Black Amber

Oh, Ms. Whitney, you had me. You had me for the first 265 pages and then it all fell apart in what should have been the best scene, amidst a ruined palace in the middle of a thunderstorm. To add insult to injury, the romantic entanglement's conclusion was really... unsatisfactory.

I don't care if the book was written in 1965 - Tracy spent the entire book being independent, wilful and unwilling to put up with being treated disrespectfully, only to completely turn into a mindless noodle in the last two pages. He doesn't even ask her to marry him, he just tells her and she just simpers.
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But for those first 265 pages the story is great - a slow building of suspense, a sort of creepy house, lots of creepy residents. Tracy isn't show more the only person who has no clue what is going on around her; she has the reader for company. The story builds for both reader and Tracy at the same time and it goes in completely unexpected directions.

There are many readers out there that won't find page 266 so ruinous (trigger warning: animal cruelty) and they'll likely find the story to be a delightful surprise considering its romantic suspense category. It's a good story overall, but Whitney wrote an even better one with Window on the Square, and she didn't have to resort to such a cheap device to elicit the same thrill of horror.

Black Amber is definitely one of her better crafted novels, with evidence throughout of the even better stories she was capable of writing. It's definitely worth a read for anyone who can handle depictions of animal violence. Me - I ultimately didn't like it. I'll keep reading Whitney, but I'll definitely research her other books a hell of a lot more closely first from here on out. show less

Phyllis Whitney's writing is impeccable, and she captures the hostile, dusty, and superficially decorative charm of her far-off locations rather well. In this book, it's Istanbul. But, as in most of her novels, it's not a real city with people living their own varied lives, but a setting. The mosques, minarets, and tales of disposed-of harem dwellers serve as an eerie, foreboding backdrop that doesn't really impact the plot but creates a sense of dread.

Even if the reader sees the same pattern repeated in all of her novels, they're still enjoyable. Perhaps it helps that her characters are usually very young and very sheltered, so it's easy to excuse their impulsive behavior that practically asks for trouble. The characters' motivations show more and decisions are well thought out and realistic, even if they're sometimes a bit exasperating. show less

Somehow I missed reading Black Amber when I was young.

Tracy is one of those heroines who grew up in the shadow of a beautiful and glamorous older sister. Anabel was also overly dramatic. Her frantic phone call to her sister in New York -- just another crying of wolf? Tracy can't afford to lose her cherished magazine job to come running, but luck brings her a chance to help with the book Anabel's husband, Miles, is writing and illustrating. How fortunate that Anabel and Tracy had different fathers, so there's no need to mention her relationship at work. Anabel was in the habit of pretending she had no family (while keeping in touch with Tracy), so not even Miles will know. The name Anabel gave her lovely white angora cat is her pet name show more for Tracy, the significance of which will become clear later.

Miles really needs help sorting his messy manuscript pages and detailed drawings. The scene where Tracy tells him off and proves her point made me chuckle. Tracy is being allowed to stay for a week. Can she find out what what's going on at the Erim household in so short a time? That something deadly is going on becomes increasingly apparent as Tracy herself starts receiving the same kind of warnings that prompted Anabel's call.

I didn't guess who was behind it all and there's a scene that I'm thankful not to have found in later books (I suspect reader protests), but it's a good specimen of romantic suspense. The glimpse of what Turkey was like during the earlier years of the 1960s was interesting.

I've noticed that Ms. Whitney used the same countries or cities for some of her romantic suspense novels for adults as her juvenile mysteries (two books from one trip seems practical to me). If you're interested, the juvenile set in Turkey was Mystery of the Golden Horn. show less

This read was a sentimental choice as I enjoyed Whitney's book in my younger days, but the story somehow fell flat for me.
There was mystery but the resolution was sort of pointless in the end, it did not make sense to me at all. The writing was okay and the setting atmospheric but I could not get over the aloofness of the writer towards the culture and the people. They felt stereotypical and two-dimensional.

Suspense in Turkey - avenge death sister good

When Anabel Radburn placed a desperate overseas phone call to her sister Tracy saying she was in great danger, Tracy chalked it up to Anabel's dramatic flair. Until the next day when Anabel's body is pulled from the Bosporus in Istanbul. Racked with guilt for not responding immediately, Tracy travels to Turkey where she keeps her identity secret while trying to piece together the broken threads of Anabel's life.
Despite what Anabel's husband says, Tracy is convinced that her sister did not commit suicide. As she searches for clues in Anabel's waterfront villa, Tracy finds mystery and danger around every corner. Alone in a far-off country, Tracy must act quickly if she wants to live long enough show more to avenge Anabel's death. show less