Caroline Farr: House of Valhalla

House of Valhalla was published in July 1978 by Signet for Caroline Farr. Valhalla is the home of Johann Richter, an old man writing his autobiography. Lorna Mitchell arrives to help translate it but there are people who are trying to stop the publication of his work at any cost!

Allan Kass shows our heroine fleeing a mansion in a snowy setting off the coast of Maine. She is fashionably dressed in a brown cape and sensible boots with an sweater and skirt outfit underneath. I like the touches of jewelry and belt Allan gives her. We get a feel of impending doom and snow with the total bluish white of the background. Enjoy!!

Caroline Farr: House of Treachery

House of Treachery was published by Signet in February 1977. Kirsten Willard is drawn back to Quilty, her grandfathers home, to his dying bedside. She is terrified of the evil which seems to claim new victims of her family and is getting closer to her!

Allan Kass illustrates our cover with our heroine fleeing the home near the sea. I like the lighthouse in the background, which may be part of the house or just on the land. Our Kass heroine wears a robe which looks as if it's been thrown on in order to flee. I like the waves crashing behind her on the shore. Click on picture to enlarge.

Caroline Farr: House of Secrets

House of Secrets was published by Signet in February 1973. Leonie Glendenning finds out that she is an heiress to Inverness, the stone house were her mother still lives and can she figure out the mysterious circumstances of her father's death?

Allan Kass illustrates our heroine standing dangerously close to water while she flees the house on the cliff. Note her gold bracelet which is a Kass element! It looks as if she's trying to move carefully over rough and steep terrain. I almost think the cover has a cluttered feel, which is unusual for Allan's work.

Caroline Farr: The House of Landsdown

The House of Landsdown was published by Signet in November 1977 for Caroline Farr. Sally Lane saw the demon that lived at Landsdown who swore to kill her if she told what she saw. Could anyone in the house, her employer or his handsome nephew, save her?

Allan Kass illustrates one of my favorite gothic covers with this book! I love the auburn haired heroine in her purple gown or robe as she runs from the haunted house behind. She wears Kass's traditional gold jewelry: hoop earrings and a gold bangle bracelet!
Again, the touches of fog and cliff show why Allan was a great cover art illustrator! Enjoy!!

Caroline Farr: House of Dark Illusions

August 1973 saw the publication of House of Dark Illusions by Caroline Farr. Megan Marshall visits her aunt at the House of Ferrari, her mother's family mansion. She senses evil as her aunt begins acting strangely and feels as if the house holds a dark secret.

Allan Kass shows our heroine fleeing the house on the cliff. She wears a purple dress that contrasts with the green of the sea. Her necklace, swinging as she climbs, is a Kass feature! What captures me is the contrast of light because the longer you stare at this cover, it seems to be getting lighter, like the sun is rising!

Caroline Farr: Heiress to Corsair Keep

March 1978 was the publication date of Heiress to Corsair Keep by Caroline Farr. Elizabeth Lagrange returns to the castle where she had almost died in a fire as a child. Now that she has inherited, she plans to live in this tropical paradise until an ancient evil threatens her.

Allan Kass creates an interesting image for this cover. We see the spooky castle set on an island with the palm trees in the distance. Our heroine is fleeing wearing a pink evening gown. Note her bracelets---a Kass touch! Somehow I don't think you'd see a Gothic castle on the shores of a Caribbean island, but isn't imagination a great thing?

Caroline Farr: Dark Mansion

Dark Mansion by Caroline Farr was published in February 1974 by Signet. Tracey visits Castle Glamis to live with relatives and realizes that someone wants her dead. Even the town's doctor, Peter McDonald thinks that what's happening is no accident!

This is a different cover by Allan Kass. In fact, except for the signature, I don't know if I would have caught it. His sense of motion with our heroine running is spot on, but I'm so accustomed to seeing his characters face forward, that it makes this pose highly unusual. We see the heroine running from the distant castle in either a twilight or sunrise. The red and pink make nice variations in the water and sand.