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An Autumn in Araby
An Autumn in Araby opens in Suffolk (1869), where Suzanna Copley has just arrived to take charge of widower's Justin Ormerod's uncontrollable young son, Rupert. But she soon realises that Castle Delamere holds far greater dangers than the tantrums of one small boy, and as she befriends him she learns that he is more in need of protection than discipline.
When her employer announces that he has been commissioned to paint scenes commemorating the opening of the Suez Canal, and that Suzanna and Rupert are to accompany him on the long sea voyage to Egypt, she is delighted, believing that they can leave fear and trouble behind. She cannot know that a murderer is tracking their footsteps and will be aboard the SS Hindustan, too, watching and waiting for an opportunity to kill the child who has unwittingly become an instrument of revenge.
When her employer announces that he has been commissioned to paint scenes commemorating the opening of the Suez Canal, and that Suzanna and Rupert are to accompany him on the long sea voyage to Egypt, she is delighted, believing that they can leave fear and trouble behind. She cannot know that a murderer is tracking their footsteps and will be aboard the SS Hindustan, too, watching and waiting for an opportunity to kill the child who has unwittingly become an instrument of revenge.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
29 people want to read
About the author
Carola Salisbury
24 books10 followersCarola Salisbury is a pseudonym for John Michael "Mike" Butterworth.
Butterworth trained as an artist at Camberwell College of Art and worked briefly as a tutor in drawing at Nottingham College of Art. After briefly working as a salesman, he joined the Amalgamated Press (later renamed Fleetway Publications) after submitting samples of artwork to them. Although these were turned down, he tried again, submitting a script for a sea-going adventure strip. This was accepted and Butterworth was hired as a scriptwriter, at first working primarily Western strips featuring Billy the Kid and Buffalo Bill. His interest in history (particularly naval history) led him to pen many historical comic strips for Comet and Sun, including the Napoleonic era adventures of Max Bravo, the Happy Hussar and World War II air-ace Battler Britton.
Aside from his writing, Butterworth was a gifted editor and created a number of new papers for the firm including Playhour Pictures (soon after abbreviated to Playhour), Valentine and the teenage girls' magazine Honey.
In 1965 he became one of the main script writers for Ranger where he penned the sprawling science-fantasy The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire which remains one of the most popular boys' adventure strips published in the UK to this day.
Butterworth left Fleetway Publications and turned freelance. His first novel, The Soundless Scream, appeared in 1967 followed over the next few years by a number of well-received crime novels which appeared under his full name, which has led to some confusion between his work and that of Science fiction writer and Savoy Books publisher Michael Butterworth. Butterworth also turned his hand to Gothic romance novels under the pen-name Carola Salisbury and Sarah Kemp.
He died at the age of 62.
Butterworth trained as an artist at Camberwell College of Art and worked briefly as a tutor in drawing at Nottingham College of Art. After briefly working as a salesman, he joined the Amalgamated Press (later renamed Fleetway Publications) after submitting samples of artwork to them. Although these were turned down, he tried again, submitting a script for a sea-going adventure strip. This was accepted and Butterworth was hired as a scriptwriter, at first working primarily Western strips featuring Billy the Kid and Buffalo Bill. His interest in history (particularly naval history) led him to pen many historical comic strips for Comet and Sun, including the Napoleonic era adventures of Max Bravo, the Happy Hussar and World War II air-ace Battler Britton.
Aside from his writing, Butterworth was a gifted editor and created a number of new papers for the firm including Playhour Pictures (soon after abbreviated to Playhour), Valentine and the teenage girls' magazine Honey.
In 1965 he became one of the main script writers for Ranger where he penned the sprawling science-fantasy The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire which remains one of the most popular boys' adventure strips published in the UK to this day.
Butterworth left Fleetway Publications and turned freelance. His first novel, The Soundless Scream, appeared in 1967 followed over the next few years by a number of well-received crime novels which appeared under his full name, which has led to some confusion between his work and that of Science fiction writer and Savoy Books publisher Michael Butterworth. Butterworth also turned his hand to Gothic romance novels under the pen-name Carola Salisbury and Sarah Kemp.
He died at the age of 62.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 12, 2016
This was such a fun read, so many twists and turns and the most glorious end to a villain I can recall in a long time. Loved the cruise bit as the story and characters worked their way to Egypt for the formalities during the opening of the Suez Canal.
February 25, 2015
It was fun to revisit the gothic/romantic suspense genre that held such a prominent place in my teenage reading (and, not coincidentally, gave me a lifelong thirst for travel to some of the exotic places I'd read about), and this book, published in 1980, was probably one of the last published in that genre before it was completely swallowed up by historical romances of the "sweet/savage" variety. As a representative of the genre, this book features the requisite atmospheric setting (in this case, a trip to Egypt for the opening of the Suez Canal), and the lengthy middle section set aboard a paddlewheel steamship was a clever variation on the familiar theme. It also featured one of the most charming marriage proposals I've ever read. Unfortunately, our heroine, Miss Suzanna Copley, had a bit of the Mary Sue about her; she was an engaging and resourceful character, but was it really necessary for every man in the book to fall in love with her? Still, I enjoyed this book sufficiently to look for the author's work again next time I am in the mood for a retro read.
May 17, 2016
DNF. Too insufferable. Felt like Atonement all over again. Don't recommend.
August 22, 2014
pseud michael butterworth
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews