Home » Book Reviews » Frances Parkinson Keyes » The Letter From Spain by Frances Parkinson Keyes
Possible spoilers ahead
This is one of those random lovely old hardback books I like to pick up from a second-hand bookstore with no knowledge of the author or the story but because the book looks like it needs a home and to be loved! I also liked the name of the publishers, Eyre and Spottiswoode in London (what fantastic names!)! I see, now I’ve got the book home, that it’s actually written in 1959 by an American author (I had presumed it would be an older book and by an English author, so a very good reminder not to judge a book by its cover!).
Allan Lambert is undecided about what to do with his life after unexpectedly inheriting money. He decides to take a year off from his career of being a Spanish teacher in order to travel to Spain, mostly choosing this location because he grew up in Malaga but also because one of the many begging letters he has received since inheriting the money was from a supposed prisoner in Spain who states he has access to a great sum of money but that the key needed to get at the money is hidden in a suitcase and the prisoner can’t claim this suitcase as he is in jail so he asks Allan to come to Spain with $15,000 to release the suitcase and says he will then give Allan a third of the money. Allan sees this story as the scam it no doubt is, but is amused and intrigued by it and he feels he can spare the time and money investigating it further and expects to have fun doing so. However, his girlfriend, Charlotte Wendell, is annoyed at his decision to travel to Spain, as she had hoped he would propose to her and they would then settle down to married life in the big family house he has inherited. Well, Allan seems a nice down-to-earth inoffensive man who takes quite a light-hearted view of life (or at least can afford to do so now), and seems very open to new ideas and going where his fancy takes him. The book is written in that informal chatty style that American authors so often write in, and which feels so different to English authors of the same time.
Allan boards a Spanish cruise ship to Spain leaving from New York. He meets Ethel Crewe onboard and becomes enamoured of her, though he tries to prevent himself from doing so as she is married (though her husband isn’t travelling with her) and he has Charlotte. He decides however to tell her how he feels about her, but she doesn’t turn up at the time and place he had appointed to meet her and she later explains that she was with a friend onboard who is sick. When they disembark she introduces Allan to her husband, Anthony, who is annoyed at Ethel for the amount of luggage she has brought for her few weeks’ stay with him. Allan therefore offers to give the Crewes a lift to their home in Madrid, as the car he has brought with him is large enough to accommodate Ethel’s luggage and he says he had planned to visit Madrid anyway. The Crewes are less keen than Allan to linger sightseeing on the way to Madrid, but Allan visits a few places he wants to see. Anthony recommends the Worthington Hotel in Madrid for Allan to stay at, saying he knows the housekeeper there, Leonor de Silva, who used to be an aristocrat but has fallen on hard times, and her niece, Milagrita, who sells newspapers and magazines from a stall in the hotel. Allan mentions the Crewes to the housekeeper, Leonor, but she doesn’t say much about them in return. Allan doesn’t see the Crewes for a few days after they go to their house and he is keen for company so invites Leonor and Milagrita to dine with him one evening. He enjoys his time with them and realises he is falling in love with Milagrita and she seems to also care for him, although Leonor doesn’t respond to his gentle questions about their background, and there is a man at the restaurant who recognises Leonor and speaks to her, who she is clearly keen to avoid. Phew, Allan was in love with Ethel just a few days ago, now it’s Milagrita, and he still has Charlotte waiting patiently at home, he certainly flits about a bit! And it seems like there could be a bit of a mystery about Lenonor’s background, and also possibly her relationship with the Crewes.
Allan receives a letter from Charlotte saying she is undertaking a guided educational trip around Europe and hopes to see him whilst in Spain as she is missing him. Allan isn’t particularly enthusiastic about this prospect. He also sends a note to the ‘prisoner’ and receives a phonecall saying the prisoner’s representative will call on him. Tee hee, Charlotte is obviously not waiting for him that patiently as she is coming out to him! And I can’t help wondering what will happen at this meeting with the prisoner’s representative, I kind of wish he wasn’t pursuing this as it feels like trouble but I guess he is going into it with his eyes open knowing it is a scam, and just wants to be amused and entertained with the intricacies of lies they come up with.
Allan is waiting impatiently for the meeting with the prisoner’s representative that evening, so he wanders in a bookshop and buys some beautiful old books all stamped inside with the same bookplate design, and it makes him sad thinking that the previous owners must have fallen on hard times and had to sell their library. He also sees the bookplate stamp for sale too, so buys that, as well as the books. The shop owner appreciates Allan’s empathy with the previous owner of the books, and tells him that the owner was his best friend. Allan also bumps into an old school friend, Douglas, who is now working at the American Embassy, and they arrange to meet in a few days’ time. Ooooh, those books sound wonderful, I’m so glad Allan has bought them in order to cherish them.
The time arranged for the meeting with the prisoner’s representative arrives, and Allan opens his hotel door to Anthony Crewe who is the prisoner’s representative. Allan is then suspicious that the Crewes knew who he was all along from Ethel speaking to him onboard the ship, but Anthony denies this saying he only knew someone had replied to the prisoner’s letter but wasn’t given the person’s name till the other day. Anthony tries to hurry Allan into handing over the money to release the suitcase, but Allan says he wants to meet the prisoner in jail first, Anthony says this isn’t possible but that the prisoner is hoping for parole soon so Allan can meet him then. Allan has done lots of research on the Spanish prison system and surprises Anthony by knowing more than he does about it, particularly that parole isn’t offered in Spain. Anthony then says the prisoner is sick and in hospital, so Allan says he will pay for his treatment if he can visit him in hospital or speak with either the doctor tending him or the prison guard who has been helping him or visit the prisoner’s daughter who he mentioned in the letter. Anthony puts difficulties in the way of these suggestions too. Allan also wants to know where the money in the suitcase has come from and if it has been embezzled or stolen, Anthony says it is not from any illegal activity and that he will ask the prisoner for more details about this. Allan also wants to know who else the money in the suitcase will be split with, as he is due to get a third which means presumably the prisoner gets a third and someone else will also get a third, Anthony says the prison guard will get a third and that he himself will also be paid for his time and trouble. Anthony is disconcerted by Allan’s questions and knowledge, and he invites him to dinner, presumably thinking that Ethel may charm Allan, although Anthony says that Ethel knows nothing about the prisoner. Oooh, I was quite shocked when it was Anthony as the prisoner’s representative, I hadn’t seen that coming! And tee hee, I did chuckle at Allan’s persistence with questioning the details of the prisoner’s money, and his determination to meet the prisoner, I can just imagine Anthony squirming and wishing he had never got himself involved in this!
Allan goes to dinner at the Crewe’s house, and notices books there with the same bookplate as the ones he has just bought, which puzzles him. The next day, Allan is invited to accompany his old school friend Douglas to the town of Alvira, which is where the prisoner said in his letter that he used to be a banker, so while in Alvira Allan visits all the banks asking the director of each if any of their staff have been imprisoned and showing them the prisoner’s letter. All say no such person had ever worked for them, so Allan concludes this is yet another lie. Later, Anthony phones Allan inviting him to his house, saying he has arranged for the hospital worker who has been tending to the prisoner and the priest who has given him the Last Rites and the prison guard who has helped him, to be at his house for Allan to meet with. When Allan drives over to the Crewes’ house, a man steps out infront of his car causing him to suddenly stop, and when he gets out of the car he is attacked and beaten, and all his money is stolen as well as his cheque book and travellers’ cheques and his identity papers, and he is driven a distance away and left for dead. He does almost die, but wakes up in hospital to be told that a passerby found him unconscious and took him to hospital but as he had no identification on him they had no idea who he was or of anyone to contact for him, but that Leonor had realised that he was missing from the hotel so went to every hospital until she eventually found him and she then contacted the American Embassy so Douglas then heard about it and realised it was Allan. Omg, that was a bit dramatic, poor poor Allan! And was this orchestrated by Anthony? It kind of feels significant that Allan was heading to their house, at Anthony’s invitation, when this happened. But if so, then Allan must really have alarmed Anthony with his questions about the prisoner. And awww, how amazing that Leonor went to so much effort to try and find Allan when he didn’t return to the hotel, bless her.
Douglas tells Allan that the Crewes have fled, probably into France, that Anthony had been jailed in America for mail fraud, and the Spanish and American authorities had been watching him since he came to Europe as he was known to make money by ‘helping’ confused Americans abroad and fleecing them of their money. Douglas adds that Ethel was involved with the prisoner letter scam, and that she would regularly seek out suitable people for the letter to be sent to and then become friendly with them on their boat or plane over to Spain with the money for the suitcase. The Chief of Police later tells Allan that they suspect Anthony will have forged Allan’s signature to cash the travellers’ cheques and to use the cheque book, as he is also an expert forger. Allan tries to remember anything he knows about the Crewes, in order to help the police, including the woman on the boat to Spain who was ill and who Ethel looked after, and the friend Anthony had borrowed a car from, and even Allan’s suspicions about the Crewes having books from the bookshop owner’s friend. The police discover that the woman onboard ship who Ethel cared for was Marta Rodriguez, who was probably working illegally for Ethel rather than being her friend, and who has since died, possibly as a result of poison. They have also found Allan’s car dumped in a river, and suspect that the Crewes’ servant was instructed to do this and hope he will confess to this soon. The Wendells (parents of Charlotte, Allan’s girlfriend) have also come over to Spain, as Allan’s story was in the American newspapers. Oh wow, the Crewes really are a bad lot, with all the trouble that Anthony has been in previously, and this scam with the story of the prisoner’s suitcase that they have obviously been working for some time, and I’m sure Allan must be disappointed to learn that Ethel’s friendliness to him on the boat was just all part of the scam. I know Allan didn’t really believe the prisoner story and had entered into it all expecting it to be a scam and anticipating fun along the way with challenging the prisoner or his representative and picking holes in their story, but he must have been shocked to have had it lead to that violence and him almost dying! And this Marta dying from probable poisoning too, presumably at Ethel’s hand, is very alarming, they are obviously capable of far more than Allan ever dreamt!
Allan speaks with Leonor in order to thank her for saving his life, and to find out more about her connection with the Crewes. She says she is from a very old rich noble family with many estates, but that her grandfather and father were both gamblers and lost lots of the family’s money, her husband was then killed in the Civil War, and her remaining relatives were her brother Pablo (with his wife and their daughter Milagrita) and her sister Pilar. She says that Pilar became a nun and Pablo’s wife died, and Pablo then began gambling in order to try and bring money to the family (having never worked before) and one of his debtors was Anthony Crewe. She says that the money Pablo owed to Anthony was enormous and all the remaining family possessions and houses were sold to try and meet the debt, and finally their library was sold (which were the books that Allan had found), Pablo then became seriously ill with the stress and shame of this and was admitted to a sanatorium which was arranged by Anthony. She says she got herself and Milagrita jobs at the hotel and they give a portion of their wages to Anthony to continue paying off the debt, and she says Anthony also has them watched by the man Estrado (who spoke to them at the restaurant) in order to ensure they aren’t earning more money than he’s aware of. Allan promises to help Leonor get as many of their possessions back as is possible, and says he will also visit Pablo and Pilar. He says he’d like Leonor’s permission to ask Milagrita to marry him. Oooh, that was a fascinating and yet sad story of Leonor’s, and I’m tempted to think that this story could have been a book in itself as there’s so much drama, a noble historic family, the loss of the family wealth by gambling from several generations, the Spanish Civil War, a convent, a sanatorium, a nasty debt collector, and the family’s love of their treasured books! And bless him, Allan is sailing in to help Leonor and Milagrita now, I do hope he can do so.
