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The Ebony Swan
Susan Prentice has come home to Virgina's eastern shores, to the very spot where her mother fell to her death twenty-five years before, also the home of Alex Montoro, her proud, intense grandmother. But Susan's arrival has alarmed people who fear what may lie dormant in Susan's memory. Especially Alex. For she believes her granddaughter is the only living witness to the tragedy. Together Alex and Susan must pry open the locked doors of the past, where burning passions, dark secrets, and hidden danger must be challenged to set the present free.
309 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1992
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519 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis A. Whitney
190 books569 followersPhyllis 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
May 22, 2012
I didn't enjoy this book. The idea of the story seemed good (though looking at the summaries of a few others looks like she uses this plot line a lot) but the characters did not seem true to life AT ALL.
Example...the constant back and forth thinking of Alex and Susy especially....shall I open up, shall I not, shall I stay, shall I go, etc without further elucidation, gets really repetitive.
Weird reactions/non-reactions. Eric climbs the outdoor stairs to Suzys room, verbally and physically threatens her (in a sudden switch from previously being super friendly), and her only action is to speak to his fiancee the hostile Theresa! No call to the police, no chat to gran about it, no request for a lock on the door even! This despite the fact his malicious booby trap has seriously injured her grandmother. ??? She never says to all the "friends",neighbours and family members "get lost" when they keep querying why she's there (visiting her grandmother, isn't it obvious?) saying maybe she should leave, etc.
Alex. Can't make up her mind what to do about Suzy. Doesn't tell her how she felt when her father took her away, that she sent cards and gifts every year, etc etc. How weird is it that at the time that happened she decided not to open the letter from her son-in-law because she doesn't like him. Um, he has your granddaughter, why wouldn't you open the letter? Might possibly have some pertinent information? Supposedly so proud and independent, you would have expected her to tear off Theresa off a strip for giving away one of her possessions (carved swan) without so much as a by-your-leave. Nope, she doesn't. Apparently she's fine with that. What?!! And how in the world did she live with the experienced and worldly Juan Gabriel and figure that he had no clue about her affair? I knew he'd have known just from the description of him. And even if she thought so then, you'd think she'd have gotten more sense in the fifty interim years and have realised there was no way she'd hidden it successfully.
And (the late) Lawrence. Despite the fact he himself showed enough disrespect for the elderly Juan Gabriel as to hit him and knock him to the ground (which precipitated his stroke and assumedly death), he feels so loyal to him as to refuse to allow his daughter to see her grandmother on the grounds of her betrayal of JG nearly thirty years before. Eh?!!! Her husband forgives her and nearly thirty years later you marry the grown daughter and decide her mom's dirt?
And Emily. This character makes no sense. She "accidentally" pushes a woman down the stairs, Dolores dies from the fall. There are no witnesses except Juan Gabriel who dies in a coma without identifying her in word or deed (nothing that would stand up in court, for sure!) and a child who has blocked the whole incident from her mind and didn't see the fatal act anyway. Twenty-five years later she decides its worth her while to deliberately poison Juan Gabriel's biographer in case something comes to light! ??? There was no evidence at the time so even if someone magically deciphered JG's last four words ("Never forgive. Dolores. Murder." --and the gesture to an orange --and ok, why in the world did it take Alex 25 years to figure out it was a reference to Tangier Island? That was a no-brainer I saw as soon as she mentioned him knocking over a bowl of oranges...no, it takes at least three more mentions and 25 years since the event for her to put two and two together) there would have been no proof. No one saw her do it, it was probably past the statute of limitations anyway, and the worst thing she'd have been convicted of if she decided to go to the police and confess would be manslaughter. So she decides to take the incredible risk of going to the doctor's office, breaking in, doctoring capsules, all without being seen or leaving any traces, to murder the biographer. ?????
And then, she apparently decides that she hates Alex so much ( why? for having been involved with her husband before Emily ever knew/married him, and for giving birth to his healthy child) that having killed her daughter, said healthy child, isn't enough. No, what she really needs to do is kill her granddaughter too, then this will make up for everything and it'll be worth being jailed for murder. ???
And somehow, this crazy woman who has nurtured this completely insane and murderous hatred for over 50 years has managed to appear normal to family and friends. ???
