What do you think?
Kingdom's Castle
- GenresGothic
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Daoma Winston
84 books15 followersDaoma Winston was a prolific writer of Gothic romance and horror/thriller novels. All of her novels have a strong occult theme and usually feature ghosts, witches, demons or magic.
(Not "Golden Tramp.")
(Not "Golden Tramp.")
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 10, 2013
Despite the pulpy gothic cover (cheers to Harry Bennett) & American setting, this is more of a BBC mystery. It would've made a good episode of Midsummer Murders -- process of elimination & familiarity with tropes may point to the culprit early on, but characters are given depth via dialogue & quirks that paint them as individuals with a few quick strokes of the brush (or, in this case, typeface). It's not important whether you've guessed the twisted relationship behind the crime -- the fun is watching the characters bumble around without telling the whole truth unless pressed by dire circumstance. I'm not one for mysteries as a rule, but I occasionally enjoy novels with a mystery plot if they're well-written in the pulp style & sprinkled with a noticeable gothic tinge. (If you've ever watched Midsummer, you know what I'm talking about.)
Kingdom's Castle is the story of a family of artists, musicians, & actors who converge on their estate after the questionable death of the second-youngest daughter, Dolly. Our narrator is Eola, the middle child & a loner amongst her kin. She's the only child to discard her Kingdom monicker & take a stage name for her television career, & she doesn't want anything to do with such a temperamental, artsy brood -- but Dolly had begged her to come home only weeks before she died, so guilt drives her back into the fold.
But once she's arrived, it becomes clear that someone is playing vicious tricks on the entire Kingdom clan. Who's behind the food poisonings, the glass in lotion, the wasps in the parasol, the misbehaving horses? Is it the whim of her moody little brother Benjy? What about the close-knit twins John & Jeanine? Perhaps her haughty aunt, the failed actress Dolores, or meek gopher uncle Jack? Could it be her emotionally distant father Derwent? Or even her parents' biographer, Haley, who's been staying at the house to take dictation on the glory days of Nora & Derwent's career?
Two more family members are killed before the culprit is unveiled. I guessed pretty early who it was -- but, like watching a two-hour episode of Midsummer, the fun was in the journey to the climactic final encounter. I also give props for the bizarre & rather macabre ending.
3.5 stars, rounded down because I'd have liked a little more depth in the romance & more reaction from a certain someone after the big reveal. But whatever. It was still a fun book. This is the third Winston I've read, & they've all been enjoyable. I especially like the way she uses dialogue to flesh out characters -- because of page limitations, you don't see that often in pulpy gothics or their rom-suspense cousins.
Kingdom's Castle is the story of a family of artists, musicians, & actors who converge on their estate after the questionable death of the second-youngest daughter, Dolly. Our narrator is Eola, the middle child & a loner amongst her kin. She's the only child to discard her Kingdom monicker & take a stage name for her television career, & she doesn't want anything to do with such a temperamental, artsy brood -- but Dolly had begged her to come home only weeks before she died, so guilt drives her back into the fold.
But once she's arrived, it becomes clear that someone is playing vicious tricks on the entire Kingdom clan. Who's behind the food poisonings, the glass in lotion, the wasps in the parasol, the misbehaving horses? Is it the whim of her moody little brother Benjy? What about the close-knit twins John & Jeanine? Perhaps her haughty aunt, the failed actress Dolores, or meek gopher uncle Jack? Could it be her emotionally distant father Derwent? Or even her parents' biographer, Haley, who's been staying at the house to take dictation on the glory days of Nora & Derwent's career?
Two more family members are killed before the culprit is unveiled. I guessed pretty early who it was -- but, like watching a two-hour episode of Midsummer, the fun was in the journey to the climactic final encounter. I also give props for the bizarre & rather macabre ending.
3.5 stars, rounded down because I'd have liked a little more depth in the romance & more reaction from a certain someone after the big reveal. But whatever. It was still a fun book. This is the third Winston I've read, & they've all been enjoyable. I especially like the way she uses dialogue to flesh out characters -- because of page limitations, you don't see that often in pulpy gothics or their rom-suspense cousins.
May 13, 2017
I remember this book as being rather good.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews