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Dark Shadows #3
Strangers at Collins House
Victoria Winters at last feels she has a clue to her own identity when she meets elderly Henry Collins. He secretly gives her the jewels which once belonged to his lost love -- a woman Victoria strongly resembles.
After receiving the gift, Victoria is suddenly terrified by attacks on her life which are masked as accidents. Surrounded by danger, Victoria wonders if she is to be the victim of ruthless thieves -- or a hidden murderer desperate enough to keep her from learning about her past.
After receiving the gift, Victoria is suddenly terrified by attacks on her life which are masked as accidents. Surrounded by danger, Victoria wonders if she is to be the victim of ruthless thieves -- or a hidden murderer desperate enough to keep her from learning about her past.
159 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1967
3 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Ross
136 books61 followersWilliam Edward Daniel Ross, W. E. Daniel "Dan" Ross (born 1912) is a bestselling Canadian novelist from Saint John, New Brunswick who wrote over 300 books in a variety of genres and under a variety of mostly female pseudonyms such as Laura Frances Brooks, Lydia Colby, Rose Dana, Jan Daniels, Olin Ross, Diane Randall, Clarissa Ross, Leslie Ames, Ruth Dorset, Ann Gilmer, Jane Rossiter, Dan Ross, Dana Ross, Marilyn Ross, Dan Roberts, and W.E.D. Ross. As Marilyn Ross he wrote popular Gothic fiction including a series of novels about the vampire Barnabas Collins based on the American TV series Dark Shadows (1966-71).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 22, 2020
Still early in the Dark Shadows 32-book saga, this is another pre-vampire entry primarily focused on the mystery of Victoria Winters’ origins. Unfortunately, like book #2, both love interest and groovy teenaged friend are out of town. Consequently there’s no dancing at the Blue Whale and no joviality. The book acknowledges their absence, saying the Collins residence is gloomy and dull. Indeed it is, with Victoria having no one for company but impersonal strangers and an 80-year-old man.
With less excitement on hand, however, there is greater attention to Victoria’s character and the mystery surrounding her parentage that she is desperate to uncover. Though she is nearly murdered with some frequency and participates in a spooky seance, these moments of action fail to jolt a primarily internal melodrama. There’s no real twist at the end either, which was the saving grace in Book 2.
I consider this a success primarily on the grounds of world-building rather than actual entertainment. I’m enough of a DS fan that I don’t mind a quieter venture into this family and their gothic surroundings. As was the show, I suspect things will really launch once that vampire is introduced.
With less excitement on hand, however, there is greater attention to Victoria’s character and the mystery surrounding her parentage that she is desperate to uncover. Though she is nearly murdered with some frequency and participates in a spooky seance, these moments of action fail to jolt a primarily internal melodrama. There’s no real twist at the end either, which was the saving grace in Book 2.
I consider this a success primarily on the grounds of world-building rather than actual entertainment. I’m enough of a DS fan that I don’t mind a quieter venture into this family and their gothic surroundings. As was the show, I suspect things will really launch once that vampire is introduced.
August 1, 2025
I'm still waiting for the vampires to show up, to be honest. I loved learning more about Victoria's origins though.
October 11, 2021
This series is comfort food to me. Vickie is my favorite dark shadows character and reading these extra adventures delight me to no end. Perfect books to read just before bed!
October 23, 2024
HALLOWEEN SEASON READ 2024
I enjoyed this volume, but they are already becoming formulaic. Strangers show up to Collinwood, Victoria is almost murdered a few times, and we get a big mystery reveal at the end. We're only three books in and poor Victoria has already survived like 7 attempted murders.
Also, while Roger was never a character favorite of most on the show, he's a real jerk in the novels. But that's part of the fun, as I wouldn't to read straight adaptations of the TV episodes.
Overall these are great gothic mysteries, but I'm curious to see if the tone shifts once Barnabus shows up.
I enjoyed this volume, but they are already becoming formulaic. Strangers show up to Collinwood, Victoria is almost murdered a few times, and we get a big mystery reveal at the end. We're only three books in and poor Victoria has already survived like 7 attempted murders.
Also, while Roger was never a character favorite of most on the show, he's a real jerk in the novels. But that's part of the fun, as I wouldn't to read straight adaptations of the TV episodes.
Overall these are great gothic mysteries, but I'm curious to see if the tone shifts once Barnabus shows up.
July 15, 2021
Another early book based on the Soap Opera, written before cousin Barnabas came along. (The book cover shown here is a reissue that used a photo of him,even though he's no where to be found in the story.
This one focuses on Victoria Winters as she continues to look into her past and find out who her parents were.
Old Uncle Henry Collins comes for a visit and take a a shine to Victoria. Will she find the answers she's looking for?
And what secrets is the uncle hiding?
As in the previous book, Carolyn and David are off page. :( Victoria, Elizabeth and Roger are the main characters from the soap in this story. Burke is in it a small but important amount. As is Matthew Morgan. Though he does not speak.)
The writer does a fantastic job writing Roger. Wow!
They do a good job with all the characters on the Soap. But Roger is the best!!!!
The story is ok.
These early books were written before the Soap went supernatural. So be aware of that.
But if you are a fan of the Soap as a whole, it's worth the time.
This one focuses on Victoria Winters as she continues to look into her past and find out who her parents were.
Old Uncle Henry Collins comes for a visit and take a a shine to Victoria. Will she find the answers she's looking for?
And what secrets is the uncle hiding?
As in the previous book, Carolyn and David are off page. :( Victoria, Elizabeth and Roger are the main characters from the soap in this story. Burke is in it a small but important amount. As is Matthew Morgan. Though he does not speak.)
The writer does a fantastic job writing Roger. Wow!
They do a good job with all the characters on the Soap. But Roger is the best!!!!
The story is ok.
These early books were written before the Soap went supernatural. So be aware of that.
But if you are a fan of the Soap as a whole, it's worth the time.
August 26, 2020
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I liked the first two books in the series. I am curious if the books will be better or worse from here on in.
February 14, 2024
Much like Ross’s other Gothic novels, my review is mainly a reminder of the key points that keep the Dark Shadows novels from blending together.
New Characters:
Henry Collins, Elizabeth’s uncle
Benjamin Willard, his servant
James Willard, the servant’s son
Molly Willard, James’s servant wife
Rupert Harvey, a psychometrist
Winifred Ray, Henry’s long-dead love
New Locations:
Ritz Hampton Hotel, NYC
Henry’s Secret Room at Collin’s House
Continuing plot: Much like the early tv episodes, much time is spent on Victoria’s parentage. Also supposed ghosts, a murder mystery, and some priceless jewels.
New Characters:
Henry Collins, Elizabeth’s uncle
Benjamin Willard, his servant
James Willard, the servant’s son
Molly Willard, James’s servant wife
Rupert Harvey, a psychometrist
Winifred Ray, Henry’s long-dead love
New Locations:
Ritz Hampton Hotel, NYC
Henry’s Secret Room at Collin’s House
Continuing plot: Much like the early tv episodes, much time is spent on Victoria’s parentage. Also supposed ghosts, a murder mystery, and some priceless jewels.
February 11, 2023
A bunch of people with no apparent hobbies or jobs take turns lurking around Collins House, startling each other and vaguely hint about stuff.
July 15, 2022
Stranger at Collins House is the best out of the "Victoria Winters" standalone mysteries. What I mean by "standalone" is the pre-Barnabas Collins books. The story is just under 160 pages, and author Daniel Ross did an exceptional job fleshing out a familiar theme but with new guest-star characters. I especially liked Henry Collins, a man haunted by a past love who happens to the split image of Victoria Winters.
