Marilyn Ross (1) (1912–1995)

Gothic romances as mentioned in an earlier post enjoyed a long heyday in the '60s and '70s, perhaps fueled in longevity by symbiotic success of Dark Shadows, TV's Gothic soap which began in 1966 and continued until 1971.

Perhaps appropriately, a long series of Dark Shadows paperback tie-ins were released under the pen name Marylin Ross, actually William Edward Daniel or W.E.D. Ross (1912-1995).

Ross also penned a long string of stand-alone gothics under Marylin and a variety of other show more pseudonyms including tales from perhaps the twilight of the gothic era.

Phantom of the 13th Floor would seem to be from that later edge of the era, released four years after Dark Shadows' cancellation.

It's an engaging little tale set around Christmastime and New Year's in midtown Manhattan and stretches the boundaries of the gothic. It might be called romantic suspense these days. It eschews the usual old dark houses, though there is the ominous Midtown Hotel Brant, modeled on the Drake Hotel.

The heroine's a young Broadway actress who's a bit naive. Joan Crane is the granddaughter of actress Molly Miller who headlined "Me and Molly" in 1928 until her death in a fall during a party at the Brant. Joan's starring in a mid-'70s revival with much of the same production team and living in an apartment across the street from the historic hotel.

She's dating choreographer Rex Grayston, a generically perfect romantic lead, has a cabbie named Archie on retainer, and is surrounded by a circle that includes some familiar with her grandmother or at least the theater community.

A written invitation from Rex lures Joan to a party at the Brant on a rainy December night after a show, and there she encounters a turban-wearing mystic who soon has her in a trance that will quickly be followed by blackouts that coincide with murders. All of the victims have some tie to Joan's grandmother or others involved with the show including the gentlemanly producer of both original and revival.

As Joan becomes a murder suspect, Rex is drawn away to tweak the dances on a show in another city leaving her to fend on her own, and a possibly ghostly or possibly criminal series of events unfolds as Christmas approaches.

Ross tosses several red herrings into the mix, teases a bit of a romantic rival in the police detective investigating the murders and keeps the supernatural viable for much of the tale. Is the ghost of Molly Miller possessing Joan to kill off old rivals? Is the Vaudeville mentalist who once loved Molly really dead or pulling Joan's strings in a twisted act of revenge?

Despite the twists the tale remains a thriller and not a true mystery. The theater world feels just a tad generic. The sense that the novel was penned for a target audience is always there, as is the case with most tales of a type, I suppose. There's also a sense that this is a bit of a soap-on-paper, more in the realm of The Edge of Night if not Dark Shadows.

None of that's to say it's not a fun, creepy and engaging page-turner with a real atmosphere of a grim and cold winter city as backdrop.

Gothics, especially those by prolific masters like Ross, shouldn't be lost to time. The serve up interesting thrills and chills. show less

A "cured" Barnabas is finally able to woo his movie star lover in broad daylight (!!) but sinister forces, both corporeal and otherwise, are determined to dash the couple's happiness. Muahahaha! Despite some unfortunate printing errors (repeated sentences, upside-down text, missing words) this addition to the Dark Shadows library is actually a lot of fun. It's an effectively written high gothic/romance/horror hybrid that reads well in front of a roaring fireplace with a glass of wine and a show more box of chocolates. Or, as in my case, a bedside lamp and a Snickers. show less

Yet another dark and stormy night at Collinswood manor in this flashback to 1901 when the master of the house, Joshua, and his wife Margaret were visited by their distant cousin Barnabas who just happens to be......A VAMPIRE! Oh the winds will howl, the candles will gutter, and the village virgins will swoon as Canada's own Marilyn Ross (pen name for William E. D. Ross) weaves yet another gothic Harlequin thriller based on the iconic TV series. As serious literature it wouldn't even rate a show more 1-star rating, but Ross' style of gloomy romanticism is contagious enough to make you clutch your pearls and gasp (with good-natured laughter mostly). Loved it! show less

It's another dark and stormy night at Collinwood manor and this time around it's memories of a 50-year old murder which haunt the old mansion's dusty corridors: a tragedy somehow tied to a locked room, an elderly uncle, a cache of jewels.....and quite possibly the identity of governess Victoria Winters' long lost parents! Another terribly dated yet terribly entertaining bit of Harlequin gothic from the "Dark Shadows" paperback series, originally written in the '60s and republished by Hermes show more Press. You'll shudder! You'll swoon! You'll march right out and buy the next volume! Surprisingly well written by Canada's own William E. D. Ross (pen name "Marilyn Ross") it does suffer a bit from Hermes Press' garish font and lack of straight right hand margins, but these are easily overlooked. show less