The Shadow of the Lynx

like Kirkland Revels, this was an airplane read. Victoria Holt went outside of her usual governess-in-spooky-castle niche for this one - the protagonist is a rich British heiress sent to live with ranching relatives in Australia. A bit of magic, lots of coincidences...it's supposed to be serious, but I laugh as I read them. They're just so dated and the women are so foolish. Anyway, it's definitely a guilty pleasure.

This is the third book I have read by Victoria Holt and I gave the others 4/5 and 4.5/5. I quite enjoyed this one but not to the same extent. Nora Tamsin and her father live a simple happy life, until he leaves England for Australia where he hopes to find gold and make his fortune. When he dies there, Nora moves to Australia and into the care of her father's friend Charles Herrick, known as the Lynx. She is captivated by his enigmatic charisma and power, but has loving feelings towards his son Stirling. By the time she realises that Lynx is hell-bent on revenge for old grievances, she is too caught up in the family to escape, and finds herself involved in his campaign, which takes her back to a mysterious old house in England.

This is a show more strange kind of romance with a love triangle of sorts, which only gets more complicated in the last third of the novel. I quite liked Nora, and i loved the character of Minta. However, neither Lynx nor Stirling were particularly likeable and I found it hard to have any sort of feeling for them one way or the other. Lynx was supposed to be this charismatic but cold man, but he just seemed like a power hungry bully.

However the ending was a genuine surprise and I can't say that I didn't enjoy the book, just that it did not live up to my expectations after the other books I have enjoyed by this author. show less

This has more action than in a lot of Victoria Holt novels. The suspense is there, as ever, though as usual, the final climax is underplayed and too easily resolved.

Half the tale is set in Australia, featuring some quality descriptions, plus some great scenes. The rest of the book is set in England where life’s a little tamer.

Liked the ending. Unlike some of this author’s works, the main characters’ fates were not easy to guess.

A good novel, nicely written. The characters are good-- Nora's strong, and Minta's charming. And the story's good, deceptively simple, in fact-- there's always a little bit more there than I thought there was.
(9/10)

My all-time favorite of Victoria Holt's novels. Nora is, in my opinion, one of her strongest characters. This book takes you from the misty valleys of England to the baked landscapes of Australia. The male characters, too, are varied and have strong, well-defined personalities. You'll be on the edge of your chair until the end, wondering how this suspenseful novel will turn out.

This is only the fourth book I've read of Victoria Holt's and I know I have many more to read of hers but I must point out that this book is not her usual romantic suspense genre. The story reminds me of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte although Victoria Holt’s work has more depth in it.

*2.5