, I should have taken a rest from hers, read some other author's book in berween then back to hers. Maybe then I wouldn't have felt cheated realizing in the end that I've been reading the same story.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lackluster until its final chapter, "The Glass Flame" tells the story of unhappily married Karen Hallam, who is determined to investigate the death in a fire of her arson-investigator husband David, who'd been looking into a number of mysterious fires in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This quest brings her into the tightly knit circle surrounding her brother-in-law Trevor, an architect who'd been her not-so-secret teenage crush. Although Whitney tries to liven it up with a brace of possible suspects, from a shrewish wife to an off-kilter artist to a bitter playboy, nothing really grabs the reader until close to the very end—and the payoff comes so late that many readers might give up before then. Not one of the prolific Whitney's better efforts, "The Glass Flame" sputters.

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going through a box of mementoes from my mother's house, I found a list of books she read between 1986 and 1990. This was the first one on the list. I was was relieved when the consortium had it in its catalogue. The only part of the story that was tedious was Karen's obsession with Trevor. She really had low self esteem to stay with a man like David. I didn't figure out the solution, which is no surprise, because I rarely do. The book held my interest to the very end.

[Melanie Izzo picciotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went for four stars because I couldn’t understand why Karen had remained with her husband as she no longer loved him, and financially could take care of herself. There were other little oddities that bothered me, but I have to say I couldn’t put the book down and it held my interest. Some of the editing could’ve been better, as sometimes wrong terms were used as if the editor was not an American. I’ve never heard anyone actually use the word “shan’t”.

[Roni Denholtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read and re-read all Phyllis A. Whitney's books but I didn't remember much about this one. I realizezd why: it was one that was not nearly as good as most. The heroine is unusually weak and the pace slower than most of her others. i don't wish to disparage an excellent writer whose books I've loved. Suffice it to say there are mnany, many others of hers which have stood the test of time.

[Kathryn Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful Whitney

Another wonderful mystery by Phyllis Whitney, with a very unexpected ending. Her writings continue to amaze me considering the time lapse between the years these novels were written and the current time.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don’t keep books I get from a library sale, I donate back, but I do love this authors writing style, I’ve read her books since after high school in the eighties! This one is a keeper!

[Jayden Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did keep me on my feet with where the mystery would lead. The author gave no indication that the bad guy was who they actually ended up being, and I enjoyed that aspect. I do think that the ending was a bit rushed, when the mystery had began to unfold, it did so very quickly.

[Karen Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "The Glass Flame" by Phyllis Whitney is part of the Mass Market Paperback group. The crafty characters, Tennessee mountain setting, and creative ending will have the reader searching for more mystery tales by this author. copy right 1978 276 small print pages

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good mystery book!

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I'd read this one years ago, but I didn't remember any of it reading it this time. This is the kind of Phyllis Whitney novel that made me a fan of hers.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C-. fiction, romantic suspense, contemporary, from stash, discard

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive compared to Whitney’s other books but thrilling and scary and romantic.

[Melanie Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one

A surprise twist that I didn't see coming.
I have liked all of her books. They're entertaining and often educational as well.