Once again, the orphan Victoria believes she might've found her parentage, but, once again, it turns out to be another red herring. Like in the television series, Victoria's parents were never revealed. The plotline disappeared after actress Alexandra Moltke left the series in 1968. The author, Daniel Ross, had planned on having Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's best friend as Victoria's mother. The publishers requested Dan Ross to drop the plotline entirely after Moltke's exit.
Overall, Strangers at Collins House is an exciting gothic mystery. It's an old novella based on a short-lived supernatural soap opera, so there are a few flaws here and there, but I devoured every page.
Once again, the orphan Victoria believes she might've found her parentage, but, once again, it turns out to be another red herring. Like in the television series, Victoria's parents were never revealed. The plotline disappeared after actress Alexandra Moltke left the series in 1968. The author, Daniel Ross, had planned on having Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's best friend as Victoria's mother. The publishers requested Dan Ross to drop the plotline entirely after Moltke's exit.
Overall, Strangers at Collins House is an exciting gothic mystery. It's an old novella based on a short-lived supernatural soap opera, so there are a few flaws here and there, but I devoured every page.
March 25, 2024
I Love a Mystery!
Yet another fun Rossverse adventure starring Victoria Winters, Liz Stoddard, Roger Collins, and a motley crew of hangers on and a pivotal Johnny-come-lately. The focus is on yet another hitherto-unmentioned Collins, the octogenarian Henry Collins, who finds solace in a "hidden room" at Collinwood--a suite from NYC's Ritz Hampton Hotel that was taken down, transported, and rebuilt at Collinwood. That was an intriguing concept in itself, then add in a half-century-old murder mystery and Victoria convinced she has a role in the sordid story.
I was a little concerned reading Strangers at Collins House because it was first published in September 1967 and I am only up to July '67 in my watch-through of the series (Dr. Julia Hoffman was just introduced). I didn't want to get ahead of the story, but Dan "Marilyn" Ross either chose not to feature Barnabas or he wrote this novel in advance of his television debut, which was in April '67, five months before this book appeared in drugstore spinner racks. I'm sure fans at the time were crestfallen to find nary a mention of him (nor of Willie, Maggie, Sam, et al.).
I'm actually enjoying these pre-Barnabas books because once he appears it's gonna be all-Barnabas all the time. I was also glad Carolyn and David were dispatched for this book as they are often just clutter and distraction, even on the show. And yes, I was also glad Ernest was off fiddlin' far from the half-mad crowd at Collinwood. Why does Vicky carry the torch for Ernest when Burke is clearly the man for her, an incontrovertible fact never more evident than in this story?
The Vicky of the Rossverse is different from that of the television series, though I always picture and hear Alexandra Moltke as I read. She's unusually self-obsessed in this story, desperate to learn her origin and whether she's a lost Collins. Henry certainly led her on to believe so, even if unwittingly.
One's degree of enjoyment of this story will likely depend upon one's love for a mystery. The story of Halloween 1916 and what transpired in that hotel room and afterwards between Henry Collins and Ziegfeld girl Winifred Ray is an eminently intriguing one. Details are doled out slowly over the course of the book and heighten the drama to a fever pitch.
Less interesting to me was the already old trope of Vicky being gaslighted with ghastly apparitions and Liz shrugging them off. It stretched credulity that Liz would ever send--and Vicky agree to go--down into an endlessly labyrinthine cellar to fetch a bottle of bubbly. But it was a necessary contrivance. And of course Vicky screams her fool head off and drops the bottle. Rinse and repeat. We saw this identical tactic of ghostly faces in the last book. Vicky's room is repeatedly ransacked and it barely raises an eyebrow from the royal we that is Liz Stoddard.
Speaking of the last book, Victoria Winters, its featured guest at Collinwood was also named Henry (Henry Francis). I thought it careless even sloppy to repeat the name in the very next novel.
Secondary characters are Henry's gentleman's gentleman Benjamin Willard who brought in his wake his drunkard son Jack and his slovenly wife Molly. Coming late on the scene is my favorite guest character, Rupert Harvey, a "psychometrist" (a new term to me) who can sense vibrations from objects and make astoundingly accurate revelations. He's an acquaintance of Roger's and was a welcome addition to the crowded cast of characters.
