Sun 2 Sep 2007
The Compleat JANET LOUISE ROBERTS.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies / Checklists , Crime Fiction IV[21] Comments
This profile came as the result of an inquiry from Donna Frey, who asked –
Some questions are more easily answered than others. Not only does Contemporary Authors (CA) have an entry on her, but their essay quotes liberally from yet another source. It’s highly unlikely that I should not do the same.
According to CA, Janet Louise Roberts was born January 20, 1925, in New Britain CT, the town next to the one where I live, and died June 11, 1982, in Dayton Ohio, where she was a reference librarian for the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library between 1966 and 1978.
Quoting CA here and there, not only did she write contemporary, historical,and gothic romances, but “she even ventured into occult territory with The Devil’s Own, Isle of the Dolphins, Lord Satan, and Her Demon Lover – stories in which the devil or other demon fills in for the traditional romantic hero.”
In an interview with Publishers Weekly, again according to CA, she explained “that she began using pseudonyms to avoid embarrassing her father, a missionary in a rather conservative church.”
In Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, essayist Barbara E. Kemp is quoted as saying: “One of the most prominent features of her novels is the portrayal of women as ineffectual beings, subject to much degradation. Men, on the other hand, are “rough and overbearing. [...] It is not uncommon for the heroine to be raped by the hero at least once in the story. Sexual details are not very explicit, but the lack of tenderness and the idea of sex as punishment are apparent.”
In spite of Roberts’ failings, Kemp goes on to conclude that she “remains one of the most popular of the romance novelists. Her view of women as pretty dolls to be used and manipulated by men certainly must cause feminists to gnash their teeth, but she obviously strikes a responsive chord among her readers.”
The following list of her crime-related fiction is taken from Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin. It may not include all of her romance fiction that may qualify, and some of the books listed perhaps should not be there. We’ll save these two obviously related problems and solve them another day.
ROBERTS, JANET LOUISE (1925-1984). See pseudonyms Louisa Bronte, Rebecca Danton & Janette Radcliffe. Some of the listed titles are more straight romance than romantic suspense. ** = reprints not previously known to Al.
* Dark Rose (n.) Lancer 1971 [U.S. South; 1860s]
* Love Song (n.) Pinnacle 1971
* Ravenswood (n.) Avon 1971 [England; 1800s]
* The Weeping Lady (n.) Lancer 1971
* The Curse of Kenton (n.) Avon 1972 [England]
* The Devil’s Own (n.) Avon 1972
* A Marriage of Inconvenience (n.) Dell 1972 [England; 1800s]
* Rivertown (n.) Avon 1972
* La Casa Dorada (n.) Dell 1973
* The Dancing Doll (n.) Dell 1973 [England; 1800s]
* The Dornstein Ikon (n.) Avon 1973 [Austria]
* The Golden Thistle (n.) Dell 1973 [Rome; 1800s]
* Isle of the Dolphins (n.) Avon 1973 [Greece]
* My Lady Mischief (n.) Dell 1973 [England; 1800s]
* The Cardross Luck (n.) Dell 1974 [England; 1800s]
* The First Waltz (n.) Dell 1974 [Vienna; 1814]
* Castlereagh (n.) Pocket Books 1975 [England; 1819]
* Jade Vendetta (n.) Pocket Books 1976 [England; 1894]
* Wilderness Inn (n.) Pocket Books 1976 [U.S. West; 1795]
* Island of Desire (n.) Ballantine 1977
* Her Demon Lover (n.) Pocket Books 1978; See: Avon 1973, as by Louisa Bronte.
* Black Pearls (n.) Ballantine 1979 [Hawaii; 1880s]
* Golden Lotus (n.) Warner 1979
** Lord Satan (n.) Pocket Books, 1979. See: Avon 1972, as by Louisa Bronte.
** Black Horse Tavern (n.) Pocket Books, 1980. See: Popular Library 1972, as by Rebecca Danton.
* The Sign of the Golden Goose (n.) Pocket Books 1980; See: Popular Library 1972, as by Rebecca Danton.
BRONTE, LOUISA; pseudonym of Janet Louise Roberts
* Her Demon Lover (n.) Avon 1973 [Balkans] [Reprinted as by JLR, Pocket, 1978]
* Greystone Tavern (n.) Ballantine 1975 [Connecticut; 1776]
* Casino Greystone (n.) Ballantine 1976 [Connecticut; 1896]
* Freedom Trail to Greystone (n.) Ballantine 1976 [Connecticut; 1860]
* Gathering at Greystone (n.) Ballantine 1976 [Connecticut; 1812]
* Greystone Heritage (n.) Ballantine 1976 [Connecticut; 1948]
* Moonlight at Greystone (n.) Ballantine 1976 [Connecticut; 1924]
* The Vallette Heritage (n.) Jove 1978
* The Van Rhyne Heritage (n.) Jove 1979
* -The Gunther Heritage (n.) Jove 1981
DANTON, REBECCA; pseudonym of Janet Louise Roberts
* The Sign of the Golden Goose (n.) Popular Library 1972 [Reprinted as by JLR, Pocket, 1980]
* -Fire Opals (n.) Crest 1977 [England; 1800s]
* Ship of Hate (n.) Dell 1977 [Ship]
RADCLIFFE, JANETTE; pseudonym of Janet Louise Roberts
* -The Gentleman Pirate (n.) Dell 1975 [England; 1800s]
* -The Moonlight Gondola (n.) Dell 1975 [England; 1800s]
September 2nd, 2007 at 3:16 pm
This is great information. I just came to your blog and I can tell it’s going to be very helpful. I’ve been looking for old-fashioned gothics and they’re hard to find. This is an author I haven’t read, but wouldn’t you know it: our library doesn’t have any of her books.
