TOUCH NOT THE CAT
by Mary Stewart
c. 1975
Bryony Ashley, from a prominent English family, is working in a lovely Mediterranean town, when she gets a "feeling" in the middle of the night that something is wrong with her father, and subsequently is notified that he is dead. As his only child, Bryony has to return to England to deal with funeral arrangements and sort out the estate; following the will of the original Ashley some centuries earlier, the estate, now down on its heels, goes to her cousin as the eldest male heir. The estate house is leased to a wealthy American for the summer, but Bryony's father owned a separate, contiguous parcel with a cottage in which they lived. Because of the "feelings" that some of the Ashleys share (think: ESP), Bryony is convinced that her father was murdered. This book follows the Mary Stewart tradition of a strong woman who has a mystery or problem to solve, with one or more handsome men at the outskirts of the story. "Touch not the cat" were among Bryony's father's last words; what does that mean? They have no cat! A fast paced, satisfying story with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Not deep or classic literature, but fun! 3.5/5
My copy of this book is an original version found at a library book sale, but it's now available as a "rediscovered" classic at Amazon. I'm happy to see someone finding good books from a simpler time and reprinting them for those of us who don't need or want all kinds of sci-fi and futuristic things in our books, because we just want a good story to follow.
Happy Thorsday, everyone!
6 comments:
I agree, I love books written then.
My grandmother loved Mary Stewart. I might have to give this one a whirl.
You are lucky to have an original version. I love my old books. Keep warm Diane
Original books are amazing to have!
That's a book I would read.
Good summary -- well done! Mary Stewart is one of the handful of authors I turn to when life throws me too many curve balls all at once. She tells a good story, gently.
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