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Dark Inheritance
Here is the spellbinding tale of a lovely young woman pursued by a proud family's shameful past...from a Cornwall mansion to the fabled Crystal Palace in London to glittering Venice...and coming ever closer to the terrible menace of her Dark Inheritance.
264 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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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 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 18, 2016
3.5 stars
Fate played into the hands of Miss Susannah Button. Not long after she was hired as governess to Miss Hester Dewaine she was approached by a family member and offered a sum of money. She was asked to voluntarily leave Landeric. Her answer was 'no'.
A secret was revealed that eventually took her to Austrian-ruled Vienna. She started her new employment as companion to an elderly Dewaine cousin. All the while she loved a man who would take the back burner to this historical suspense.
Hoping against hope that love would find her, she incurred another shocking secret. Her next stop was to London, England. Susannah's anguished voyage to happiness was well-written with plenty of hurdles. It covered roughly six years from start to finish with a, finally, much-deserved HEA.
Fate played into the hands of Miss Susannah Button. Not long after she was hired as governess to Miss Hester Dewaine she was approached by a family member and offered a sum of money. She was asked to voluntarily leave Landeric. Her answer was 'no'.
A secret was revealed that eventually took her to Austrian-ruled Vienna. She started her new employment as companion to an elderly Dewaine cousin. All the while she loved a man who would take the back burner to this historical suspense.
Hoping against hope that love would find her, she incurred another shocking secret. Her next stop was to London, England. Susannah's anguished voyage to happiness was well-written with plenty of hurdles. It covered roughly six years from start to finish with a, finally, much-deserved HEA.
May 14, 2017
Susannah Button's father died. Her mother had passed when she was a baby. His last words to her were "Landeric" then "Forgive me." She wondered about that in the many years to come. Why would her father use his last bit of strength to say that hated name to her? Susannah lived among the fisher-folk of Pennan Haven on the Cornish coast but would now have to leave to find employment and make her way in the world. And so it begins.
"Memory is a house with many doors that open and close of their own accord; and windows that often prove to be nearly opaque, so that they only present a ghostly outline of what lies beyond."
My second Salisbury. I am really enjoying this author! Just as with the first, the writing is really sublime. Really lovely prose, very elegant. So atmospheric and descriptive too with loads of fascinating characters - all of them! And the plot! Just when thing seems to be going along smoothly - boom! Something crazy and dramatic happens! It is just so much fun. And this male author really writes women amazingly well and he writes men that are delicious yet complicated. How does he do it? If you like gothic mystery, romance, adventure that also takes you to all kinds of exotic locales - this is it. We start off in the 1840s with smugglers on the Cornwall coast, move to the baron's house in the countryside, then to Venice, then London's Great Exhibition of 1851 and so on. There are many endearing working class characters also. A lot is packed into a short book but done well.
A descriptive passage in Venice,
"The four strokes of St. Mark's great bell of the hours sent the pigeons flying - which was strange, for they must have heard the bell innumerable times. They soared over my head and all about me, circling up and up into the new sunlight of the Venetian Maytime; up past the ancient marble and mosaics, the golden horses and the gesticulating Apostles; then came swooping down again, gliding close past and settling down in front of me; carrying on as if nothing had happened, with their strutting little walk."
The ending of the book is so sweet. I love a well done HEA. Clean. 4.5
"Memory is a house with many doors that open and close of their own accord; and windows that often prove to be nearly opaque, so that they only present a ghostly outline of what lies beyond."
My second Salisbury. I am really enjoying this author! Just as with the first, the writing is really sublime. Really lovely prose, very elegant. So atmospheric and descriptive too with loads of fascinating characters - all of them! And the plot! Just when thing seems to be going along smoothly - boom! Something crazy and dramatic happens! It is just so much fun. And this male author really writes women amazingly well and he writes men that are delicious yet complicated. How does he do it? If you like gothic mystery, romance, adventure that also takes you to all kinds of exotic locales - this is it. We start off in the 1840s with smugglers on the Cornwall coast, move to the baron's house in the countryside, then to Venice, then London's Great Exhibition of 1851 and so on. There are many endearing working class characters also. A lot is packed into a short book but done well.
A descriptive passage in Venice,
"The four strokes of St. Mark's great bell of the hours sent the pigeons flying - which was strange, for they must have heard the bell innumerable times. They soared over my head and all about me, circling up and up into the new sunlight of the Venetian Maytime; up past the ancient marble and mosaics, the golden horses and the gesticulating Apostles; then came swooping down again, gliding close past and settling down in front of me; carrying on as if nothing had happened, with their strutting little walk."
The ending of the book is so sweet. I love a well done HEA. Clean. 4.5
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November 25, 2016Gosh this was fun. So many ups and downs and twists and unexpected turns.
January 24, 2014
I liked this book a lot, my first by Carola Salisbury, aka Mike Butterworth. There were a lot of historical references, which I enjoy in a book.
The story starts in England in 1845. We meet Susannah Button, the daughter of the local tavern owner in a small town in Cornwall. She is almost 21 and has been well educated. Educated beyond the norm for someone in her position, but there are reasons. Then we meet the snobby Dewaine family (Sir Tristan, son Mark and 3 daughters). They live up in the big manor house, Landeric. The Dewaines are descended from one of the Norman adventurers that came over with William the Conqueror, so they have been around for a while. Naturally Susannah is going to be orphaned and there is a mystery involved, plus she's going to end up working at Landeric. There are a lot of loose ends by this point but everything does come together.
The action moves to Venice, where the Austrians are in control, and we encounter Daniele Manin the revolutionary leader. We also meet the housekeeper of the Palazzo Dewaine and her family. Are they friend or foe? And what is the story of Aunt Marianne who lives at the Palazzo?
It all sounds very typical of the genre. There is a lot of suspense and a couple of twists and turns along the way. I also enjoyed reading about the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London in 1851, where the telegraph was introduced.
The story starts in England in 1845. We meet Susannah Button, the daughter of the local tavern owner in a small town in Cornwall. She is almost 21 and has been well educated. Educated beyond the norm for someone in her position, but there are reasons. Then we meet the snobby Dewaine family (Sir Tristan, son Mark and 3 daughters). They live up in the big manor house, Landeric. The Dewaines are descended from one of the Norman adventurers that came over with William the Conqueror, so they have been around for a while. Naturally Susannah is going to be orphaned and there is a mystery involved, plus she's going to end up working at Landeric. There are a lot of loose ends by this point but everything does come together.
The action moves to Venice, where the Austrians are in control, and we encounter Daniele Manin the revolutionary leader. We also meet the housekeeper of the Palazzo Dewaine and her family. Are they friend or foe? And what is the story of Aunt Marianne who lives at the Palazzo?
It all sounds very typical of the genre. There is a lot of suspense and a couple of twists and turns along the way. I also enjoyed reading about the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London in 1851, where the telegraph was introduced.
July 12, 2022
Had I not been living all these weeks in a cloud-cuckoo land, where nothing has an end and everything is a long languid afternoon of beginnings?
This 1975 Gothic novel feels much more like a coming-of-age story than a suspense novel, and that's quite all right because I love both genres. The story starts in 1845 in Cornwall where our heroine, Susannah, must earn her keep as a governess, then we travel to gorgeous, romantic Venice where she fills the post of lady's companion, and then we're on the run from a very scary person (this is where it gets suspenseful) to London and Cambridge. I really enjoy the writing style of this author, Carola Salisbury (Mike Butterworth).
[In Venice] I feasted my eyes on everything.... The faded loveliness of the buildings touched at my heart. They were like tired, elegant old ladies, dreaming of their brilliant youth and beauty, yet cheerfully resigned to splendid old age.
Recommended for: Fans of historical fiction tinged with a little suspense.
Where I found it: I purchased a used hardcover edition from abebooks.com.
Content: One scene where we see a secondary character engaged in drug abuse, and a few scenes depicting the heroine's efforts to hide from someone who wishes her harm.
This 1975 Gothic novel feels much more like a coming-of-age story than a suspense novel, and that's quite all right because I love both genres. The story starts in 1845 in Cornwall where our heroine, Susannah, must earn her keep as a governess, then we travel to gorgeous, romantic Venice where she fills the post of lady's companion, and then we're on the run from a very scary person (this is where it gets suspenseful) to London and Cambridge. I really enjoy the writing style of this author, Carola Salisbury (Mike Butterworth).