Allan goes with Leonor to see Pablo, whose official title is the Duke of San Ricardo, at the sanatorium. While there, Allan attempts to find a tactful way of acknowledging Pablo’s disgrace and loss of the family’s money, and his own keenness to help with this, without making Pablo feel inadequate or offending him. Allan therefore tells Pablo that they have both been victims of the same man, and that Pablo could be useful in helping to ensure that Anthony is brought to justice. Allan also says that he wants to study Spanish literature and needs to rent a quiet house to do this in, such as their old family home, and that he’d like all the family including Pablo to be there at the house with him to help with his research. Allan also suggests that Pablo be checked by another doctor for a second opinion as his condition may not be as lingering and debilitating as he has been told, and that a change of scenery may bring him back to health. Allan and Leonor meet Pablo’s head doctor, Buchner, who isn’t impressed by Allan’s determination for another doctor to check Pablo, but Allan says he will arrange all this through the American Embassy and that he has a particular doctor he wishes to use. Awww, bless him, when Allan is determined to help, he doesn’t let anything stop him! I like his tact in dealing with Pablo, and suggesting that he does his studying in their old family home with the family there too. He does seem like the typical image of the American, with limitless money and power with the American Embassy behind him, but he’s doing it all for such good-hearted reasons, bless him. And I like that he is going to get a second opinion on Pablo’s health too, as the fact that Anthony arranged for Pablo to be admitted to the sanatorium does make me suspicious that there is an ulterior motive to prolong Pablo’s stay there when it might not actually be necessary.
Allan and Leonor go from the sanatorium to her family home, which is a very grand old stately home with towers and fortifications and lots of land. The servants are still there, living a very basic life but always in preparation and hope for the family’s return, and Allan is surprised at the European feudal system and impressed by the house, and the servants are told that the family and Allan will soon be living there again. Allan and Leonor also visit Leonor’s sister, Pilar, the nun. Allan and Leonor then decide to go to the sanatorium again on their way back to Madrid in order to check that Pablo isn’t too exhausted by their earlier visit, but they are suspicious when they arrive and are told that Buchner has gone to Madrid, his assistant saying that this was to arrange the second opinion for Pablo that Allan had suggested but Allan says that he had told Buchner that he would organise this himself. Allan asks for the address in Madrid that Buchner has gone to. Allan is also alarmed to learn that Buchner was one of Pablo’s gambling friends, along with Anthony. He is further suspicious to learn that Pablo has been sedated, and demands a list of the medications given to sedate him, as well as demanding that Leonor is accommodated at the sanatorium overnight in order to observe her brother. Allan goes back to his hotel in Madrid, and then learns the address given to him to find Buchner is false and there is no such street. Oh dear, Pablo being sedated is very sinister and alarming, as is Buchner also being involved with Anthony, it definitely looks suspicious with Anthony having arranged Pablo’s admittance there. But oh my goodness, that old family home sounds so wonderful!
The following day Allan meets the Chief of Police who confirms that Marta Rodriguez was poisoned, presumably by Ethel. He says that they have discovered Ethel paid for Marta to study at a university in America so she could gather for Ethel lists of rich families who had sent their sons to the university and these families would then be targeted by Ethel for Anthony to guide around Spain and fleece of money, and Marta also compiled lists of shop owners who would be suitable targets for the prisoner letters. He presumes that Ethel poisoned Marta as she had served her purpose, and her death also then gave Ethel more time to dispose of the information which Marta had gathered for her. The Chief of Police says that Marta’s brother, Diego, has now gone to France to search for the Crewes and is feeling very vengeful. He also says that the Crewes’ servant has admitted being told by Anthony to dispose of Allan’s car by dumping it into the river, and the servant has also told the police that Ethel drove this car with Anthony and another man inside, and that Allan was placed inside the car after being beaten unconscious and then driven to where he was dumped. Allan asks the Chief of Police to investigate the sanatorium, saying he suspects Pablo is being kept there in order to extort money from Leonor supposedly for his treatment, and that Pablo is being drugged to keep him unaware and placid, and Allan also asks about the process of getting Pablo released from the sanatorium. Allan then meets with Mr Wendell (Charlotte’s father) who says he is determined to go to France in order to discover and apprehend the Crewes, as he states they are blackening the American name abroad. Allan suggests that the spy, Estrado (who Anthony employed to watch Leonor and Milagrita), may be useful to Wendell in this plan. Allan also learns that Charlotte is to marry his friend Douglas. Oh, well, that’s convenient with Charlotte marrying Douglas! It did seem that Allan had forgotten all about Charlotte and the fact she was his girlfriend! And oh dear, Ethel is clearly as big a baddie as her husband, well, perhaps even more of a baddie as she has actually killed someone! And I did like Wendell’s pride in his country and his horror therefore at the thought of America’s name being damaged abroad by the Crewes.
