I don't know why these books charm me, I think the absolute distance from the time and culture. I even fell for the dolphin. ( )

This was another entertaining romantic suspense title by a pioneer in the genre. Actress Lucy Waring comes from London to spend time with her older sister on the island of Corfu. This idyllic setting should be a wonderful spot to spend a summer while planning what to do next in her career.

She is surprised and very pleased to find that one of her neighbors is Sir Julian Gale whose disappearance from the London stage caused all sorts of rumors. He has always been someone Lucy has looked up to. She does get a chance to meet him when she unknowing visits his rose garden and finds him as charming as she had imagined he would be. However, his son Max who is there in Greece with him is not as charming. Lucy and Max take an almost instant dislike to one another.

The final neighbor is Godfrey Manning who is a nature photographer working on a book.

Lucy's plans for a quiet vacation in a beautiful setting are ruined when the son of her sister's housekeeper is lost at sea while working on Mannings boat and another fisherman's body washes up on the shore.

Lucy finds herself in the middle of a smuggling operation with a smuggler who isn't hesitant to kill anyone who gets in his way. She isn't sure if she should if it is Max or Godfrey who is the villain of the piece.

I loved the wonderful setting of the story. Stewart's descriptions made me wish that I could visit Corfu as it was 50 or so years ago. I thought that there was a nice amount of suspense in the story and a sweet slow-burn romance too. Helen Johns did a nice job with the narration. She made each character unique and used her voice to build the suspense. ( )

Another Mary Steward wonder. Her descriptions of actions, feelings and events are so detailed and amazing. I love the characters, the locations and the mystery. A perfect package. The dolphin was so great. ( )

Really enjoyable Greek set romantic suspense. I listened to the audio book 4.5 * ( )

I read all of Mary Stewart's books many years ago and loved them. I thought a reread was in order, and I'm delighted I did. This one is a suspenseful romance, though the romance is not the main impetus of the story by any means. It's on the order of a more action-based Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Lucy Waring has come to Corfu to visit her pregnant sister after the closing of her play. Her neighbors are Sir Julian Gale, the eminent actor of his time, and his son Max, a musician. Lucy and Max do not hit it off right away, but Lucy is charmed by Sir Julien, who likens Corfu to Shakespeare's The Tempest (Prospero is his most famous role). But soon, bodies begin to appear in this idyllic setting, and Lucy determines to solve the mystery.
The idea of using Corfu as the setting and merging in references to The Tempest was brilliant. I loved it when I first read the book and still delight in the quotes from the play. Though a bit dated now, the story is beautifully written, as expected from Ms. Stewart. The romance seemed very rushed, but the suspense is the main point of the plot. It's an enjoyable reread and I'm glad I picked it up again. ( )