The Moon-Spinners
78. Mary Stewart, The Moon-Spinners
Nicola Ferris, an employee of the British embassy in Greece, decides to take a holiday in Crete, in the tiny coastal village of Agios Georgios. On her way there, she takes a long walk through the countryside and stumbles upon a wounded Englishman and his Greek guide. Shocked and dismayed by the Englishman’s condition, Nicola does everything she can to help the two men, and eventually she learns that he is harboring dangerous secrets. He tells Nicola to leave and forget about his affairs, but of course she ends up becoming more deeply involved. As Nicola slowly uncovers a sinister plot masterminded by a gang of thugs, her knowledge places her in grave danger.
I always enjoy Mary Stewart’s novels of romantic suspense, and this one is certainly true to type. There’s a beautiful girl, a mysterious man, a gorgeous and exotic setting, and a dangerous criminal plot at work. I was a bit disappointed in the romance, simply because it wasn’t as prominent as I’d hoped. While the ending between Nicola and her man was satisfying, I wish I’d seen more of their journey to get there. I was also sorry to find that there’s really no mystery in this book. The plot is suspenseful enough, but there’s never any real doubt as to who the bad guys are. In a lot of Stewart’s novels, there’s a shocking twist halfway through that places the events of the book in a whole new light; but no such twist occurs here. I enjoyed this book, simply because it’s a Mary Stewart novel, but it’s not one of my favorites by her.