The Quicksilver Pool

by Phyllis A. Whitney

She fled the heartbreak of a war-torn South only to become caught up in a startling web of intrigue and mystery. When Lora marries Union soldier Wade Tyler she learns of his past, and as she moves closer to the heart of the mystery she finds herself on the edge of a shattering truth that someone will do anything to keep hidden forever.

Genres: Mystery, Gothic, Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Gothic Romance, Romantic Suspense

303 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".

She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.

Reviews

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is far-flung from what we expect. Civil war is outside Lora’s home. A reviewer thought Wade shot her Father. A stray bullet hit as he retrieved the soldier. Enjoyment of “The Quicksilver Pool”, 1955, is tremendous, if you accept the story it really tells! I have long admired the dramatic layers of "The Trembling Hills", 1956. I am astounded that Phyllis wove this masterpiece too. The 1950s clearly bore creative fire. The premise: Lori lost a sweetheart and Wade was widowed in Staten Island; purveyor of the mystery. It is one portion, against a saga of remarkably complex growth; woven so believably that the entirety enthralled me.

Would we take a second fiddle, if our first loves died? Wade, nursed by Lori, befriends her. They return to New York married. Her easygoing Father and do-it-yourself ethics are at odds with an imperious mother-in-law but we sidestep cliché portrayals. This lets a highly original story breathe! I digested every inch of the realistic situations. Lori neither wants to suppress herself and her beliefs but dreads rocking the boat. She confronts some discord but keeps her comportment respectful. She befriends Wade’s son, his maternal Grandfather, and all their neighbours. The challenges are a cardboard husband and his mother. Lora’s discussion with her is enlightening: that the woman defies Wade to disobey but is disdainful of his character lacking boldness.

I’m incredulous of the growth that occurs between platonic husband and wife, mother-in-law, and grieving stepson in 303 pages. What’s more: I glimpse people’s debates, the atmosphere of war approaching the north, and Staten Island’s stance against it. Intricacies as palpable as these behove a motion picture. And coursing through already-rich veins, comes the gothic-toned mystery that lured us. Would it wake Wade up, to solve the death of his first wife?

[Karri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young girl, I spent the majority of my time in a library. My Grandmother was a librarian and she would take me to the library where we would spend hours just looking around. To this day, walking around a library is how I relax.

Anyway, when I was a pre-teen, I stumbled across Phyllis A. Whitney. This was the very first book I read. Since then I have read almost all of her books. Quite a few people have commented on her style, saying it is dated. I try really hard not to take offense at those comments! Ha Ha. Whitney wrote for a different generation. However, her books are timeless. She helped to pave the way for so many female writers. She has been one of my favorite authors since I was 13, and she always will be.

This book has suspense, tragedy, mystery, and romance. This isn't a feel good book. It is about relationships-the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is about people and the choices we make, and how we deal with those choices. I love the characters, they're complicated. I think Whitney out did herself with this book.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Phyllis A. Whitney’s historical fiction.

This is another one of her stories set during the American Civil War. It is a story about second chances. And yes, this one also contains a mystery plot that her writing is well known for.

I did it as an audio book through BARD. Try and find this one and give it a go.

[Anna Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some trepidation starting this one because I'm not keen on novels set during the American Civil War. It's part of my on-going reckoning with the whitewashed history I was taught in school, which I assumed a 1955 novel would perpetuate. I was pleasantly surprised, and was reminded anew that Whitney does an excellent job of imparting accurate historical facts with a relatively light touch. Mentions of the Knights of the Golden Circle and the Copperheads sent me down websearch rabbit holes, and I actually learned a lot of history that was new to me, and relevant to current racial attitudes. I also loved having a fictional window on the New York City Draft riots. I've learned a lot about it from favorite history podcasts, but Whitney does a nice job of personalizing it. I was also surprised, and very pleased, at the way the few black characters were treated-while their experience was certainly not centered, it also wasn't stereotyped, and they were given full personalities and interaction with other characters. I obviously have some stereotypes about mid-century white female authors that need to be examined!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book about 40 years ago and I honestly did not remember the plot that well, but I remembered it being a good book. So when I saw it become available on the Kindle, I wanted to re-read it and see if I liked it again. It was just as interesting the second time! I know I have read other books by this author and plan to read them again. The author develops her characters well and keeps the plot moving with some twists. I know she won many writing awards and kept writing into her 90's. She was well known for thorough research of her locales and historical events that are depicted in her novels. I look forward to reading more of her books.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the months leading up to and after the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, "The Quicksilver Pool" tells the story of Lora, a young woman raised by a widowed doctor father, whose marriage into the prominent Tyler family of Staten Island brings changes not only to her own life, but the lives of everyone around her. Whitney creates vivid characters, not just in Lora, but in her new in-laws and her neighbors. The Tylers are haunted, but not in the traditional sense that one finds in a Gothic. Here, they are haunted not only by their own pasts, centered around the death two years previously of wounded Union officer Wade Tyler's first wife Virginia, but also by the question of the extent of how the Union should respond to the ongoing war that had previously left many lives untouched. Whitney display a mature understanding of the complexities of human relationships, one that textures all her characters, including those whom other writers might render as caricatures. It is only when the book is finished that the reader sees how skillfully Whitney laid out signals of where she would ultimately head with the story. The suspense lies not in the resolution of a great mystery, but the ongoing mysteries that everyone faces: why we act as we do, what do we want out of life, how do we react to what happens around us, and what will we do in the future? It's a very satisfying read.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title and back cover is deceiving. It makes it sound like a mystery or a suspense novel but it isn't. It is set during the civil war on Staten Island and climaxes with the Copperhead revolt when the draft is enacted. But the main story is about a family learning to love and forgive one another. Really it was a good story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a wonderful read.

I first read this book back in high school. Reading it again now it still kept me enthralled with its romance and suspense. Definitely worth the read!

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Healing the soul

The civil war on its own brings mental anguish. When Lora's father dies she marries Wade a Union soldier she rescued and nursed back to health. She moves with him back North in a large house. The only problem is Wade's mother is domineering and tries to run the lives of everyone, his son Jemmy is quiet and hardly talks to his father. Wade's wife died in an accident no one will talk about and his cousin Adam hits on Lorie. The neighbor on the hill, Morgan, Wade!s wife's sister wants Wade and let's Lora know it. In between trying to deal with the living conditions, the civil war and a young black servant girl Lora is torn and must somehow heal everyone.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.
Might be my favorite by Phyllis Whitney.....but I'm on a project of REreading them all....(first time was many MANY years ago), so....I may come across others I like as well.
I actually can't remember reading this one before.....so, maybe it wasn't a 're-read'.
Anyway....I truly enjoyed it....and even learned a few things about the Civil War that I hadn't known before....or didn't retain if I did.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the character portrayal, but there wasn't enough character development or plot. The summary on the back of this book touts it as a "Romantic Suspense", but the problem is that there's not much of either. It could have been so much better if the author had given herself more room (whether by adding page count or removing some of the other content - I'd prefer the former since the time period is fascinating) to flesh out a more compelling story.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Whitney's books, but not a bad entry either. Set during the Civil War, primarily about relationships, though the last chapter sees romantic development and the reveal of one secret (not as dastardly as one might think).

[Leena Aluru · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok read. There is so much importance on the setting/ situations that the actual romance between the hero and heroine is minimal. And neither really worked at getting the romance/ marriage in place.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right now i'm reading it. It's a really good book!

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Phyllis Whitney as a teen and into my twenties. Nostalgia helps the ratings, probably, but I did enjoy these way back when.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Phyllis A. Whitney is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.

[Chamrie Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favorite from when I was a teenager

[Tammy Chaffins · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book a little long winded at times but worth reading.

[Gaenolee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the history I learned reading this book. In all my years I'd never heard of the Copperheads. I know Whitney was careful in her history, so I know what I read was accurate.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is dated and it feels dated. The civil war stuff is handled not well. I like the narrative of Lora bringing the family back to life and together, but Wade is just terrible.

[Barbara Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise.

The blurb on my copy of The Quicksilver Pool paints it as a somewhat cliché gothic novel. When I paid a couple of dollars for this vintage (1955) novel at a used book sale, I wasn’t expecting much, perhaps a knock-off of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. (There are several points of connection, including a character in The Quicksilver Pool named Rebecca.) The ingredients indicating horrors ahead for the main character, Lora, are certainly there: a marriage of convenience between two near strangers (Lora and Wade Tyler); a gloomy, stifling family mansion; the mother-in-law from hell; a stepson described as “strange”; a trouble-making Other Woman; a husband still deep in mourning for his first wife; suspicious circumstances around the first wife’s drowning. But The Quicksilver Pool doesn’t follow the gothic novel conventions, and goes off in surprising directions.

But if it isn’t a gothic novel, what is it?

A solid historical novel: The story takes place in the middle of the American Civil War (December 1862 to July 1863), and captures the some of the ambivalence—or often, outright hostility—many Northerners exhibited towards the Union cause. It is set on Staten Island (before it became part of New York City) against the backdrop of resistance to the imposition of the draft, culminating in the (real) New York City draft riots and a (fictional) confrontation with a mob looking for a Black scapegoat.

A study of healing and reconciliation in a dysfunctional family: I haven’t seen a good term for the primary driver of the action in this story. “Novel of manners” perhaps, as it is concerned with social conventions and mores, but that seems a flabby term for the sort of muscular, active acts of kindness that Lora exhibits. Another, rather unfortunate, term I’ve seen is “kindness porn”, referring to stories like The Goblin Emperor or Becky Chamber’s Wayfarers series, where the theme is the power of seeing every person one encounters as an individual of with inherent worth and dignity.

Lora jumps in without hesitation—sometimes rashly—in defence of the powerless: her neglected stepson; the neighbour’s mistreated Black servant; even Wade who, in his thirties, is still tyrannised by his mother. Her actions naturally lead to some fireworks, but equally important, she has a grounding in pragmatic good sense, and learns to defuse a tense situation with a smile and soft words, without giving ground on what she believes is important. As she feels her way into the centre of the household, old misunderstandings are resolved, tensions loosen, and the gloom lifts. And Wade develops more of a spine.

A romance: This is the weakest part of the story. Lora is an appealing character, but Wade is much less so. (But then I can’t imagine my dear husband ever daring or even wanting to tell me I’m better off being ignorant of the news or what he does with his time. I’m very glad I don’t live in an era when women were expected to be uninformed.) The last fifty pages (out of three hundred) falls back on that old, tired trope of romantic difficulties arising simply because the two people involved don’t tell each other what they want. Sigh.

Aside from my quibble about the romance, this was a lovely story, and better than I expected. I’m glad I took a chance on it.

This review was first published on This Need to Read.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book by Ms. Whitney. In fact, it may go back to my high school years, but I’ve always loved the dark, atmospheric bend that her writing seems to take. She really knows how to paint a backdrop to the story and this was so vividly done in this case it made me remember why I started reading her work in the first place. Couple that sense of place with the Civil War era and I was hooked.

Lora Tyler, newly married and transplanted to New York with a wounded war veteran husband, is a character with a curious nature and a sincere desire to find out what happened to her husband’s first husband and what has marred his life and that of his son. In the attempt she encounters resistance from her new mother-in-law and the neighborhood.

Again, I was happy to be back with characters so well-created by Ms. Whitney. What a pleasure.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard about the Knights of the Golden Circle, but knew about the Copperheads, and when I started reading I was just looking for an escapist piece of historical fiction. Silly me. Throughout the novel, I was struck by parallels between the political/sociological/racial turmoil Civil War years and our present divisiveness on all levels. Whitney writes, “... men were not ... wise enough or good enough to achieve a noble goal nobly...they were still...puny things who must strive foolishly and harm themselves in the striving..” Published in 1955, words still true today.

[Debra Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1955, this is an unusual story with the background with the wrap up of the Civil War but detailing the struggle of Lora seeking acceptance as Wade's second wife. I related to this story because my grandmother was the second wife of my grandfather who was left with 6 living children after his first wife died. Upon his death he asked my grandfather to have his body transported to a grave next to his first wife and she wondered where that left her. In the end, she found a plot available on the other side so he was buried between his 2 wives.

[Soothing Rays · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really compelling book with a strong heroine. The author gives us a glimpse into the feelings of the Northern states building up through the pages through the conversations, fears and opinions of the characters it starts spilling into their domestic lives towards the end of the novel.

There was just one thing I did not like and that was how the loose ends were tied up in such a convenient fashion in the last few chapters, some relationships didn't make any sense even till the end.

[Eva B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this on my Kindle while I walked. Along with the story, which of course has romance, there is some historical detail from the Civil War, such as the reaction in the North of some to the beginning of the draft, and the arrest of a prominent Democratic Congressman, who was part of the faction called Copperhead Democrats or Peace Democrats.

[Dianne Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in 5th grade I think. I remember thinking it was fascinating. My mother loves historical fiction, so there was a lot of John Jakes, etc., around the house, and I read anything that would hold still back then. This one was exciting and a bit meatier with plot than most, a mystery, and I remember loving it.
And, c'mon, great title!

[Joan Clemente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for a light read.

Enjoyable read for the sake of reading, when you just want to sit and enjoy reading for the mere pleasure of an entertaining story. Phyllis Whitney has a way with making a story interesting.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Civil War background for this mystery. Lora is a bit rebellious, but she stands up for what is right and is exactly what her husband’s family needs. She stays true to her husband and is rewarded!

[Diane Tosney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Historical Mystery set during the Civil War. I imagine my ancestors went through some similar type things back in those days. I can't imagine myself living without electricity and many of the things we are used to having today.