Example...the constant back and forth thinking of Alex and Susy especially....shall I open up, shall I not, shall I stay, shall I go, etc without further elucidation, gets really repetitive.
Weird reactions/non-reactions. Eric climbs the outdoor stairs to Suzys room, verbally and physically threatens her (in a sudden switch from previously being super friendly), and her only action is to speak to his fiancee the hostile Theresa! No call to the police, no chat to gran about it, no request for a lock on the door even! This despite the fact his malicious booby trap has seriously injured her grandmother. ??? She never says to all the "friends",neighbours and family members "get lost" when they keep querying why she's there (visiting her grandmother, isn't it obvious?) saying maybe she should leave, etc.
Alex. Can't make up her mind what to do about Suzy. Doesn't tell her how she felt when her father took her away, that she sent cards and gifts every year, etc etc. How weird is it that at the time that happened she decided not to open the letter from her son-in-law because she doesn't like him. Um, he has your granddaughter, why wouldn't you open the letter? Might possibly have some pertinent information? Supposedly so proud and independent, you would have expected her to tear off Theresa off a strip for giving away one of her possessions (carved swan) without so much as a by-your-leave. Nope, she doesn't. Apparently she's fine with that. What?!! And how in the world did she live with the experienced and worldly Juan Gabriel and figure that he had no clue about her affair? I knew he'd have known just from the description of him. And even if she thought so then, you'd think she'd have gotten more sense in the fifty interim years and have realised there was no way she'd hidden it successfully.
And (the late) Lawrence. Despite the fact he himself showed enough disrespect for the elderly Juan Gabriel as to hit him and knock him to the ground (which precipitated his stroke and assumedly death), he feels so loyal to him as to refuse to allow his daughter to see her grandmother on the grounds of her betrayal of JG nearly thirty years before. Eh?!!! Her husband forgives her and nearly thirty years later you marry the grown daughter and decide her mom's dirt?
And Emily. This character makes no sense. She "accidentally" pushes a woman down the stairs, Dolores dies from the fall. There are no witnesses except Juan Gabriel who dies in a coma without identifying her in word or deed (nothing that would stand up in court, for sure!) and a child who has blocked the whole incident from her mind and didn't see the fatal act anyway. Twenty-five years later she decides its worth her while to deliberately poison Juan Gabriel's biographer in case something comes to light! ??? There was no evidence at the time so even if someone magically deciphered JG's last four words ("Never forgive. Dolores. Murder." --and the gesture to an orange --and ok, why in the world did it take Alex 25 years to figure out it was a reference to Tangier Island? That was a no-brainer I saw as soon as she mentioned him knocking over a bowl of oranges...no, it takes at least three more mentions and 25 years since the event for her to put two and two together) there would have been no proof. No one saw her do it, it was probably past the statute of limitations anyway, and the worst thing she'd have been convicted of if she decided to go to the police and confess would be manslaughter. So she decides to take the incredible risk of going to the doctor's office, breaking in, doctoring capsules, all without being seen or leaving any traces, to murder the biographer. ?????
And then, she apparently decides that she hates Alex so much ( why? for having been involved with her husband before Emily ever knew/married him, and for giving birth to his healthy child) that having killed her daughter, said healthy child, isn't enough. No, what she really needs to do is kill her granddaughter too, then this will make up for everything and it'll be worth being jailed for murder. ???
And somehow, this crazy woman who has nurtured this completely insane and murderous hatred for over 50 years has managed to appear normal to family and friends. ???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2022
When her mother died in an accident, Susan Prentice's father took her away from the Tidewater Virginia home and extended family she'd known the first six years of her life. Now, at 31, she will return to re-visit and reclaim her past, something someone else from that time does not want her to do. If that sounds familiar, it's because by the time of "The Ebony Swan," Whitney had utilized that very same set-up in "The Turquoise Mask," in the late 1970s and variations upon it in "Silversword" just five years previously. Nevertheless, if the plot is in many respects a re-tread, what's interesting in "The Ebony Swan" is that Whitney alternates the point-of-view between Susan and her grandmother, former ballerina Alex Montoro. In fact, the latter character is more interesting than the former, textured by the author's own experience with aging. This sympathy and authenticity is what makes the "The Ebony Swan" better than the earlier books whose plots it recycles—making what started as an eye-rolling feeling of deja vu turn into a nod of congratulations to the author.
