My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart (1959; reprinted in omnibus volume Three Novels of Suspense, undated, but 1960)
This was the March selection of Erin's Family Book Club. How it works: Every month we each suggest two books; the winner is chosen randomly by computer. Because March was Kitty's birthdate, this was one of my two selections. It was one of Kitty's favorite books and one that she re-read often. Despite the fact that Kitty married me, she had remarkably good taste.
It is fourteen years after World War II and Camilla Haven has recently broken off a six-year engagement; she new realizes that she was unhealthily dependent on her former fiance. Camilla is on a solo extended vacation in Greece; circumstances prevented the woman she had planned to go with from accompanying her. He has read extensively in Greece, its landmarks, and its history and is enjoying the quiet beauty of the country, even though nothing exciting has actually happened. Her funds are low and she hopes to make a brief trip to Delphi before having to return to England.
While having a cup of coffee in an Athens cafe, she is approached by a man who had been told to ,look for a single woman in that cafe at that time. He told Camilla that the car was outside and ready to be delivered to Mister Simon in Delphi and that it was "a matter of life and death." He then pushed the car key across the table at her before quickly leaving, and before Camilla had an chance to tell him that he had mistaken her for someone else. Obviously the woman he had been intended to meet had been delayed. Camilla waited for over an hour but the mysterious woman never appeared. At last, she decided that she would drive the car to Delphi herself and deliver it this Mister Simon, whoever he was -- surely there could not be that many Mr. Simons in Delphi...and it was "a matter of life and death." (Also, it would save the money for bus fare, and Camilla's funds were getting desperately low.) Camilla was not an expert driver, but how hard could it be anyway?
It turns out it was not easy. She got stuck along the way after having several minor accidents. (Local villagers told her not to be concerned; the donkey that she hit was not damaged -- it would most likely run for a kilometer or so, then calm down and return on its own.) she was rescued by an Englishman who happened to on his way to Delphi himself and he volunteered to drive her. His name was Simon Lester but he was evidently not her "Mr. Simon" -- he had no idea about the mysterious woman, the car, or the matter of life and death. Simon volunteered to help her find her "Mr. Simon" once the arrived in Delphi.
Simon arranged for her to stay in a small hotel; he himself was staying at a large dormitory intended for students and artists. (Simon was a teacher in England, but managed to talk his way into the dormitory; the only other person staying at the dormitory was a young, talented, and insecure artist named Nigel.) Delphi was a small community, but Camilla and Simon could not locate her "Mr. Simon."
Simon Lester was in Delphi to pay homage to his brother Michael, who was murdered there, presumably by Germans, shortly before the war ended. Michael was sent by British Intelligence to work with Greek resistance group against the German occupiers. Simon's father had recently died and, among his effects, was a final letter from Michael that Simon had never seen before, along with items taken from Michael's body -- including three gold coins. The British had sent a large supply of guns and gold to the Greeks to help in their fight against the Nazis; somehow the guns and money had gone missing. Simon believed that Michael had found the hidden cache of gold before he was killed.
I turned out that Michael had not been killed by Germans, although he had been wounded in the shoulder. Michael had been hiding lout in one of the many caves in the area, which is where he probably found the gold. The gold and guns had been stolen by a murderous sadist named Angelos, who had hoped to use the loot to help finance an overthrow of the Greek government once the war was over. Before that could happen, though, he was seen murdering Michael and had to flee the country to Switzerland, where he vanished completely and was presumed dead.
But there were others besides Simon who were searching for the hidden cache. And when Michael and Camilla finally found the gold, they also found another treasure -- one that would have a greater impact on the future.
My Brother Michael is an atmospheric romantic suspense novel that delays its action until the final pages, where murder and danger become paramount. This is as much a love novel ab out% Greece itself -- its beauty, history, its legends, its people -- as it is about anything else. The vivid colors, the sounds, and the smells of the area was wonderfully described, as if one were in the actual setting. The romance is present, but not overt, allowing the reader to bath in the novel's other romance, that of the countryside itself. It is an effective, well-told tale. In 1990, Britain's Crime Writer's Association named the top 100 crime novels of all time -- My Brother Michael made the list at number 55.
As I said at the outset, Kitty had good taste.
Mary Stewart was a pioneer in the romantic suspense subgenre, penning many best-selling novels with "skillful story-telling and elegant prose" and "well-crafted settings." Along with fellow writers Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, she helped pave the way for an immensely popular that began with Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Among Stewart's better-known novels are Madam, Will You Talk?, Wildfire at Midnight, Thunder on the Right, Nine Coaches Waiting, The Ivy Tree, The Moon-Spinners, This Rough Magic, and Airs Above the Ground. Later in her career she began a best-selling series of five Arthurian romances, beginning with The Hollow Hills. Stewart has received an Agatha Lifetime Achievement Award. My Brother Michael was nominated for a CWA Gold Dagger Award in 1961, losing to Lionel Davidson's The Night of Wenceslas (no shame in that!)
