V J Banis - The Mystery of Bloodstone - Linford Mystery Library

 

V J Banis - The Mystery of Bloodstone  - Linford Mystery Library - Date uncertain

V J Banis is best remembered as a writer on gay issues but had an interesting sideline as the author of a number of gothic novels. 

These sounded tremendous fun so I enlisted the help of my local library service to give one a try.  

One of his works involved a man who finds a skeleton with a stake where its' heart used to be.  That sounded intriguing but unfortunately Derbyshire Library Service were unable to provide a copy. 

Undaunted, I opted for this one. 

The plot sounded promising enough, involving a young woman who feels compelled to revisit Bloodstone Manor, the house in which she grew up, which overlooks a village named Skull Point. 

Accordingly, she sets sail during a raging storm (not just an ordinary storm) accompanied by a servant who is soon found spending her nights attempting to make contact with the deceased.  

Promising enough, and our heroine is soon plunged into a variety of unnerving and ambiguous scenarios, leading her to question the motivations of almost everyone she meets. 

Unfortunately, while the author hints at a variety of promising directions for the story to take, there is a sense that the story gets away from him and the eventual ending is unsatisfying and doesn't make a lot of sense.  

I may well try another of the authors' gothic novels at some point but despite my initial enthusiasm I'd have to say that for me it didn't live up to it's initial promise.