The Wailing Winds of Juneau Abbey

Abby Whitaker knew the true meaning of grief and loneliness. Young, poor, and tragically widowed, she had little hope of finding happiness until a surprising letter arrived - and changed her life. Her uncle, the black sheep of the family and a seeker of gold in Alaska, had died: if a family member did not arrive in remote Juneau within a month, the house would be sold.

Abby knew that Alaska was a land bursting with opportunities. How perfect a place to start life over - the land of the midnight sun!

But once the perilous sea journey was behind her and she set foot in the strange, icebound frontier settlement, Abigail learned that her uncle had left huge gambling debts and that his death had not been an accident. His house was eerie and hollow and icy cold and the tall gold miner who offered to cut firewood for her stared at her most strangely. His piercing eyes - pools of dark mystery - drew her into their depths and made her heart race with fire even as icy fingers of fear crept up her spine.

Abigail tried to ignore her sense of foreboding. She tried to ignore the creaking stairs, the lantern mysteriously lit, the cryptic warning against the very man who had begun to claim her heart....

Original Publisher: Zebra
Original Year of Publication: 1990
Page Count: 221

One of the better Zebra Gothics I've tried, but still not exactly great. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric - I loved the setting of the abbey-turned-home on the frontiers of wintry Alaska! - and the main character Abby isn't a total idiot, but her gigantic blind spot regarding a certain character made it 1000% obvious who the villain was, and I spent a great deal of time rolling my eyes at her as she systematically suspected every other character in the book except him, right up until he literally laughed in her face and told her he was the murderer. 🙄🙄🙄

If the red herrings hadn't been quite so obvious, I think this would've been a cracking good read and worth a spot on the keeper shelf. As it is, it'll probably be consigned to the Paperback Swap pile.

⭐⭐ 1/2