It's Different Abroad

(from inside dust jacket) She was Helen McLeish, spinster, age thirty-four, hair brown, free, in love with the little red car she was driving. She was in love with everything, for she was abroad for the first time in her life, on her way to visit her sister and brother-in-law, who were vacationing in France.

It was while she stopped for customs that two men, Berry and Laurent, slid into traffic behind her. "Are you sure that's her?" Berry asked.

She's the one," said Laurent. And the two men began to follow her.

From that moment on Helen's vacation was filled with unusual activity -- and, to her absolutely bewildered amazement, she needed rescuing fairly constantly from some extremely dangerous and unpleasant situations.

This is a delicious suspense novel, with an extremeley attractive hero, a French garage man, and an extremely attractive and sensible (on the whole) heroine, a Scottish spinster.

This reminded me of a harder-edged (see flags) Elizabeth Cadell. Well-written, a little romance, a little suspense, nothing too taxing. Story slight, but the female MC is smart, capable, and hugely sympathetic, and the male MC is quite wonderful. Love to see a blue collar hero and a believable, touching, romance between two characters who are emotionally grown-up & secure in themselves, with no manufactured misunderstandings/drama.

What is painful to read is the CONSTANT harping on her "spinsterhood" -- she's, gasp, 34! -- and the glimpse into the limitations and social judgment not having married inflicted on a woman's life, still, in the 1960's. Maybe the author being male is what makes it feel less problematized than it should have been?

Flags: Intended, and attempted, rape. Intense sexism around marital status.