Thunder on the Right (by Mary Stewart)

(Amazon UK link)

I'm not keen on thrillers in general. But Mary Stewart's writing style is such that I find myself gripped and involved in her novels, without being terrified. So from time to time I re-read the ones in my collection. I've just finished 'Thunder on the Right'.

Jennifer and Stephen are the main characters in this book. They uncover mystery and intrigue in a small village in the Pyrenees, with the action mainly focussing around a convent. Jennifer comes to see her cousin Gillian but is met with shocking news which makes her very suspicious.

This book has high drama, chases, danger, and a low-key romantic thread to break up the tension. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish it could have been longer. It was very well-written and exciting with a most satisfactory (though admittedly somewhat clichéd) ending.

I read this first in my teens and found it a little scary; re-reading it now I am perhaps more confident than I was then and would recommend it to anyone.

(You can also read my longer review of 'Thunder on the Right', written over fourteen years later when I re-read the book again).