Velda Johnston: The Hour Before Midnight

I found this gothic romance/romantic suspense novel by Velda Johnston, The Hour Before Midnight, published in 1978, at my local friends of the library. The cover is unexceptional, but when I saw it, I had to pick it up.

I like Johnston's work, but she treads a line between the two genres mentioned above, and I find her novels to be uneven in quality. This novel is not one of her best, in my opinion.

The Hour Before Midnight

Here's a list of Velda Johnston's titles with a picture of her. This page is from the literary agency that handles her estate:

Velda Johnston

In the novel, Judith Dunne, an American artist travels back to London to work on her illustrations. The murder of her fast and wild cousin the year before, Cecily Grenville, still haunts her.

Someone wants the past forgotten, and Judith is in danger.


Plot: 3/5-- I figured out whodunnit early on, though I did like the large variety of male suspects. I didn't enjoy the predictable plot twist of mental illness. A better ending would have been... well, I'll let you read it. Let me know what you think. :) Also, references to the common culture are pretty neat as are the stories of the British monarchy.



Characterization: 4/5-- I liked the hero and didn't pinpoint him as such right away. The heroine is also likeable and believable.


Atmosphere: 3/5-- A few genuinely creepy moments occur in the story when Judith finds the murder weapon--a nasty cleaver in a neat hiding place--but overall, there is nothing paranormal or really Gothic about this one other than some of the story line.


Romantic elements: 3/5-- The story in this regard was so/so.


Rating: 3+ stars

**If you like older romantic suspense, London in the 70s, or Velda Johnston's work, I recommend this one. Otherwise, you might skip it for something with a bit more Gothic atmosphere.

Velda Johnston: The Etruscan Smile

I have completed yet another Velda Johnston novel. This writer's style is smooth, and her novels unfold into a compulsive reading experience-- at least for me. I struggle to get through or to get involved with some of the novels I read. I have not yet had that experience with Johnston's work though this one disappointed me about three quarters of the way in.

In this novel, Samantha Develin has traveled to Italy to find her sister, Althea. She finds her abandoned rented farm house complete with spoiled food, paint rags everywhere, and bad paintings. Althea had traveled to Italy over two years previous in order to paint. Samantha is puzzled by the poor paintings and the lack of mail in the mail box. She meets Arturo, a rich young man and Althea's former lover, and Jeffrey, a neighbor who seems to know more than he is telling. When she finds an Etruscan figure of a goddess in a cave, Samantha feels it is an omen and is linked to her sister's disappearance.

Characterization: 4/5 [The characters are drawn a bit thinly, but I could picture them: Arturo as Gael Garcia Bernal, Samantha as a young Sally Field, and Althea as a younger Nicole Kidman.]

Plot: 3/5 [The plot keeps moving, and the suspense starts early. I like Johnston's novels for this. She shines in terms of plotting. I will say that for the first time, this novel seemed rushed. It was only about 180 pages, and that was just not quite enough to tell a good story. It was almost like she wanted the novel over with.]

Atmosphere/spooky elements: 3/5 [The things left behind in Althea's disappearance are a bit spooky to me as is the idea of the old abandoned farmhouse. The figure of the Etruscan goddess is also a bit creepy as was the use of a cave as setting for some of the novel. Overall, though, not as much spookiness as I like. This novel felt more like a suspense novel than a Gothic novel.]

Literary elements: 4/5 [I learned something about Italy-- at least in the late 70s when this novels was published and about Etruscan art. References to classical painters and others are also sprinkled throughout.]

Romance? Yes... the novel had the obligatory Italian hunk and the guy next door.

Rating: 3+ stars ***.5

**If you like suspense novels, this one fits the bill; however, it's very light on the Gothic elements, so give it a pass if you are looking for those.

Velda Johnston: The White Pavilion

I have just finished reading this one, and I really enjoyed it. Isn't that cover unique, too? The novel was published in 1973, but the story line feels modern (other than the mother of the heroine having been in a big band with her husband).

