Sinners' Castle caught my eye when I read it involved a group of 'sinners', people whom society has tried and discarded, trapped on an isolated island in a psychological experiment. I love when people are trapped on an island. While it wasn't as intense or thrilling as I had hoped, it's a solid novel with mysterious and political overtones.
When Jan Faversham stumbles in a dark wood upon her sister and a German lover committing suicide, she is able to save her sister and send her back home. Trying to hide the lover's body, she is caught by Craig Allenby, secretary to a millionaire whose yacht stands nearby for destinations unknown. She is invited on the trip and finds a strange assortment of people on board.
Craig is just out of prison for a murder he didn't commit; a thief disguised as the Rev. James Cacthpole; the Reverend's friend Mr. Conrad; Camilla Schumann, the wife of the man Jan found dead in the woods; and their eccentric host Jethro Cobb. They find they are not heading to the Caribbean, but north to Cashel Murtag (Sinners' Castle) off the coast of Donegal, Ireland, where they are expected to stay for the next few days. Being 1941, the loch below the castle is hiding German U-boats and it's revealed Mr. Conrad is actually a disgraced German Commander, the U-boat crew is lead by his Lieutenant son, and they all might be there, in fact, to unearth a treasure in gold bullion rumoured to have been hidden by the Nazis in the nearby caves. Unknown to the others, a metal key which provides the directions to the map has just been handed to Jan...
More a novel than a thriller, it has interesting political views from the time. Despite threatening shadows and some odd events, the guests turn out to be mostly harmless, including the host who becomes quite benevolent. Told from Jan's outsider point of view, you get an overview of motives and machinations that holds up throughout the book. There is romance, payback, redemption and justice at the end of the journey, making for a satisfying read. Looking back it wasn't the most dynamic book, but well written and memorable.
It has also been published in paperback under the title Judgement Castle.
1941 / Hardcover / 277 pages
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