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Monday, June 18, 2018

The End of Temperance Dare - Wendy Webb

The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

First Paragraph(s):

They gave her the bed by the window, the one closest to the toy box.  That was something, at least.  But the very fact that she was there at all, away from home, away from her father, her sisters, her dolls, terrified the girl.  Other children were there; she wasn't the only one.  But this did little to soothe her.
     Father didn't tell her he was leaving her here, that she'd be staying.  She thought they were on an outing together, just the two of them, something rare and wonderful.  But it wasn't an outing.  He had brought her here to leave her in this place, with all of these sick and dying people.  She'd clutched his hand as they walked through the foyer to the doctor's office, past patients with sunken eyes and ashen skin, their robes hanging loosely around them, living skeletons who had been nearly consumed by their illnesses.  She watched as one man coughed into a handkerchief, staining it bright red with blood.  She turned her face toward her father's trousers, not wanting to see any more.  Death lived within these walls; she could feel it hanging in the air, as tangible as the fog outside.

My Thoughts:

'Something wicked this way comes...' - that phrase pretty much describes this book.  I've read another book by Wendy Webb, The Fate of Mercy Alban, but it's been several years.  What I can recall about it was Gothic leaning toward horror.  The End of Temperance Dare is much the same.  Eleanor Harper is hired to replace the director of Cliffside Manor, an artist and writer's retreat, upon Miss Penny's retirement.  Soon after, Miss Penny is dead and Eleanor has to figure out what comes next for Cliffside, with very little preparation. 

Wendy Webb provides the reader with a beautiful lakeside setting, an elegant old house (though it did have a former life as a TB sanatorium - rather creepy), an unprepared 'new head of staff' (who by the way is a little clueless in my book for a seasoned investigative reporter), and the 'fellows' - people who were accepted into the artist/writer program for a month of solitude and peace.  Hmmm....not so much peace.  I did like the tale.  And I listened to it on audio, narrated by Xe Sands.  It had a few eye-rolling moments, but I decided to go with them and remember I was reading a Gothic/horror book.  It reminded me a bit of some of the stories told by Jennifer McMahon and it also brought to mind a Stephen King TV mini-series, Rose Red.  That might give you an inkling about Wendy Webb's way of telling a story.  I'll be thinking about reading her backlist and watching for what comes next for her.  I like a good ghostly scare. 

Blurb:

When Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a renowned artists’ retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor’s dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a “waiting room for death.” After years of covering murder and violence as a crime reporter, Eleanor hopes that being around artists and writers in this new job will be a peaceful retreat for her as much as for them.

But from her first fog-filled moments on the manor’s grounds, Eleanor is seized by a sense of impending doom and realizes there’s more to the institution than its reputation of being a haven for creativity. After the arrival of the new fellows―including the intriguing, handsome photographer Richard Banks―she begins to suspect that her predecessor chose the group with a dangerous purpose in mind. As the chilling mysteries of Cliffside Manor unravel and the eerie sins of the past are exposed, Eleanor must fight to save the fellows—and herself—from sinister forces.

20 comments:

  1. Hmm, I would have to be in the mood for this. Haven't read anything by the author, though I have read most of McMahon's works, and yes I had to be in the right mood for those.

    I like gothic suspense such as Rebecca. If they veer too much into horror, it's not for me. Thanks for an informative review!

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    1. It's not that much into horror, but it does veer a bit there - certainly more than just a typical murder mystery.

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  2. Sounds like it could be fun - I quite like a bit of Gothic horror if I'm in the right mood. One of my first jobs was in a hospital that started its life as a TB sanatorium, but if there were spooks, they must have left by the time I got there... 😉

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    1. Yes, it's interesting to think about how these facilities operated in the past. Better a TB sanatorium than an 'old style' mental hospital. LOL

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  3. I'm not exactly sure what is going on here but I do love some Gothic-y goodness even if it's overdone and I like Xe Sands as a narrator. I'm adding this to my TBR. You've got me really curious!

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    1. She did a good job narrating this one. And I do like her voices. This one was fun for me - a bit ghostly, but not too scary.

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  4. I do have a book by Webb on my shelves but you know how that goes. I loved a book I read by Jennifer McMahon last year so you've got my attention!

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    1. I do indeed know how it goes. We intend to read a book and then something else comes along and then...

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  5. This does sound pretty creepy - and it's storming outside as I write this, so that's adding to it!

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  6. This sounds wonderfully creepy. I will have to add it to my Audible wish list. I am glad you enjoyed it, Kay.

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    1. I've always liked those books that go between Gothic and true mystery.

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  7. Sounds great! I've had this one on my Kindle for a while, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Imagine that! Too many books. :-) I really enjoyed her Northern Gothic setting in The Fate of Mercy Alban.

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    1. Yes, she seems to have a way with old creepy houses and books set in Minnesota or somewhere cold. I did like the Mercy Alban book too. Have you read The Vanishing? I own it, but haven't read it yet.

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  8. It sounds good and I like the premise, but too sinister and scary for me.

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    1. Yes, I understand that this type of book isn't for every reader. :-)

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  9. You liked this one A LOT more than I did. The novel's set up was intriguing, but the story just got too ridiculous for me. Glad you could read past the eye roll moments and enjoy it.

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    1. Well, there were definitely a few 'eye rollers', but I was listening to it and got past them pretty quickly. As I've said before, I'm starting to 'converse' or rather 'yell at' the protagonists when I'm listening to books. Ha!

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  10. Not a big fan of ghost stories or horror I have read a couple Wendy Webb books and enjoyed them. I’ll check this one out, Kay. I am a sucker for big old houses.

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    1. I like the big creepy old house story too, Peggy. Comes from all those Victoria Holt/Mary Stewart books I read in my teens.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!