Steve-Calvert.co.uk
Steve-Calvert.co.uk
A Passion For Horror
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The Sphinx is a little over 200 pages long and I must say, I found it quite a riveting read. The story starts at a Washington cocktail party. The party is for the new Secretary of State, Henry Ness, who has just got engaged. It is one of those kind of parties where everyone in attendance is either very beautiful, reasonably powerful, or sometimes both. The central character in The Sphinx, Gene Keiller, works for the state department and is a guy that falls a little into both categories. When it comes to beauty though, no one in attendance can compete with the tall and elegant Lorie Semple, with her mane of tawny hair and green eyes. When Lorie walks into the room, without an escort, all eyes are on her and Gene is quick to step forward and introduce himself before anyone else beats him too it.
Lori seems aloof and uninterested in his advances but Gene, always the trooper, polishes up his silver tongue and soldiers on anyway, and does seem to make a little progress. In fact Lorie even admits to liking Gene. Even if she doesn't act like it. Before Lori has been at the party any length of time, however, her chauffeur appears ready to escort her home. He is a tall and silent man called Mathieu who seems to have managed the art of intercepting any emotion he might feel before it reaches his face. Or then again, perhaps he just has no emotions. Still the trooper, Gene pushes Lori for permission to drive her home instead of Mathieu. Lori softens to Gene's charms and allows him to drive her, while Mathieu leads the way in the Semple Limousine.
During their journey together Gene makes a little more progress with Lori, but she remains always aloof and just as confusing. She says that he is sweet yet she will not even permit him entrance the Semple estate, and insists he lets her out at the gates so that Mathieu can drive her the rest of the way. She admits that she likes Gene, but Lunch with him, she says, would be impossible. Why? Because she likes him and so would not like him to get hurt. This is all very confusing for the young politician and although he manages to get a kiss out of his rather buxom companion he also gets his tongue bitten in the process. Talk about mixed signals. Gene decides to ignore the verbal rebuffs and follows his heart. His heart though, is leading him into some very strange territories indeed.
I liked all of the characters in The Sphinx and as the story progresses the reader, like Gene, discovers that there is a lot more to some of them than meets the eye; in more ways than one in some cases (that's a little joke by the way, which is only funny after you've read the book). The story never flags or gets boring and although there is romantic - will the young couple manage to make a go of things? - side to the story, along with the mysterious - what the b' Jesus is going on here? - side as well; overall what the reader gets in The Sphinx is a well crafted, very unusual and equally entertaining horror story.
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