The owner of the bookshop contacts Allan to say the Crewes’ butler, long unpaid, has learnt that the landlord of the Crewes’ home (which they actually rented rather than owned), who is also long unpaid, is now taking back the property and all the furniture in it, so the butler was keen to give Pablo’s books back to the bookshop owner knowing he had not yet been paid for these books, rather than the landlord take them. The bookshop owner has therefore contacted Allan knowing he’d be interested in these books himself. Yay, I’m glad we’ve come back to those beautiful books! And how fitting that they will be saved and cherished, especially as they were also partly what contributed to Allan’s suspicions about the Crewes.
Diego finds Ethel in France and gets the lists from her which were compiled by Marta, and he then poisons both her and himself saying that extradition would take too long, having previously given the lists to his landlady with a signed confession from himself saying he has poisoned Ethel. Estrado and Wendell find Anthony cheating at cards in a cafe in France, Anthony recognises Estrado and stabs him but he shoots Anthony and both of them die. Wow, so both Anthony and Ethel (as well as Diego and Estrado) have died! I wasn’t quite expecting all these deaths!
Allan and Milagrita marry, with Leonor and Pablo present, as Pablo has now been released from the sanatorium and is gaining in strength. Allan and Milagrita then visit Pilar to give her the wedding bouquet, and then head off for their honeymoon visiting Cordoba and Malaga and Seville and Granada and Cadiz and Jerez. Allan plans to study Spanish literature, spending half the year at Leonor’s family home, and the other half of the year in America at his family home with Milagrita helping him teach his students.
Well, I enjoyed that book, it was very readable and quite fun and humorous (especially Allan’s observations) and had a few twists and mysteries. It did feel very American, I think, even though it was set in Spain, as it rattled along swiftly and was in quite a chatty style, but that’s not a criticism, just something I noticed as some of the interesting differences between American and English authors and which I also noticed after reading a couple of Shirley Jackson’s books (she also being an American author from a similar time to Frances Parkinson Keyes), and I find the little differences fascinating. I also found the Spanish setting very absorbing with details of the places there and references to Spanish food and culture and traditions and the Spanish words used, as well as the Spanish people’s politeness and friendliness and pride in their country and its heritage. I also think the contrast worked well too between the seemingly typical Spanish ‘mañana’ style and Allan’s seemingly typical American style, with him expecting action immediately and making swift decisions and rushing around. And I also liked the gently humorous references to the often inefficient Spanish system at that time compared to the American ultra efficient system, with the difficulties that the Spanish just patiently endure such as the poor phone system and poor roads, all of which Allan struggles to comprehend and to be similarly patient with!
So I am pleased with my gamble of purchasing and reading a book with no knowledge of the author or the storyline! I have been reading up about the author on Wikipedia and her life sounds very interesting, it seems like most of her books are based in America so I wonder if this book being set in Spain was quite a departure for her, I had wondered if she had actually visited Spain herself but Wikipedia states that she was an ‘international traveller’ and she seems to have been known for her detailed research. I’d definitely like to read more of her books, though they unfortunately sound quite hard to get hold of (which makes me feel even luckier in finding this one). Joy Street sounds like one of her most popular novels so would be good to read, and I’m also interested in reading Dinner at Antoine’s as a murder mystery book, and The Royal Box which is another murder mystery but this time set in England. And reading this American book reminds me that I was aiming to read more books of another American author from a similar time, Shirley Jackson, and indeed re-read the two books of hers I have already read as I found them both enjoyable and yet puzzling, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
The Letter From Spain by Frances Parkinson Keyes available on Amazon
Hardback