January 30, 2011
I consider this type of mystery to be the best kind. It keeps you on your toes, but it isn't to scary to keep you up! This was a great read!
dnf
March 15, 2024DNF
Phyllis, u did me dirty. This is way too slow.
Phyllis, u did me dirty. This is way too slow.
August 31, 2016
When Susan Prentice returns to her childhood home in Virginia 25 years after witnessing the death of her mother, Dolores, she wishes only to become reacquainted with her formidable grandmother, Alex, a former ballerina. But Susan finds herself isolated in a hostile environment, her relatives obviously fearful that she might recall hitherto repressed memories of the tragedy. Her old playmate Peter (now Alex's physician) has survived the murder of his wife a year ago, a crime that might be linked to Dolores's death. And Susan is particularly dismayed to find an ebony swan carved by her late grandfather that ostensibly depicts Alex as Odile in Swan Lake --with a terrifyingly malevolent face. Another Whitney gem!
August 15, 2011
I’ve read books by Phyllis Whitney for many years and have never found a book of hers I didn’t like. This was no exception. A young woman goes to visit her grandmother she hasn’t seen since she was a small child. Her mother was killed mysteriously when she was young and they lived with her grandmother but she has blocked out what she saw. Her grandmother, an ex ballerina who danced the Swan Lake at one point, has many secrets she imparts during their visit. Good read.
June 8, 2015
3.5 stars...
My first Phyllis Whitney! I enjoyed this as a light mystery-suspense with a little romance. The characters were a bit 1-dimensional, but I wasn't bothered by it. It felt like a "gentle" mystery. Kind of like an American-style Victoria Holt. Totally clean. I will definitely be reading more of hers. Not sure how I missed her yeas ago!! I can see where her writing has influenced today's gothic writers.
My first Phyllis Whitney! I enjoyed this as a light mystery-suspense with a little romance. The characters were a bit 1-dimensional, but I wasn't bothered by it. It felt like a "gentle" mystery. Kind of like an American-style Victoria Holt. Totally clean. I will definitely be reading more of hers. Not sure how I missed her yeas ago!! I can see where her writing has influenced today's gothic writers.
March 17, 2011
I don't have the exact read start and finish dates on many books I have read this year. The dates are approximated, as I have been in & out of the hospital, and on bed rest, and read 2-5 books a day depending on the book & length and my ability to focus. All dates are approximated, by month.
May 23, 2022
Classic Phyllis A Whitney. Loved all the setting details and the vivid descriptions that bring the story to life. Another dysfunctional family with deeply rooted secrets and the hapless heroine who stumbles onto them all. :-)
October 25, 2009
I've been reading Whitney books since I was very young and I love them.
February 10, 2015
this seems like a warning against letting your regrets fester as you grow old and/or defining yourself only by how others see you.
April 28, 2015
Phyllis A. Whitney's books tend to have certain repeating themes -- you'll have a young woman with a mysterious past, cryptic half-hints, family drama, some sinister relations, a murder or two, a beautiful setting, and a handsome guy.
Don't worry, you'll find all that floating around in "The Ebony Swan." But the focus in this romantic thriller is more on the young woman's grandmother and how the misdeeds of her youth have spread poison into the lives of everyone around her. The current-day romance feels a bit forced, but the rest is powerful and dramatic.
Twenty-five years ago, Susan Prentice's mother Dolores was killed in a fall down the stairs. Her angry father blamed her grandmother, Alex Montoro, and took his child far away.
But after a broken engagement and stalled career, Susan decides to visit her grandmother at long last. But Alex isn't entirely sure she can cope with the old emotions Susan's arrival will stir up -- particularly a painful secret that overshadowed Alex's entire marriage to the novelist Juan Gabriel.
Both Susan and Alex begin dwelling on the past -- Susan investigates the circumstances around her mother's might-have-been-murder, while Alex is forced to face the ugly misdeeds that may be connected to Dolores' death. But someone near them is determined to keep the past buried.
Unlike most of Phyllis A. Whitney's books, "The Ebony Swan" isn't really about the young woman with the mysterious past. Yes, Susan is an important character, but an eighty-something ex-ballerina ends up taking over most of the story -- her love affair, her tainted marriage and her regrets all feel richer and more vivid than any part of Susan's story.