The pavilion in the title and on the cover is different (and important in the story) from the usual Gothic place/setting. It is one of two or three major settings in the novel.

Jennifer Langley is a working girl in New York City. I notice that Johnston likes her characters to hail from there (in the two novels by her that I've read so far anyway). She goes down to Florida to an island named Dolor Island to stay with her Aunt Evelyn for a month or so while she catalogs the family antiques in her grandfather's old ancestral home. Strange events occur, and it is unclear who is to be trusted for quite some time. I like this one, because the plot is not predictable nor is the love interest. I still had no idea who was going to "win out" on that end 100 pages in. Would it be Kevin, the Vietnam War vet and childhood friend or Harley, the blond hunk who is scandalously married to the much older Aunt Evelyn?

Characterization: 4/5 [I liked most of the characters and could easily picture most of them in my head. Kevin put Tobey Maguire in my head-- the boy next door type. Harley I imagine as a younger Brad Pitt. ;). Aunt Evelyn made me think of Bette Davis. Strangely, the only character I could not picture easily was the heroine; this is disappointing to me, but there was a dearth of physical details about her. Perhaps Johnston did this on purpose-- to readers have control over their own visions of her.]

Plot: 5/5 [I like it because it was unpredictable-- definitely not boring and it flowed well. Another interesting thing is that the heroine's mother comes to the island, too, about two-thirds of the way in to the novel. I have not seen that particular plot choice made too often in these novels. So often, it is just girl, alone.]

Atmosphere/spooky stuff: 4/5 [There is a fake--maybe-- spiritualist in the novel, and that makes for a spooky scene, and there is a prowler on the island and some other things. Then, a hurricane makes its way onto the island. Someone is also trapped in an enclosed space at one point which is spooky/scary. The spookiness/suspense comes in spurts, but I had a hard time putting this novel down.]

Literary or not: 4/5 [It is intelligently written. Harley is a shell collector, and I learned much about the uses of sea shells in ancient times. I might have enjoyed learning a bit more about antiques, though, since the heroine was supposed to be something of an expert on them.]

Romance? Yes

Rating: 4+ stars

** I recommend this one. It is well written and not formulaic. I am quickly becoming a big Velda Johnston fan...

Velda Johnston: A Presence in an Empty Room

I'll begin with this novel since I just read it. Velda Johnston authored over a dozen Gothic novels before her death in 1997, but I had not read any of them that I recall until I read this one published in 1982. I plan to read more of her novels now.

The main character, Susan Hapgood, has lived with her father for many years. His illness is the major focus of her sheltered life. At 23, after his death, she meets Martin Summerslee in a bookstore. They move back to the ancestral home in Maine, and strange things occur regarding his first wife who died in a plane crash.


Overall, I recommend this book. I will rate each book this way with blurbs alongside each mark:

Plot: 3/5 [The plot moves quickly enough, but there was one section where a minor character talked for six or more pages that was a bit strange.]

Characterization: 3/5 [The characters were drawn a bit thinly. I got a good sense of Susan and of Martin, but Martin was too good to be true. It was almost annoying. The first wife was well drawn as was her friend, Migs.]

Atmosphere/Spooky points: 4/5 [This novel has a real plot twist that I did not see coming. That alone gives me cause to rank it fairly high. The supernatural comes into play, and it is quite spooky/threatening throughout a portion of the novel. The ancestral home setting as well as a spooky old church and pagan rituals add to these elements.]

Literary or not: 3.5/5 [This novel is surprisingly smart. References are made to various academic works that Susan and her father collected and read as well as theories stemming from said works. The hero of the novel is a writer/researcher. This element of depth/smartness always appeals to me.]

Rating: 3+ stars

**I do recommend this one. The plot twist and some unusual elements of the supernatural were enough for me to enjoy this novel.