I have to credit Dan Ross with perfectly capturing Roger in this book. For me, the first two books didn't ring true, especially Roger's hitting on Vicky. But Ross has nailed Roger's speech patterns. It was effortless to hear Louis Edmonds' voice as I read, and same for Liz, whom Ross had down pat from the start.
The ending, which I won't spoil, is unputdownable and will have you flipping pages at a furious pace. Me, I thoroughly enjoyed what are arguably cliches of the genre such as having all suspects in a room, the lights going out, and deathbed confessions. That all made it even more fun and exciting. Recommended reading for all Dark Shadows fans who would enjoy a mystery mixed in with the Gothic horror and suspense.
Closing Thoughts:
Burke plays Paul Drake and has his men investigating the fifty-year-old murder and then discusses clues with Vicky. But we never do find out if the gold locket was indeed found on the vacant lot corpse. Another of Henry's prevarications?
I wished Vicky never blabbed about her gift and then offered it to Liz. And Liz should never have taken the lions' share of it from her. I mean, isn't she the heiress with a mansion and a thriving cannery and Vicky just a rootless foundling hired to tutor her obnoxious nephew? Those gems would have provided a good nest egg for Vicky's post-Collinwood days (providing she lives to enjoy any!).
The fifty-year-old mystery dated to the pre-World War I days of Gibson Girls and the Ziegfeld Follies. Interesting to think today's readers are almost 110 years out from the silent-movie world inhabited by Henry Collins, and almost 60 from the present day setting of the novel. A current version would place the murder in the mid-1970s. Imagine a rebuilt hotel room from that era filled with cultural ephemera!
Did journalist/paranormal investigator Rupert Harvey ever write a story about his time at Collinwood? I'm hoping Rupert will return in a future novel. He brought to mind the TV show's Dr. Peter Guthrie (played by John Lasell), who performed similar paranormal work and even conducted a seance.
I can understand Ross (and/or his publisher) wanting to keep these novels as standalones, but I wondered if this story took place over the same summer as the events of Victoria Winters? Will and Nora Grant are never mentioned, nor are the previous collection of odd occupants of Ernest's erstwhile apartment in the closed-off wing.
Looking forward to The Mystery of Collinwood, and I'm setting the bar high as it appears Ross has firmly settled into the series and is firing on all cylinders.
Yet another fun Rossverse adventure starring Victoria Winters, Liz Stoddard, Roger Collins, and a motley crew of hangers on and a pivotal Johnny-come-lately. The focus is on yet another hitherto-unmentioned Collins, the octogenarian Henry Collins, who finds solace in a "hidden room" at Collinwood--a suite from NYC's Ritz Hampton Hotel that was taken down, transported, and rebuilt at Collinwood. That was an intriguing concept in itself, then add in a half-century-old murder mystery and Victoria convinced she has a role in the sordid story.
I was a little concerned reading Strangers at Collins House because it was first published in September 1967 and I am only up to July '67 in my watch-through of the series (Dr. Julia Hoffman was just introduced). I didn't want to get ahead of the story, but Dan "Marilyn" Ross either chose not to feature Barnabas or he wrote this novel in advance of his television debut, which was in April '67, five months before this book appeared in drugstore spinner racks. I'm sure fans at the time were crestfallen to find nary a mention of him (nor of Willie, Maggie, Sam, et al.).
I'm actually enjoying these pre-Barnabas books because once he appears it's gonna be all-Barnabas all the time. I was also glad Carolyn and David were dispatched for this book as they are often just clutter and distraction, even on the show. And yes, I was also glad Ernest was off fiddlin' far from the half-mad crowd at Collinwood. Why does Vicky carry the torch for Ernest when Burke is clearly the man for her, an incontrovertible fact never more evident than in this story?