The rest of the story is vintage Whitney, though. As usual, she loads down the story with elegant clothes, and lots of loving descriptions of the exotic location du jour (this time: North Virginia and Tangier Island). Whitney slathers the whole story with a feeling of dread, usually by having lots of people saying ominous things with little explanation.
The biggest problem is perhaps the character of Peter, who feels like he was included out of reflex rather than necessity. You could have cut this character completely, and the story would not have suffered.
But then, the most powerful relationships in this are between Alex and the people who have shaped her life, one of whom is already dead. We see her painfully moving forward to the point where she can reconnect with her granddaughter, and deal with the guilt she has toward her passionate late husband. The Peter/Susan relationship feels like it's tacked on by comparison.
"The Ebony Swan" has most of the tropes you'll find in a Phyllis A. Whitney novel, but with the unusual twist of having an old lady as the lead. The only problem is the awkward romantic subplot.
Don't worry, you'll find all that floating around in "The Ebony Swan." But the focus in this romantic thriller is more on the young woman's grandmother and how the misdeeds of her youth have spread poison into the lives of everyone around her. The current-day romance feels a bit forced, but the rest is powerful and dramatic.
Twenty-five years ago, Susan Prentice's mother Dolores was killed in a fall down the stairs. Her angry father blamed her grandmother, Alex Montoro, and took his child far away.
But after a broken engagement and stalled career, Susan decides to visit her grandmother at long last. But Alex isn't entirely sure she can cope with the old emotions Susan's arrival will stir up -- particularly a painful secret that overshadowed Alex's entire marriage to the novelist Juan Gabriel.
Both Susan and Alex begin dwelling on the past -- Susan investigates the circumstances around her mother's might-have-been-murder, while Alex is forced to face the ugly misdeeds that may be connected to Dolores' death. But someone near them is determined to keep the past buried.
Unlike most of Phyllis A. Whitney's books, "The Ebony Swan" isn't really about the young woman with the mysterious past. Yes, Susan is an important character, but an eighty-something ex-ballerina ends up taking over most of the story -- her love affair, her tainted marriage and her regrets all feel richer and more vivid than any part of Susan's story.
The rest of the story is vintage Whitney, though. As usual, she loads down the story with elegant clothes, and lots of loving descriptions of the exotic location du jour (this time: North Virginia and Tangier Island). Whitney slathers the whole story with a feeling of dread, usually by having lots of people saying ominous things with little explanation.
The biggest problem is perhaps the character of Peter, who feels like he was included out of reflex rather than necessity. You could have cut this character completely, and the story would not have suffered.
But then, the most powerful relationships in this are between Alex and the people who have shaped her life, one of whom is already dead. We see her painfully moving forward to the point where she can reconnect with her granddaughter, and deal with the guilt she has toward her passionate late husband. The Peter/Susan relationship feels like it's tacked on by comparison.
"The Ebony Swan" has most of the tropes you'll find in a Phyllis A. Whitney novel, but with the unusual twist of having an old lady as the lead. The only problem is the awkward romantic subplot.
May 5, 2009
I've never been much of a mystery and/or even romantic novel reader but was attracted to this one as I like swans.
This was a great novel and I enjoyed the characters. It fit me very well because one of the protagonists was a dancer in her youth and the other protagonist has other mysteries that I shared.
The author did an exceptional job telling the story and I was caught up with events from the start. I have two other novels by this author that will be read now...her talent is exceptional and enjoyable as well as entertaining.
If you like mysteries and love running deep within the family...even family that isn't 'blood' relatives, you'll enjoy this novel!
This was a great novel and I enjoyed the characters. It fit me very well because one of the protagonists was a dancer in her youth and the other protagonist has other mysteries that I shared.
The author did an exceptional job telling the story and I was caught up with events from the start. I have two other novels by this author that will be read now...her talent is exceptional and enjoyable as well as entertaining.
If you like mysteries and love running deep within the family...even family that isn't 'blood' relatives, you'll enjoy this novel!
February 15, 2010
I love this book. It is added because I am taking the Reader's Advisory course at COD. And this author is supposed to be the Queen, among others, of Romantic Suspense. But I think she's old school though.
