Storm Music is a 1934 novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer). It was first serialised in Woman's Journal (December 1933 to April 1934, illustrated by Forster) and Woman's Home Companion (December 1933 to May 1934, under the title Bright With Peril, illustrated by Frederick Chapman).
 First edition | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton[1] |
Publication date | 1934[1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 317[1] |
Plot
editJohn Spencer (narrator) witnesses the burial of a murdered servant. Spencer identifies the man's employer as Lady Helena, tells her of the murder, and becomes her lover. A criminal gang attempt to steal the gold bullion secreted in the cellar of her home, the castle at Yorick.
Background
editThis was another variation on Mercer's old theme of a castle with treasure. Mercer's autobiographer AJ Smithers, writing in 1982, suggested that “the faithful knew what they were buying without bothering to look at it".[2]
Critical reception
editOnce again, the critics approved and the novel sold well.[2]
The original dustjacket included the following quotes -
- Punch: "Dornford Yates is a clever story-teller, and his skill is cleverly revealed in this adventurous romance."
- Sunday Times: "There is no lack of either excitement or mystery in this breathless story."
- Times Literary Supplement: "Dornford Yates manifests his abundant ingenuity once more in the opening of an excellent mystery yarn."
References
edit- ^ a b c "British Library Item details". primocat.bl.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ a b Smithers 1982, p. 164.
Bibliography
edit- Smithers, AJ (1982). Dornford Yates. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-27547-2.
 | This article about a thriller novel of the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |