Portrait of Sarah

by Hermina Black

From back cover When Victoria James took a job as a secretary to Sir Nicholas Vanroy in Yorkshire, she had no idea that she would become involved in the sinister history of the Vanroy house. What was the meaning of the room prepared for a child who had been dead for fifty years? Why was a beautifully carved chess piece lying in an abandoned cottage, wrapped in an old picture of Agatha Drew, the housekeeper? And who was the mysterious Lady Sarah, whose presence hung over the house like some constant sorrow?

Genres: Gothic

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Hermina Black was the pseudonym of Emma Hermina M. Black Lethbridge (1893-1986) who wrote over seventy romance titles from the early 1950s to the late 1970s.

From the 1975 Signet copy of A World of Love:

Hermina Black has written since she was six years old and published her first story at the age of fourteen. She has written approximately seventy novels to date, which reflect her affection for writing strong love stories with a mystery background and a happy ending, "which help people to escape the depression of today's rat race."

She resides in Hampshire, England, where she pursues her hobbies of reading and book-collecting. She has always had a strong affection for the United States and is happy to know that she has a large American following.

Among Hermina Black's books for NAL are Danger in Montparnasse, Dangerous Masquerade and The Lordship of Love.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romantic suspense that offered only tepid romance and negligible suspense (and what little suspense there was depended entirely on an absurd level of coincidence and a too-stupid-to-live heroine). The omniscient POV was a further detractor as the author dipped into and out of every character's thoughts and actions to keep the leaky plot afloat. Not exactly Mary Stewart.

[Nattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book and I got a good chuckle here and there. I love that about Veronica Black books, I always find myself laughing at something. I've only read two of her books so far, but I imagine humor must be a apart of her writing-style.