The Vicky of the Rossverse is different from that of the television series, though I always picture and hear Alexandra Moltke as I read. She's unusually self-obsessed in this story, desperate to learn her origin and whether she's a lost Collins. Henry certainly led her on to believe so, even if unwittingly.
One's degree of enjoyment of this story will likely depend upon one's love for a mystery. The story of Halloween 1916 and what transpired in that hotel room and afterwards between Henry Collins and Ziegfeld girl Winifred Ray is an eminently intriguing one. Details are doled out slowly over the course of the book and heighten the drama to a fever pitch.
Less interesting to me was the already old trope of Vicky being gaslighted with ghastly apparitions and Liz shrugging them off. It stretched credulity that Liz would ever send--and Vicky agree to go--down into an endlessly labyrinthine cellar to fetch a bottle of bubbly. But it was a necessary contrivance. And of course Vicky screams her fool head off and drops the bottle. Rinse and repeat. We saw this identical tactic of ghostly faces in the last book. Vicky's room is repeatedly ransacked and it barely raises an eyebrow from the royal we that is Liz Stoddard.
Speaking of the last book, Victoria Winters, its featured guest at Collinwood was also named Henry (Henry Francis). I thought it careless even sloppy to repeat the name in the very next novel.
Secondary characters are Henry's gentleman's gentleman Benjamin Willard who brought in his wake his drunkard son Jack and his slovenly wife Molly. Coming late on the scene is my favorite guest character, Rupert Harvey, a "psychometrist" (a new term to me) who can sense vibrations from objects and make astoundingly accurate revelations. He's an acquaintance of Roger's and was a welcome addition to the crowded cast of characters.
I have to credit Dan Ross with perfectly capturing Roger in this book. For me, the first two books didn't ring true, especially Roger's hitting on Vicky. But Ross has nailed Roger's speech patterns. It was effortless to hear Louis Edmonds' voice as I read, and same for Liz, whom Ross had down pat from the start.
The ending, which I won't spoil, is unputdownable and will have you flipping pages at a furious pace. Me, I thoroughly enjoyed what are arguably cliches of the genre such as having all suspects in a room, the lights going out, and deathbed confessions. That all made it even more fun and exciting. Recommended reading for all Dark Shadows fans who would enjoy a mystery mixed in with the Gothic horror and suspense.
Closing Thoughts:
Burke plays Paul Drake and has his men investigating the fifty-year-old murder and then discusses clues with Vicky. But we never do find out if the gold locket was indeed found on the vacant lot corpse. Another of Henry's prevarications?
I wished Vicky never blabbed about her gift and then offered it to Liz. And Liz should never have taken the lions' share of it from her. I mean, isn't she the heiress with a mansion and a thriving cannery and Vicky just a rootless foundling hired to tutor her obnoxious nephew? Those gems would have provided a good nest egg for Vicky's post-Collinwood days (providing she lives to enjoy any!).
The fifty-year-old mystery dated to the pre-World War I days of Gibson Girls and the Ziegfeld Follies. Interesting to think today's readers are almost 110 years out from the silent-movie world inhabited by Henry Collins, and almost 60 from the present day setting of the novel. A current version would place the murder in the mid-1970s. Imagine a rebuilt hotel room from that era filled with cultural ephemera!
Did journalist/paranormal investigator Rupert Harvey ever write a story about his time at Collinwood? I'm hoping Rupert will return in a future novel. He brought to mind the TV show's Dr. Peter Guthrie (played by John Lasell), who performed similar paranormal work and even conducted a seance.
I can understand Ross (and/or his publisher) wanting to keep these novels as standalones, but I wondered if this story took place over the same summer as the events of Victoria Winters? Will and Nora Grant are never mentioned, nor are the previous collection of odd occupants of Ernest's erstwhile apartment in the closed-off wing.
Looking forward to The Mystery of Collinwood, and I'm setting the bar high as it appears Ross has firmly settled into the series and is firing on all cylinders.
August 8, 2017
The third book in the series continues on the odd parallel path with the TV series. In a way, it reads as an alternative treatment of the television material. Despite Jonathan Frid appearing on the cover of later editions, Barnabas is nowhere to be seen. This book is all about a mysterious room that is occasionally occupied by a visiting relative. The room contains a secret that has been kept for years by the old relative and his equally elderly servant. The book would have been better if the flashbacks had been genuinely set in the 1920's. Instead, they are told as first person accounts in dialogue between characters. The book does not require any knowledge of the television series or the previous books to enjoy.
January 22, 2022
Finally! A REAL Mystery! And Vicky’s In Trouble Again! Why is Vicky Always in Trouble?!
This ‘episode’ is such a PHENOMENAL and classic mystery, it’s too bad one of the TV series’ writers didn’t come up with it or something like it. This would have been a very welcome addition, at least in my opinion, to the televised version.
A wandering elderly Collins relative comes home to die and brings his entourage with him. For Victoria Winters, Henry Collins could be the grandfather she never knew. Literally. And because she grew up in a foundling home in New York, and continued to receive a monthly stipend from someone in Collinsport, and then Elizabeth Stoddard Collins, the matriarch of the Collins family hires her away from the foundling home where she’s been working as a teacher to come to Collinwood to tutor 9 year-old David Collins – and based on several significant and telling bits of information – she determines that she must be related to the Collins family.
And if that weren’t enough to contend with, the elderly Collins gives her an expensive heirloom, telling her that above anyone else, she deserves the prize piece of jewelry. However, as soon as she receives the present, over a period of several days she is violently attacked, consequently believing she is definitely being targeted by someone who not only wants her out of the way, but may also want her dead.
Who could it be?
Ever since Victoria arrived at Collinwood, she’s had one accident after another. Considering that she’s not typically clumsy – and considering that she has quite a bit of common sense – she’s at a loss to understand why anyone would want to harm her. After all, look at her; she’s a poor orphan who virtually has nothing to her name; certainly no power. She can’t see how anything she owned before she arrived at Collinwood could cause her to be singled out with the intention of being eliminated. So, why?
Although this writer’s writing style, in my opinion, leaves a lot to be desired, and he (yes, apparently “Marilyn Ross” is a pseudonym for a male writer) manages to hit a homer with this particular storyline, he seems to have a difficult time maintaining the equilibrium in the next book in the series: Book 4 of 16, The Mystery of Collinwood.
This ‘episode’ is such a PHENOMENAL and classic mystery, it’s too bad one of the TV series’ writers didn’t come up with it or something like it. This would have been a very welcome addition, at least in my opinion, to the televised version.
A wandering elderly Collins relative comes home to die and brings his entourage with him. For Victoria Winters, Henry Collins could be the grandfather she never knew. Literally. And because she grew up in a foundling home in New York, and continued to receive a monthly stipend from someone in Collinsport, and then Elizabeth Stoddard Collins, the matriarch of the Collins family hires her away from the foundling home where she’s been working as a teacher to come to Collinwood to tutor 9 year-old David Collins – and based on several significant and telling bits of information – she determines that she must be related to the Collins family.
And if that weren’t enough to contend with, the elderly Collins gives her an expensive heirloom, telling her that above anyone else, she deserves the prize piece of jewelry. However, as soon as she receives the present, over a period of several days she is violently attacked, consequently believing she is definitely being targeted by someone who not only wants her out of the way, but may also want her dead.
Who could it be?
Ever since Victoria arrived at Collinwood, she’s had one accident after another. Considering that she’s not typically clumsy – and considering that she has quite a bit of common sense – she’s at a loss to understand why anyone would want to harm her. After all, look at her; she’s a poor orphan who virtually has nothing to her name; certainly no power. She can’t see how anything she owned before she arrived at Collinwood could cause her to be singled out with the intention of being eliminated. So, why?
Although this writer’s writing style, in my opinion, leaves a lot to be desired, and he (yes, apparently “Marilyn Ross” is a pseudonym for a male writer) manages to hit a homer with this particular storyline, he seems to have a difficult time maintaining the equilibrium in the next book in the series: Book 4 of 16, The Mystery of Collinwood.
