I'd never heard of George Barr McCutcheon before reading this lively tale, though having since done some research I realised that I've watched - many moons ago - a film adaptation of one of his works, namely "Brewster's Millions".

"Castle Craneycrow" features two men - the hero and the villain - both competing for the hand of the beautiful heroine, Dorothy. The story is set around the time of its 1902 publication. The opening scenes are in America, which is followed by some time spent in England, but the majority of the narrative is set in Brussels.

Castle Craneycrow itself does not appear till halfway through the novel, from which point it becomes the prominent backdrop. This is not, as I thought before delving into the tale, anything like a Gothic novel. This is an upbeat piece, blending humour with a little pathos. Themes and storylines include social order, deceit, jealousy, abduction, and romance.

I did feel that a couple of scenarios could have been expanded upon. So as not to give anything away to potential readers of this novel, I'll simply say that two "out of the frying pan, into the fire" situations - featuring the heroine - had great potential to become much more compelling. I was just getting into these scenes when the hero bursts in and resolves everything. I expected him to do so, but wished he'd been thwarted a little longer so as to allow the heroine's predicament to develop into something even more gripping.

The author has created a light-hearted yet hard-punching hero with Phil Quentin, which reminds me a little of some of P. G. Wodehouse's lead characters.

Prince Ugo is a genial Italian on the surface, but dark waters run deep behind the smile.

Dorothy is an enchanting heroine and is my favourite character. I'm also a fan on one of the supporting cast, namely Lady Jane, who made me smile on several occasions.

I downloaded "Castle Craneycrow" for free from Project Gutenberg, so anyone in two minds about giving this a try should head over to PG's website.

I will be reading more of Mr McCutcheon's work in the future. ( )

Except for the beautifully engaging first chapter, this is a horribly plotted and executed book. The logic of the action is abominable, expecting love to blossom from depriving a woman of her freedom. I'd toss the book, except it has very nice cover art.