I often think timing is everything when it comes to books (in some cases anyway). An otherwise well written and well plotted story read at the wrong time, or in the wrong company, (for me) means a missed opportunity. I think that was the case with my first Mary Stewart novel several years ago, The Ivy Tree. It was enjoyable, but. But I read it at the same time as I read the spectacularly wonderful Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. When one book floors you, a follow up book will likely pale in comparison, no matter how good it might be. My Brother Michael didn't suffer any unwelcome comparisons to other books this time around and I found it to be an engaging, suspenseful and entertaining story that I was sorry to turn the last page on--always a good sign.
Mary Stewart seems to have a very loyal following from what I can tell, and I can easily see why. Although she is probably best known for her Merlin books, she wrote a number of works that (though I really hate to categorize) I suppose you could call romantic suspense. Her first was published in the mid-1950s and she was particularly active through the next couple of decades, though her most recent book was published in 1997. In the case of Stewart, her books often have exotic settings with plucky, intelligent heroines, and yes, there is an element of romance but it seems to be fairly low key. I'm not sure what it is about suspense/adventure stories written in the mid-twentieth century, but I'm very fond of them. They have a certain attitude or atmosphere about them. Maybe it's the lack of ultra modern day technology and the fact that life was in many ways slower. A mystery may need to be sorted out, but it has to be done without all the clever little tools we have nowadays. And there is a slowness or thoughtfulness to the stories as well. Stewart takes her time unraveling the mystery, which I like.
It's Murphy's Law that if you wish for something, you had better be careful as you may just get it. As My Brother Michael opens Camilla Haven, a twenty-something Englishwoman on vacation, sits in a café in Athens writing a letter to a friend lamenting the fact that nothing ever happens to her. Apparently the gods were listening as in walks a dark little man in shabby dungarees with a key in his hand ready to deliver to her an automobile he is sure she ordered. She's Simon's girl, right? The car is for Delphi, to be taken to Monsieur Simon as it is a matter of life and death. It's obviously a case of mistaken identity and miscommunication, but as Camilla had been sorting out her money to go to Delphi, and as she is on a tight budget and driving the car there will allow her to stretch her cash out just a little longer... She does try and find the right owner, but when no one steps forward or seems to know anything about it, she decides it's a favor to drive it there herself.
She, of course, gets more than she bargained for in more ways than one. The car proves difficult to manage on the tight, narrow streets and in tiny villages, and when she gets wedged into a shop doorway while trying to reverse (more like back down) from a large truck, a group of locals attempt to direct her out her predicament with amusing results. In the end she's aided by a man who might pass as a local, but is obviously a fellow Englishman--by the name of Lester, Simon Lester. Despite the coincidence in names he didn't order the car but offers to help her try and locate the right Mr. Simon. As he is staying in Delphi also, they travel together in a companionable manner.
Camilla has come to Greece after her engagement fell through, though it's probably a lucky escape as her former lover had little faith in her abilities and was all too ready to keep her safely tucked at home. Michael has brought Simon to Delphi. Michael was Simon's older brother who died during the war and is buried in the hills overlooking the city, though the circumstances surrounding his death aren't clear and his last letter home hinted at something mysterious which had happened while he was serving in Greece. Untangling the mystery of the letter and the events that led to Michael's death turn out to be a deadly adventure for Simon and Camilla.
The setting really makes this story. It is, in its own way, a sort of Greek tragedy. The rugged countryside peppered with classical ruins and the weight of history creates a vivid backdrop against which the war still reverberates giving an intensity to the events that take place. I'm already looking forward to picking up my next Mary Stewart novel.