March 29, 2022
I went ahead and brought this home tonight to try and quiet my brain. That didn’t work but I still had fun finishing this out.
It had basically the exact same set up as the first two (someone new comes to Collinsport, Victoria gets tangled up in them, and then someone is trying to scare her into giving up something) but it got a lot weirder than I expected it to.
Like Victoria is always worried that her being revealed as a Collins will make her have to break up with Ernest Collins (a book exclusive character) and she just openly talks about it. Plus all the weird personal gimmicks and baggage all the new cast members bring to the table keep them from being outright boring.
but that said, I kinda hoped these would start popping off a bit more, three deep into the series. Like they still function as a fun “Counter-Earth” kinda response to what’s happening on tv at the present moment (Burke is building his house now and Bill Malloy has died already) but I want them to be broader than they are rn.
It had basically the exact same set up as the first two (someone new comes to Collinsport, Victoria gets tangled up in them, and then someone is trying to scare her into giving up something) but it got a lot weirder than I expected it to.
Like Victoria is always worried that her being revealed as a Collins will make her have to break up with Ernest Collins (a book exclusive character) and she just openly talks about it. Plus all the weird personal gimmicks and baggage all the new cast members bring to the table keep them from being outright boring.
but that said, I kinda hoped these would start popping off a bit more, three deep into the series. Like they still function as a fun “Counter-Earth” kinda response to what’s happening on tv at the present moment (Burke is building his house now and Bill Malloy has died already) but I want them to be broader than they are rn.
January 9, 2020
Eh, these books start to feel repetitive after a while. Ross' style is fine, save for being overly tell-y, but the plots are overshadowed with the overarching story of Victoria's lineage, along with lots of asides that are there just to draw out the narrative. I noticed in this book that there are a lot of incongruities, too, like how Victoria doesn't believe in ghosts, even though she's always convinced she's seen one, or how characters can't talk about an important plot point because there's no time, only to be told by the narrative that the characters finish a long car ride in silence. The worst was how one character couldn't talk about the truth of Victoria's heritage because it was simply too painful, but then he winds up talking about the murder of his old lover, which has haunted him for over fifty years.
These books have been a nice parallel to the Paperbacks from Hell I've been reading, but I don't see the need to keep reading them.
These books have been a nice parallel to the Paperbacks from Hell I've been reading, but I don't see the need to keep reading them.
August 22, 2024
It's another dark and stormy night at Collinwood manor and this time around it's memories of a 50-year old murder which haunt the old mansion's dusty corridors: a tragedy somehow tied to a locked room, an elderly uncle, a cache of jewels.....and quite possibly the identity of governess Victoria Winters' long lost parents! Another terribly dated yet terribly entertaining bit of Harlequin gothic from the "Dark Shadows" paperback series, originally written in the '60s and republished by Hermes Press. You'll shudder! You'll swoon! You'll march right out and buy the next volume! Surprisingly well written by Canada's own William E. D. Ross (pen name "Marilyn Ross") it does suffer a bit from Hermes Press' garish font and lack of straight right hand margins, but these are easily overlooked.
March 29, 2023
Prompts this fits for reading challenges: holiday that isn't Christmas (Halloween), adoption.
The strange story of Victoria Winters and her stay at Collins House continues. Since the first book, she's tried to convince herself she MUST be related to the Collins family in some way. And every book has strange apparitions and noises, and bizarre attacks on her life. I'm still waiting for the vampire to show up, though!
I get frustrated with Victoria sometimes. Who would stay in a creepy house where they can't trust the people around them? People who repeatedly dismiss her when she sees or hears something, or is actually attacked? This is some next level gaslighting this girl is going through. And yet in a train wreck sort of way, it's like I can't look away? So I guess in that sense the whole soap opera vibe was adequately transferred to the written page! Even with the repetitive plot lines, and the fact that I know that this series has about 30 books in it, I still want to know what happens next. Just wait -- I'll read them all and be all mad at the end when there's no real ending at all. LOL.
The strange story of Victoria Winters and her stay at Collins House continues. Since the first book, she's tried to convince herself she MUST be related to the Collins family in some way. And every book has strange apparitions and noises, and bizarre attacks on her life. I'm still waiting for the vampire to show up, though!
I get frustrated with Victoria sometimes. Who would stay in a creepy house where they can't trust the people around them? People who repeatedly dismiss her when she sees or hears something, or is actually attacked? This is some next level gaslighting this girl is going through. And yet in a train wreck sort of way, it's like I can't look away? So I guess in that sense the whole soap opera vibe was adequately transferred to the written page! Even with the repetitive plot lines, and the fact that I know that this series has about 30 books in it, I still want to know what happens next. Just wait -- I'll read them all and be all mad at the end when there's no real ending at all. LOL.
May 13, 2022
This is definitely the weakest of the first three books. It's just... I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's just not good. The plot and the characters aren't at all interesting. It seemed like a struggle to get through the book.
Cover note: The cover is misleading. Barnabas is not in the book.
Cover note: The cover is misleading. Barnabas is not in the book.
July 13, 2022
3.5 stars
☑️ A man takes a particular interest in Victoria
☑️ Someone maybe tries to kill Victoria
☑️ Victoria sees a ghostly woman who isn't really a ghost after all
☑️ The captain's walk proves a precarious place for a visit
☑️ Elizabeth obviously doesn't say everything she could
Yep, this is a Dark Shadows book.
☑️ A man takes a particular interest in Victoria
☑️ Someone maybe tries to kill Victoria
☑️ Victoria sees a ghostly woman who isn't really a ghost after all
☑️ The captain's walk proves a precarious place for a visit
☑️ Elizabeth obviously doesn't say everything she could
Yep, this is a Dark Shadows book.
December 28, 2021
Poor Victoria Winters, still trying to piece together her ancestry when the mysterious Uncle Henry, shrouded in more secrets, shows up at Collinwood. There's a secret room. Someone tries to run down Victoria. Then a pyschometrist arrives, and wants explore the secret room.
December 10, 2024
How many times can one gal get strangled and not move out? Apparently the answer is a whole lot, especially if you're hoping to continue your budding relationship with your (maybe) cousin. As always, silly and fun, much like the show was many years ago.
September 14, 2019
TWR: a tad formulaic
March 6, 2020
I love these
December 8, 2021
Dark Shadows
I liked the whole book. It just reminds me of the TV show I watched years ago. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.
I liked the whole book. It just reminds me of the TV show I watched years ago. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.
October 25, 2022
I am really enjoying this series so far. I loved the show, and this brings me back to watching reruns of the show with my dad and my grandparents.
July 1, 2023
Okay but Victoria still has to be related to Winifred Ray, right??? And who was the ghost? Was it a real ghost?!?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2023
We’ve gotten to the repetitive portion of events. David & Carolyn are away for the summer (it’s as if last summer were just last novel!). A new, boorish man — usually a Collins — blows into Collinwood and immediately berates / sexually harasses Victoria. Victoria is gaslit the whole novel, and then a secret is revealed. 🤷🏻♂️
This one is overly complicated with too many characters. And a dumb non-secret reveal at the end.
This one is overly complicated with too many characters. And a dumb non-secret reveal at the end.
May 29, 2024
Aside from the psychic coming out of the blue to serve no purpose other than a pointless deus ex machina, pretty solid.
September 5, 2024
Not bad, but half the regular characters were missing from this installment. Really just wading my way through to the introduction of Barnabas Collins (soon!).
October 15, 2024
Ok the characters are as naive, stubborn and crazy as ever, but there is more of a mystery plot here and the gothic atmosphere is perfect!
June 2, 2025
Very sudden and uninspired wrap-up of all the drama.
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