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Night at Sea Abbey
If the Ancient Abbey Walls Could Talk
what shocking tales would they tell, wondered beautiful, wealthy Elinor Garrison as the Calders welcomed her to Sea Abbey. Why her brother and Emily Calder wanted to be married in this dismal place was beyond her understanding. Elinor was determined to fly back to civilization right after the wedding. But that was before she found herself falling in love with handsome Keith Calder. Suddenly Sea Abbey didn't seem so frightening.
Until the accidents began; until Elinor was struck by a falling crucifix, and the local vicar was found dead -- in Elinor's room! Had the vicar been trying to warn her of something? Who could she turn to for help when any one of them, even Keith, might be behind the bizarre campaign of terror that threatened both her sanity and her life...?
what shocking tales would they tell, wondered beautiful, wealthy Elinor Garrison as the Calders welcomed her to Sea Abbey. Why her brother and Emily Calder wanted to be married in this dismal place was beyond her understanding. Elinor was determined to fly back to civilization right after the wedding. But that was before she found herself falling in love with handsome Keith Calder. Suddenly Sea Abbey didn't seem so frightening.
Until the accidents began; until Elinor was struck by a falling crucifix, and the local vicar was found dead -- in Elinor's room! Had the vicar been trying to warn her of something? Who could she turn to for help when any one of them, even Keith, might be behind the bizarre campaign of terror that threatened both her sanity and her life...?
- GenresGothic Romance
185 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
1 person is currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Coffman
90 books44 followersVirginia Edith Coffman aka Jeanne Duval, Diana Saunders, Victor Cross, Ann Stanfield, Virginia C. Du Vaul, Kay Cameron.
A native of San Francisco, Coffman contributed movie reviews to the Oakland Tribune from 1933-40. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938 and was a movie and television script writer for Columbia, RKO, and other Hollywood studios in her early writing career (1944-56). She had her first success with writing novels in 1959, when Crown Publishing decided to take a chance on Moura, and the novel was showcased by Library Journal. By the 1980s, Coffman was recognized as "the author largely responsible for setting off the Gothics craze of the 1960s, "earning her the reputation of "Queen of the Gothics."1
She quit her day job in Reno and became a full-time writer in 1965. While historical romance novels seldom find their way into the literary canon, Coffman, who was both prolific and dedicated, took her writing seriously. Her research for historical fiction was meticulous. She also drew upon personal experience as a world traveler when setting some of her novels in Hawaii, Paris, and other romantic locales. Several of her historical romances and gothic mystery novels were translated into other languages, and many have been published in large print and audio editions.
She was recognized by Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the West. She was a member of the Authors League of America and the Mystery Writers Guild of America. The Reno Gazette-Journal featured Virginia Coffman and her sister in a biographical story on April 4, 2002. In 2003, she donated a collection of her gothic mystery and historical romance novels to the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.
A native of San Francisco, Coffman contributed movie reviews to the Oakland Tribune from 1933-40. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938 and was a movie and television script writer for Columbia, RKO, and other Hollywood studios in her early writing career (1944-56). She had her first success with writing novels in 1959, when Crown Publishing decided to take a chance on Moura, and the novel was showcased by Library Journal. By the 1980s, Coffman was recognized as "the author largely responsible for setting off the Gothics craze of the 1960s, "earning her the reputation of "Queen of the Gothics."1
She quit her day job in Reno and became a full-time writer in 1965. While historical romance novels seldom find their way into the literary canon, Coffman, who was both prolific and dedicated, took her writing seriously. Her research for historical fiction was meticulous. She also drew upon personal experience as a world traveler when setting some of her novels in Hawaii, Paris, and other romantic locales. Several of her historical romances and gothic mystery novels were translated into other languages, and many have been published in large print and audio editions.
She was recognized by Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the West. She was a member of the Authors League of America and the Mystery Writers Guild of America. The Reno Gazette-Journal featured Virginia Coffman and her sister in a biographical story on April 4, 2002. In 2003, she donated a collection of her gothic mystery and historical romance novels to the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 7, 2026
The excellent setting makes up for this being a forgettable murder mystery. Enjoyable.
Displaying 1 of 1 review