Read
September 25, 2008F Whi
September 17, 2009
This book really keeps you on your toes, right up until the very end. Now I understand why people say that Phillis A. Whitney is the master of her craft.
July 21, 2009
Great read!
May 7, 2010
This is a nice, comfortable read. I like mysteries without too much blood and gore and Whitney's writing fits this description. Very good mystery writer.
Read
August 19, 2011 A classic Phyllis Whitney story about a former prima ballerina, whose granddaughter follows clues into the past revealing scandal and sometimes murder.
May 6, 2013
creative,full of suspence.
Read
September 5, 2013Read 10/95
April 28, 2014
A real thriller! The ending was totally unexpected. It kept you in suspense throughout. I hadn't been reading her but I certainly will now.
September 20, 2014
Great mystery keep you guessing and wondering what would happen next.
April 30, 2020
Phyllis Whitney has been called a Grand Master and I won’t dispute that. Her writing is masterful, clear, with the right mix of action, narrative, and dialog, good pacing, story that moves forward and pulls the reader along, likeable characters. Need I say more? As a child, Susan was taken from her home by her father when her mother died. He prevented her from contact with her grandmother, her only other relative. When her father dies, Susan returns to the Virginia shore to learn more about her origins. Of course you will expect there to be surprises and conflicts, and there are. Grandma is hiding secrets, and secrets are also being hidden from her. And there is a new/old romance to rekindle – perhaps more than one. There are surprises to discover in a lush and sometimes mysterious atmosphere and an impressive Victorian mansion.
February 18, 2019
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
November 18, 2024
Meh. I was really hoping I'd found a comfortable author I could reads lots of, but this was the second blah one in a row, so I think I'll give up on Phyllis W.
January 30, 2013
I liked it, but not as much as her others. This one bothered me on several levels and is darker.
For someone who has lived her life and all the mistakes she has made, Alex didn't seem like learned from them as well as she should have. Some of the supporting characters (several actually) were disturbing. The only characters I liked were Peter and Susan. They were the only ones who seemed "real" and likeable.
Things I thought about as I read: The lies we tell ourselves to make us feel better about the mistakes we make only hurt us more in the end. Hurting those we love intentionally or unintentionally still hurts them and hiding our heads in the sand does not make that hurt and betrayal disappear. Thinking more of others than ourselves truly is the only way to live.
For someone who has lived her life and all the mistakes she has made, Alex didn't seem like learned from them as well as she should have. Some of the supporting characters (several actually) were disturbing. The only characters I liked were Peter and Susan. They were the only ones who seemed "real" and likeable.
Things I thought about as I read: The lies we tell ourselves to make us feel better about the mistakes we make only hurt us more in the end. Hurting those we love intentionally or unintentionally still hurts them and hiding our heads in the sand does not make that hurt and betrayal disappear. Thinking more of others than ourselves truly is the only way to live.
April 1, 2025
Phyllis Whitney is a comfort read for me. I read as many of her books as I could get my hands on as a teenager in a rural community. Somehow I missed this one. It's as good as all the others I remember. She nailed romantic suspense early in its inception. The tortured hero, the strong - but uncertain - heroine, the tangled web of lies and deceit and mystery. All culminating in a satisfying resolution and a happily ever after. :happy sigh:
Second reading... I guess after almost 10 years, I'd forgotten I read this, so I read it again as if I'd never read it before. I still agree with everything I said then.
Second reading... I guess after almost 10 years, I'd forgotten I read this, so I read it again as if I'd never read it before. I still agree with everything I said then.
February 3, 2016
I've never before read anything by Phyllis Whitney. I enjoyed this mystery a lot. There are enough characters to keep it interesting. The relationship between the characters was very intimately intertwined. The book starts out with an ominous warning that is thread throughout the story but whose meaning isn't revealed until the very end. I like the way the author develops an affection between Susan and her estranged grandmother that doesn't come easily.
February 4, 2016
I read quite a few Phyllis Whitney books years ago and have recently rediscovered her. Her stories were always involved with all sorts of twists and turns in the relationships between the characters. She also uses very different types of settings. This one took place on Virginia's eastern shore, partly on Tangier Island, so some interesting historic background was provided. I thought the book ended well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews