W. E. D. Ross

The three neighboring houses on Maine's seacoast seemed lost in the fog, cut off from the rest of the world. The houses belonged to Vera Waters, her aunt--and now there was a strange new family, who came shrouded in mystery as deep as the fog. Who were the Harpers? Just two men and a woman who, as they claimed, liked the area? If so, why did their first sight of Vera shock them into near silence? And why did Aunt Samantha's astrological readings, usually happy and frequently correct, warn Vera of impending danger? The threat to Vera's sanity and life became brutally clear the day a private investigator arrived in town. One of the Harpers, said Detective Egan, was mad, haunted by an ancient murder--and driven to kill again! Vera, equally compelled, found herself the unwilling bait in a trap more terrifying than her worst imaginings!

Arriving to take her place as governess for a wealthy family, Sabrina was filled with excitement. But from the moment she entered the dark corridors of the mansion, terrifying and mysterious events began to unfold. She was unaware of the sinister curse a vengeful monk had placed on her new employers. Then the ghost of the diabolical monk appeared on a shadowy landing as she looked on in terror . . . she was disturbed at night by a midnight caller who lured her to danger . . . and a rowboat sank, nearly killing the little girl in Sabrina's care. As suspicion and accusations hovered over Sabrina, she began a battle to not only clear her name and reputation, and to save the children in her care, she also had to battle to save her own life

Steve Ryder had come back to Saint John to work for a law firm handling the affairs of S. C. North, a wealthy and shrewd business man with interests in that part of Canada. He is stern and unbending in his relations with his employees. Five years before Steve had been in love with North's daughter, Sharon, who now lives in the town with her husband, a former college athlete who has never quite outgrown his campus years. Steve becomes a friend of them both, as anxious as Sharon to see her make a success of her marriage. The Steve is suddenly confronted with a major decision. He is asked to take over the defence of a French-Canadian who is being tried for the murder of a girl to whom he is engaged. A partner in the firm warns Steve against taking the case, but Steve feels he must if he is going to retain his integrity. He accepts the responsibility realizing it will end his career and the hope of remaining near Sharon.

A mysterious disappearance leads to an unexpected inheritance of wealth, romance, and terror.

Vivacious young Erica Blake and Bruce Cord were more than just casual friends. They had met at college and dated quite regularly. But suddenly Bruce vanished without a word, without a trace, and Erica had to know why. Finding out wouldn't be easy. The only clues to his disappears lay behind the heavy stone walls of a strange impenetrable mansion called French House. That's when Erica decided to become a secretary to the wealthy, enigmatic Belinda French. But from the moment she entered the woman's home she was struck by the ominous echoes of fear that seemed to haunt every room....echoes that became shrieks of terror as she found herself a hapless prisoner in a mansion of menace and evil..

She had fled heartbreak once. Could she be sure her new love was true love...? Irene Hall was a nurse working for a plastic surgeon. She was pleased by the work they provided. It might mean the restoration of pride to victims of an accident. But, there are also risks like possibly dying on the operating table.

Joyce Wales had come to the musty summer theater in Maine, little knowing the brutal terror she would soon feel. But in the dark, secret places of the theater buildings, Joyce sensed an ominous presence - a sinister portent of terror to come. She frequently had nightmares of that long, dry August, and in them the heat and the phantom figure were inextricably linked. A summer theater was an unlikely place for the appearance of a violent ghost garbed in the motoring costume of a past era. Yet this phantom, undaunted by walls or doors, threatened to break up a show - and a life!

WHAT WILL LAURA FIND AT CAMERON CASTLE -- LONG LIFE OR SUDDEN DEATH! Despite warnings from her friends that he is only a fortune hunter, beautiful heiress Laura Coles marries Donald Cameron. Fighting her fear, Laura agrees to settle at bleak Cameron Castle, her husband's ancestral home. But there is no welcome for Laura in that brooding mansion. Donald's relatives treat her as an intruder. Donald suddenly becomes cold and withdrawn. Laura's fear turns to horror when an attack is made on her life by a man who resembles her husband!

Ardith Stewart had come to Wyndmoor Manor seeking a cure from the sinister ailment racking her body. Instead, she found a curse ravenous for her soul. From the moment she recognized this forbidding edifice as the grim mansion seen in her nightmares . . . and the moment she saw the portrait of a woman slain as a witch and realized that face was her very own . . . Ardith knew that to have come here was folly, to stay here was damnation, and to escape was impossible. Marilyn Ross is one popular pseudonym for the prolific author W. E. D. Ross. Possibly best known for Gothic novels including The Stewarts of Stormhaven and novelizations of the TV series Dark Shadows, Ross also wrote romance, historicals, nurse and horror novels. Many of the books are set in New England, particularly coastal Maine.

As a curly-topped infant, Sarah was loved and cherished--even though her birth almost killed her mother... As a winsome five-year-old with shiny blue eyes, she was the perfect child--except for her terrifyingly destructive tantrums... Creeping panic soon enveloped her parents and neighbors... the gruesome deaths... the strange painting... Sarah befriended the whispering shadows... 150 years of patient evil had waited for Sarah, and now she must listen to the darkness... she must obey... she must seduce... she must kill...

It was with a mixture of pleasure and regret that Marie Todd arrived from New York to spend Thanksgiving at the family home in Renfrew. Her two brothers and her sister had gathered at the old homestead, too -- and all were there to discuss the sale of Renfrew seemingly necessitated by Mr. Todd’s enforced early retirement. Marie soon learned that other problems were brewing in the once-placid family. Only Jack Baird, a young psychology professor boarding with the Todd’s, seemed unperturbed and ready with a solution -- not only for not selling the house but for also providing Marie with a new outlook on life.