The follow-up entries are less mesmerizing because the world is already so richly established. Undeterred by the novella format, Edwina Noone (aka Michael Avallone) manages to incorporate every Gothic item imaginable in a single narrative. The Craghold quartet is highlighted primarily by its first volume, The Craghold Legacy, which delivers an unwavering deluge of bizarre. Read more “Jean-Anne de Pré – Die, Jessica, Die (1972)” Updated: February 8, 2022Ĭategories: Reviews Tags: Gothic Romance, Michael Avallone, Queen-Size Gothic Edwina Noone – The Craghold Legacy (Complete Series) (1972-73) There’s a new housekeeper she’s never met before, an attractive handyman roaming about, a strange doctor who administers tranquilizers at the first sign of distress, and a “burly” lawyer who may or may not be seducing Jessica for his own gain. Despite its alluring title and a narrator who promises much diabolical intrigue, there are no unconventional surprises.Īs Jessica returns home after four long years at college, she finds her father’s mansion much-changed. Sometimes the plots are juicier than typical, but often they are as basic as any gothic romance paperback. In reality, the most “queen-size” thing about the series is thicker pulp paper (which makes 285 pages look more like 400) and a large font. The series promotes itself as “greater in length and drama, richer in reading pleasure.” Presumably this appeals to readers who found mass-market gothic novellas of the 1960s and ‘70s too short and simplistic. Die, Jessica, Die is a 1972 novel from the “Queen-Size Gothic” series.

The Craghold Creatures by Edwina Noone