Books › My Brother Michael
My Brother Michael
First published 1973 · 400 pages
A sun-drenched, mid-century romantic thriller where a chance encounter plunges a restless tourist into a dangerous mystery among ancient Greek ruins.
What it feels like
Reading this classic romantic suspense feels like stepping into a sun-drenched, mid-century travelogue that slowly twists into a high-stakes thriller. The narrative wraps you in the rugged, evocative beauty of the Greek landscape, making the ancient ruins of Delphi feel both majestic and menacing. It is a story of accidental adventure, where a restless heroine is swept into a web of danger, wartime secrets, and slow-burn romance. The prose is lush and elegant, taking its time to build a deeply atmospheric world before accelerating into genuine peril. It delights readers who love capable, witty protagonists, dashing but mysterious companions, and the timeless thrill of uncovering deadly secrets in breathtaking, far-flung locales.
- Mood
- sun-drenched
- mysterious
- tense
- evocative
- Tone
- atmospheric
- romantic
- earnest
- wry
- suspenseful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- unintended adventure · uncovering the past · trust and betrayal · the weight of history · finding courage
- The writing
- Lush, elegant, and highly descriptive, painting the rugged Greek landscape with vivid, sensory precision.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from restless dissatisfaction to a thrilling, dangerous awakening that culminates in romantic and personal triumph.
- Who it's for
- Fans of classic, mid-century romantic suspense who crave capable heroines, slow-burn romance, and richly drawn international settings.
Content notes
- gun violence
- murder
- peril
- references to WWII trauma
About the book
ONLY A MOMENT BEFORE
Camilla Haven is on holiday alone, and wishes for some excitement. She had been sitting quietly in a crowded Athens cafe writing to her friend Elizabeth in England, "Nothing ever happens tome..."
Then, without warning, a stranger approached, thrust a set of car keys at her and pointed to a huge black touring car parked at the curb. "The car for Delphi, mademoiselle... A matter of life and death," he whispered and disappeared.
From that moment Camilla her life suddenly begins to take off when she sets out on a mysterious car journey to Delphi in the company of a charming but quietly determined Englishman named Simon Lester. Simon told Camilla he had come to the ancient Greek ruins to "appease the shade” of his brother Michael, killed some fourteen years earlier on Parnassus. From a curious letter Michael had written, Simon believed his brother had stumbled upon something of great importance hidden in the craggy reaches of the mountainside. And then Simon and Camilla learned that they were not alone in their search...
The ride was Camilla's first mistake... or perhaps she unintentionally had invoked the gods. She finds herself in the midst of an exciting, intriguing, yet dangerous adventure. An extraordinary train of events turned on a nightmare of intrigue and terror beyond her wildest daydreams.
Description from Open Library.
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