the mallen streak Author:catherine cookson Thomas Malen of High Banks Hall had many sons, all, except one, illegitimate. But to each of them he passed on his mark-a distinctive flash of white hair running down to the left temple and known as the Mallen Streak. It was said in the surrounding countryside that those who bore the Streak did not die old or in their beds. In 1851 the extrav... more »agant, high-living mallens face financial ruin. A last-minute attempt to save the situation by arranging a wealthy marriage for Thomas Mallen's ne'er-do-well son fails disastrously and in circumstances that bring fresh scandal and disgrace upon the house. Thomas mallen, deserted by his former friends, is forced to live in a small cottage with his nieces, Barara and Constance Farrinton, and thei unusual governess, Anna Brigmore. Then into their lives come the Radlet brothers: the frail, gentle Matthew and the ruthless, ambitious Donald who, though he bears another man's name, is clearly identifiable by the Mallen Streak. This powerful and compulsively readable novel is the first of a trilogy that will folow the lives of the Mallens through three generations. Rich in characterization and dramatic narrative alike, it follows the underlying theme that the pattern of life-once set-cannot be changed.« less