Deveron Hall

by John Johnston

Book by Johnston

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Gothic, Suspense

186 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Diane Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars

Schoolteacher Lisa Marsden, 25 years old, travels from New York to her mother's home in Scotland. Her mother has just been released from the London asylum. Why was she in the asylum for 18 years? She stabbed her husband, Lisa's father, to death. Lisa shows up uninvited, that way her mother couldn't tell her not to come. Lisa never believed her mother was guilty of this crime.

So, was her mother guilty? If not, then who was? And if her mother was guilty, might she still have evil intentions? There is suspense and a touch of romance in this story set in the Scottish Highlands. The writing was not stellar and some of the characters were not fleshed out as well as I would have liked so I took off half a star. Overall I liked it.

[Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me longer to read then expected simply because it wasn’t that intriguing. I would give this 2 1/2 stars but that’s not an option. The writing was sloppy, and all over the place. And of course there had to be a pointless, shallow love story involving the main character. Now not gonna lie, the end of the book was a little bit intriguing but not enough for me to let this book have a place on my bookshelf.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spunky schoolteacher visits her Mom at Deveron Hall, a chilly old pile in the Scottish highlands. Did Mom really kill Dad 18 years ago? Our heroine can’t believe it and she’s going to clear Mom’s name. Nobody asked her to do this and nobody wants her to do this and somebody might just kill her to keep her from doing this. Can spunk be defeated? Will romance flower?

Gothic novel of suspense with a decent plot heroine must unravel. Readable. 3.5 stars.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was nice and had a good storyline but as I got more into the book it started to really change my opinion on it. It has a small romance to it and I also think it didn't have enough detail within the chapters it was really scattered.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C. fiction, mystery, gothic, suspense, Ireland, Mom's stash, discard

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Formulaic mystery, but a fun read with a good setting and interesting plot.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping story in an eerie setting. Just a little bit too short for my taste.

[M.P. Conn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining typical gothic mystery, just like I enjoy them.