My Brother Michael
41. Mary Stewart, My Brother Michael
Camilla Haven, a young classics teacher at an English girls’ school, is on vacation in Greece, seeing the sights and trying to forget about her ex-fiancé Philip. She is just bemoaning the fact that nothing ever happens to her when an adventure lands in her lap: a stranger approaches her in a café and gives her the keys to a car which, he says, is urgently needed in Delphi by a man named Simon on “a matter of life and death.” Not knowing what to do, Camilla eventually decides to drive the car to Delphi herself and deliver it to Simon. Little does she know that this seemingly unimportant act will entangle her with a decades-old murder, a cache of treasure, and imminent danger to her own life.
Once again, this novel sticks pretty close to the Mary Stewart formula: a young woman in a strange country becomes involved in some sort of peril or mystery, meeting a handsome man in the process. In this case the book is set in Greece, and I found the descriptions of the country fascinating, if a little long-winded at times. The atmosphere of the story, especially the allusions to Greek history and mythology, really helped to heighten the suspense. There’s no particular mystery about the book, though, as it’s immediately obvious who the good guys and the bad guys are. I also found the romance a bit unsatisfying; though it’s developed throughout the book, it never really comes to fruition, in my opinion. Still, I always enjoy Stewart’s books, and this one was no exception.