Columbella Author:Phyllis A. Whitney Love... Danger... Suspense... — The woman called Columbella was the essence of female. She had breathtaking beauty, a taste for youth, and the moral scruples of a cat. On the exotic island of St. Thomas it seemed that Columbella had everything.. and everyone. For years she had drawn an all-but-invisible net around the husband she mocked and th... more »e young daughter she dazzled. And now, on "the night of the shell,' in the silver of Caribbean moonlight, Columbella's destructive net was tightening. Only her daughter's governess, open-hearted and inexperienced, stood in Columbell's way, fighting recklessly for her own happiness - and the safety of another woman's child. Only Jessica, fleeing from her own troubled past, could unlock the secret of Columbella's mysterious shells in time to save the man she loved from complete destruction...
Once more I edged toward the door. King woud be well out of hearing - by now on his way to the beach - and I knew it might be dangerous to stay along with this frantic, half-demented woman.
However, before I could reach the doorway and make my escape, she sprang toward something on the bed, caught it up, and turned to face me. It was as though the belt she now slapped back and forth across her palm gave her confidence and a power over me. She moved to block my way to the door.
"I warned you last night!" she shrilled. "I told you something unpleasant would happen if you didn't leave here. Now you're going to find out what I mean!"« less
This was one of my favorite Phyllis Whitney gothic romance/thrillers. As usual, she makes the setting come alive, and keeps the suspense going in this tale of a murderer among a troubled household.