Friday, November 14, 2008

The Judas Kiss Victoria Holt


Victoria Holt not a new author she has written books for many years and this is the 2nd book I have read that she wrote. I enjoyed this story which begins with Phillipa (Pippa) Ewell finding a newspaper clipping and discovering her sister Francine was murdered. The story returns to the girls childhood and we learn they lived on their parents on an island after his father left his home when he pursued being an artist which was against his father's wishes. The girls parents died close together and since they had no where to go they were returned to their father's home Greysone Manor.

The grandfather welcomes the girls but has strict requirements for their upbringing as he did their father and his sister. Francine soon learns she is wed her cousin Arthur who is a man of the church and he will also inherit the home. Francine rants to Pippa she will never marry him she will leave first, she does not have long and a family that visits periodically shows up to open their home for a visit the girls decide to investigate the family who is German and they are discovered in the home. The girls are welcomed and invited to the a ball they will be hosting. The sisters begin to scheme on making a dress for Francine and getting her to the ball in secret. The plan works and Francine enjoys herself and meets a wonderful man who she decides to run away with to avoid marring her cousin.

Pippa receives a letter from Francine describing her quick marriage at a local church, and another letter detailing the birth of her son. Since her sister abandoned her duties at Greystone Manor Pippa learns her grandfather plans for her to marry Arthur now. Pippa has learned of her sister's death and decides she must also leave. Pippa is out walking the grounds when she discovers the neighbors will be visiting again soon and she meets Conrad who traveled ahead he sweeps he off her feet and he knows of her sisters murder she tells him of her marriage and child which Conrad explains that she could have never married nor was there a child.

With everything Pippa has recently discovered she makes plans to leave and discover the truth of what happened to her sister and her child The novel has great suspense and a wonderful story that keep me up reading.

My rating 4 stars.

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