''Storm Music'' is a 1934 novel by the English author

Dornford Yates Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the ''Berry'' books), some thrillers (the ''Chandos'' books), were b ...

(Cecil William Mercer). It was first serialised in ''

Woman's Journal ''Woman's Journal'' was an American women's rights periodical published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased ...

'' (December 1933 to April 1934, illustrated by Forster) and ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

'' (December 1933 to May 1934, under the title ''Bright With Peril'', illustrated by Frederick Chapman).

Plot

John Spencer (narrator) witnesses the burial of a murdered servant. Spencer identifies the man's employer as Lady Helena, tells her of the murder, and becomes her lover. A criminal gang attempt to steal the gold bullion secreted in the cellar of her home, the castle at Yorick.

Background

This was another variation on Mercer's old theme of a castle with treasure. Mercer's autobiographer AJ Smithers, writing in 1982, suggested that “the faithful knew what they were buying without bothering to look at it".

Critical reception

Once again, the critics approved and the novel sold well. The original dustjacket included the following quotes - *''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'': "Dornford Yates is a clever story-teller, and his skill is cleverly revealed in this adventurous romance." *''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

'': "There is no lack of either excitement or mystery in this breathless story." *''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'': "Dornford Yates manifests his abundant ingenuity once more in the opening of an excellent mystery yarn."

References

Bibliography

* 1934 British novels British thriller novels Hodder & Stoughton books Novels by Dornford Yates Works originally published in Woman's Home Companion {{1930s-thriller-novel-stub