[.ca] Be Buried in the Rain (ISBN 0060878215)

Not as good as I hoped -- a disappointment:
I have read many of Barbara Michaels' books and enjoyed most. This book, however, lacked the suspense and excitement that most of her other books have. This book was quite a disappointment. After reading the blurb on the back of the book, I expected there might be a ghostly element to this story. There was absolutely no ghostly element at all. If a good Barbara Michaels ghost story is what you want, read "Ammie Come Home" - a spectacularly thrilling ghost story. If you want a simple mystery that is predictable from the start, read this one.

Michaels at her best!:
This is my favorite Michaels' book. The creepy old house, the mystery surrounding the old woman and her maliciousness, the ruined love affair rekindled, and the archaeological dig combine to make a great story. A reader who reviewed this book was disappointed that the ending was left up in the air; it was the perfect ending in my opinion - it literally sent chills down my spine!

Crumbling Plantation house dripping with vines, ghosts.....:
I went looking for what Barbara Michaels has to offer: I wanted a modern "gothic" romance. I wanted a a creepy old house on a vast old Virginia plantation, dripping with creeper and ivy, with crumbling foundations and spooky attics. Something like an adult Nancy Drew. (I beg your pardon!) Ms Michaels always manages to set the perfect stage; regardless that the story flows excellent, the dialogues are excellent, too excellent. Ok, yeah, she misses the last star because the story wasn't the best---but atmosphere, my dear, is everything! I'll bet is was a joy to write this story and what a joy it was to read it. If you are looking for a book that has a little of everything....suspense, mystery, romance, etc. This is it. Graveyards, archaeology, family secrets....read on! Don't forget to check out her other stuff to! All in the same sort of line. The "feminist" heroine, the Mr. Rochester-type hero, the spooky background...ahhhh, the spooky background....

A delicious read...:
An enjoyable book, suspenseful, ghostly, some romance, all the things that make a book "delicious"... musty libraries, ancient family cemeteries, good-looking archeologists. I couldn't put it down, I even read it during meals.