[In Venice] I feasted my eyes on everything.... The faded loveliness of the buildings touched at my heart. They were like tired, elegant old ladies, dreaming of their brilliant youth and beauty, yet cheerfully resigned to splendid old age.
Recommended for: Fans of historical fiction tinged with a little suspense.
Where I found it: I purchased a used hardcover edition from abebooks.com.
Content: One scene where we see a secondary character engaged in drug abuse, and a few scenes depicting the heroine's efforts to hide from someone who wishes her harm.
December 3, 2011
Loved this, my first book by Carola Salisbury. I know I will be searching out more...she is eloquent and original. Even though I suspected one major plot twist, the final few pages revealed a real surprise. Loved the heroine, and my heart went out to her throughout...Highly recommended to other suspense/gothic/mystery/romance readers (yes, it had all of this, but not too much of any one thing...it really almost felt like it fell into a genre all to itself, or even a classic novel.)
October 3, 2017
I started it several times and I couldn't get past the first chapter. Once I managed it though it was an exciting read. It is first person narrative from the heroine's POV and it is romantic through her thoughts because she and the hero are not together for a long time. I loved it and I compare the author with another favourite: Madeleine Brent. They are both men under pseudonym after all.
June 29, 2024
This is a wild ride that reinvents itself several times. I came into it looking for a gothic romance and there is a section that fits that bill but that's only one small part. There are also smugglers, suicides, drug fiends, revolutionaries, celebrity cameos, and the crystal palace. It's a little exhausting but still quite fun.
January 4, 2017
I love these 'gothic romances' from the '70s. This is a classic example of the type: brooding hero, threatened but feisty governess, allegations of incest, opium eating, mysterious births... Lots of good, clean fun!
November 22, 2013
Very good traditional Gothic by Carola Salisbury (a.k.a. Mike Butterworth).
May 4, 2020
This was surprisingly good! SO many twists and turns that were vastly unexpected, it kept me on my toes and wondering what was going to happen next. The only not-so-great thing about this book in my opinion is that things kind of fell too into place at the end. I dont want to give spoilers, so I will keep it at that, but it was rather unrealistic, but i am a fan for happy endings, so it didnt bother me and I felt it typical of the time period this was written. I think if you like Jane Austen-y books, you'll like this one.
September 18, 2023
I’d give this book 0 stars if I could. Horrible, boring I should have know just by the Sergio cover art. But they say do t judge a book by its cover but this is one where I could of and been right. This book was so slow going you were reading and reading and not making any page progress at all. He chapters were very long with breaks in them that should have just been a new chapter. The hours and hours I spent reading this book are hours I will never get back. 😞
August 31, 2022
Entirely entertaining. Definitely an escapist pleasure full of ruminations on the institutionalized subjugation of the lower classes and women in England in the 1800's. Indulgent, idealized and unrealistic, as a romantic novel should be. Read this one on the beach or during a winter storm. 🤭
August 10, 2019
Like Moura by Victoria Coffman, this gothic novel stand above the other novels.
January 31, 2015
I really liked reading Carola Salisbury's books but at the end they always left me unsatisfied and slightly unhappy, in the sense that I feel there should to be more explanation or show any kind of rejoicing reunion after such never ending ordeals. Here too the main characters ie H&h are separated for all the length of the book. And in the end when I was eagerly waiting for their bittersweet reunion...what do I get...Nothing!!! Imaging my horror when I turned the page anticipatingly for some kind of closure for their unfortunate love and misunderstanding....and seeing that there is only few lines written and the story is done!!
Anyway I gave it **** because of its engaging writing and mystery even though I didn't like the abrupt ending.
Anyway I gave it **** because of its engaging writing and mystery even though I didn't like the abrupt ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2014
I was surprised at how I hung on through thick and thin, to reach the final resolution. I was totally surprised by the outcome. 'Never expected it! It was incredible how all the sadness and horrors of her life were not only resolved, but led to riches and love. A TRUE ROMANCE ending. Besides the sappy ending, the book was entertaining and revealed the tenuous status of women in that era.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews