Woman without a Past

April 29, 1991
In one of her smoothest suspense novels, the prolific Whitney ( The Singing Stones ) combines a dynamic, likable heroine with eccentric characters, romantic entanglements, family ghosts and a charming setting. When mystery writer Molly Hunt drops off her latest manuscript, she walks into the most important mystery of her life. In her publisher's office, she meets Charles Landry of Charleston, S.C., whose fiancee, he claims, is Molly's long-lost twin. He tells the story of Molly's kidnapping from the Mountfort family mansion, then invites her to Charleston to meet the rest of the clan: Valerie, the emotionally imbalanced mother who has never recovered from the loss of her favorite child; Amelia, the insecure, second-best twin; Porter Phelps, Valerie's cousin and the Mountfort patriarch. Porter's wife, Honoria, a psychic, still hunts for details about a lover's drowning years ago and about the sudden death of Molly's father, Simon. A letter left to Molly indicates that Simon was keeping a dangerous family secret. Are the Mountfort tragedies safely in the past, or is Molly in grave danger? Dramatic revelations, help from unexpected quarters and Molly's need to resolve her identity drive the novel to a satisfying conclusion.

March 30, 1992
One of the smoothest suspense novels yet from the prolific Whitney, this Literary Guild main selection and four-week PW hardcover bestseller features a mystery writer who learns she has a long-lost twin.