Columbella Author:Phyllis A. Whitney 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 the young daughter she dazzled. And ... more »now, on "the night of the shell," in the silver of Caribbean moonlight, Columbella's destructive net was tightening. Only her daughter's governess, over-eharted and inexperience, stood in Columbella's way, fighting recklessly for her own happiness-- and the safety of another woman's child. Only Jessica could unlock the secret of Columbella's mysterious shells in time to save the man she loved from complete destruction....« 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.