The Open Book

This was a re-read for me, as well as my Read With Friends square for Halloween Book Bingo 2016. I grew up on Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt, so it was a lot of fun to revisit. Michaels has a gift for atmosphere, and it's in full force here. She's got a nice, steady pace that keeps the reader turning the pages and that builds to a satisfying climax. I really appreciated that the main character, Ruth, is a career woman in her 40's. It's a refreshing change from the naive ingenue. Unfortunately, the male "heroes" are pretty dated. I suppose we have to expect that, given that the novel is almost 50 years old (yikes!) but honestly, Pat and Bruce are really kind of assholes. I mean, I really didn't like Bruce. Pat at least seemed to know his faults.

On the whole, this remains a good read. If you're in the mood for other great titles from Ms. Michaels, let me point you towards Search the Shadows and Vanish With the Rose. Or for an extra bit of fun, Shattered Silk is a sort of sequel to this one, featuring Sara's sister Karen, and taking place in the late 70's, early 80's.