Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1837-1915) was a prolific author of "Sensation Fiction"; stories of lies and secrets. This volume contains two of her stories. The first of an attorney and the second of a family with dark secrets.

The book is an enjoyable quick read. Well written.

Fans of afternoon soaps will find this volume most enjoyable. ( )

The Lawyer's Secret inclui duas histórias, a que lhe dá o título e The Mistery at Fernwood. A primeira é a história de Ellinor, orfã de pai e mãe, cujo tutor legal é o advogado e amigo do seu pai, Horace Margrave. Quando atinge a maioridade, Ellinor é informada pelo advogado que o seu tio, que havia falecido, lhe deixou a sua fortuna em herança com a condição de que esta se case com o rapaz que o seu tio criou como filho. Aconselhada por Horace, Ellinor acaba por aceitar o casamento. Mas existe um segredo partilhado pelo advogado com o futuro marido de Ellinor (e que só nos é revelado no final) que condiciona as vidas e a felicidade dos três. Na verdade acabam por ser dois segredos, mas um deles é demasiado evidente para ser um segredo e o outro, aquele que dá nome ao livro, confesso que não o descobri apesar de existirem pistas evidentes a indicá-lo.

Gostei mais da segunda história, ainda que rapidamente tivesse descoberto qual o mistério em Fernwood. Conta-nos a história de Isabel que viaja até Fernwood, a propriedade da família do seu noivo Lawrence, a fim de a conhecer. Mas aí existe um misterioso hóspede que nunca sai do quarto e acerca do qual todos se mostram reticentes em falar... Embora tenha sido escrita em finais do século XIX, continua a ser uma história cheia de suspense e mistério. ( )

M. E. Braddon (Mary Elizabeth Braddon) was born in 1837 and died in 1915. She was a very well known author of what was called Victorian Sensational Fiction. At the time of her death she had written over 80 books.

Hesperus Classics has taken two of her stories (could be defined as short stories) and put them both into one book. The first story is titled "The Lawyer's Secret and the second is titled "The Mystery at Fernwood". Both stories take place in Victorian times and are quick comfortable reads. M.E. Braddon wrote more on the level of the real things that happened in one's life and the effects that can carry over. Both of these stories deal with lies and secrets and how they can destroy not only those perpetrating the deceit, but those who surround that person or persons.

I liked both stories and would happily read more from this talented, yesteryear writer. ( )

This is a fun little book. The main work, The Lawyer's Secret, was originally published in 1862. The foreword of this edition, published by Hesperus Classics, by Matthew Sweet, informs the reader that M.E. Braddon was a prolific author and wrote many "sensation" novels, of which this work is one. I can see why -- the story is very quick, full of suspense and mystery. You can imagine the work as the basis for a soap-y Masterpiece Theater miniseries.

Ellinor is young, beautiful and naive. On the advice of her guardian, she marries a stranger in order to secure a fortune. It comes as no surprise that the marriage is fraught with tension, and Ellinor can neither rely on her husband or the guardian she once trusted. The characters are finely drawn and the descriptive language holds your attention. I zipped right through this very short novel in one day.

Also included in this edition is an even shorter work titled, "The Mystery at Fernwood," about a young woman encountering the family of her fiance at his ancestral home, which holds a mystery in its creepy halls. Again, it's a quick read with interesting characters and a gothic mystery at its heart.

Both pieces are fun and good reads -- especially on some dark and stormy night. ( )

The Lawyer's Secret by M. E. Braddon was originally published in 1862, and was recently reprinted by Hesperus Press with a foreword by Matthew Sweet and the addition of the shorter work "The Mystery at Fernwood." Braddon was a master of "sensation fiction," "a species of writing...'aimed at electrifying the nerves of the reader.'" The genre flourished in the 1860s as part of a larger cultural trend. Braddon's focus was on domestic strife with a mysterious edge; rather than in exotic mansions or haunted houses, her heroines find terror in seemingly ordinary lives. In The Lawyer's Secret, Ellinor inherits her uncle's estate on the condition that she marry his protege. It's fairly obvious that the lawyer is hiding something (not least from the title) and to a modern reader, the secret is easy to guess. Because the genre is driven by plot rather than character development, the lack of surprise squelches the "electrified nerves" experienced by Victorian readers. As mysteries, these stories really do not stand the test of time to be engaging to the modern reader, in the way that, say, Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte continue to inspire readers. However, the Hesperus Press reissue puts these works into their historical context with a foreword, biographical note, and footnotes, making it a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in Victorian fiction.

Source disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. ( )