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Thank you, Steve, for finding out so much about Janet Louise Roberts. I was surprised at essayist Barbara Kemp’s comment that it wasn’t uncommon for the heroine to be raped at least once by the hero in the course of her books. It has been a while since I read Ms. Roberts(aka Bronte, Danton, Radcliffe). In JLR’s defense, I remember the women were usually “oh I need a big strong man to defend me from the evil world” and the men were masterful “I’ll take care of you and tell you what to do” types, but sexual assault? More like innocent/provocative overwhelmed by virile passion. But….to each her/his own opinion. Donna Frey
September 5th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
To L Violet: Try eBay or Amazon. You can find a lot of Janet Louise Roberts’ books there at reasonable prices. Some might be listed under Louisa Bronte. Happy reading.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Donna’s right. I don’t believe that most of JLR’s books are especially hard to find. Other excellent online sources are http://www.biblio.com, http://www.abebooks.com and http://www.bookfinder.com.
— Steve
September 14th, 2007 at 2:57 am
OK, who remembers the 1952(’53?) movie “White Witch Doctor”, starring Susan Hayward and Robert Mitchum? It was based on a book by that name written by Louise A Stinetorf. I assume the plot was changed for the film–aren’t they always? So what was the original plot in the book? Action/adventure/mystery like King Solomon’s Mines? Has anyone read this oldie or know where to find a synopsis of the book? Details of the movie are easy, not so the novel. Thanks for any knowledge.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:17 am
I don’t remember the movie, nor is it available on DVD, but I also have a feeling that they added considerably to the plot, of which one IMDB reviewer says:
“SUSAN HAYWARD and ROBERT MITCHUM do competent enough work as the dedicated nurse and the would-be treasure hunter, who uses the pretext of being Hayward’s guide into Bakuba territory in order to do a hasty search for hidden treasure so that he can inform his companion, WALTER SLEZAK, of its whereabouts. Slezak plays his usual smarmy standard villain role with relish.”
A blurb from the cover of the Pocket book reprint is much more restrained: “Twenty-five years of life, love and high adventure in the primitive Congo.”
September 14th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Thanks, Steve. I might buy the book from Amazon just to find out what’s in it. Enjoyed the movie a long time ago. Good parts and hokey parts, but Mitchum and Hayward made the best of what they had to work with, and it’s worth seeing just for them.
October 6th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Steve and fellow Mystery Lovers, I’ve come across a real-life mystery. Did anyone watch the recent movie The Great Raid, starring Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen? It was about the liberation of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp during WWII that freed 500 American survivors of the Bataan Death March. Good movie, stayed basically accurate. Anyway, the real life person Ms Nielsen portrayed, Margaret Utinsky, was an amazing woman. After her husband was imprisoned by the Japanese, she organized and led a secret network that smuggled food, medicine, shoes–anything–to the American prisoners. She was captured and tortured for a month, then released, whereupon she joined the resistance til the Phillipines were liberated. Her husband had died of starvation in Aug, 1942, but in spite of her personal grief, she never gave up. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom, and wrote a book about her experience titled Miss U(that was her code name).
Now, here is the mystery. A few years after the war, she vanished. No trace of her could be found until her death by heart failure was registered at the Pioneer Sanitarium, Lakewood, Cal, Aug. 1970. Where did she go? What did she do with the rest of her life? Her son, Charles Grant Rowley–were they close? Did he survive his mother? Is he still alive, and where is he today? So many questions about a great woman. Now, I realize this is not about a work of fiction, so if this is inappropriate for this spot, please disregard it. But how lovely if someone knew the answers!
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:34 am
“Aunt Margaret” Utinsky was my mother’s {Ora Pate Stewart} best friend from 1947 till the day she died. I knew her perhaps as well as anyone during that period.
March 4th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Thanks, David. I’m sure Donna will be in touch soon to ask you some questions about Mrs. Utinsky, who was really a heroic figure in World War II.
For her story, everyone reading this should go to http://www.medaloffreedom.com/MargaretUtinsky.htm
— Steve
March 9th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I am so glad to have come accross this site. I was first introduced to Ms Roberts works when I was 14 that would be 21 years ago I have just now found the names of the books for which I will be ordering them,to add to my own collection and names for which I was not aware she printed under .My thanks for reminding me of my Teenage romances…… Books
May 26th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
MR. Stewart,
I have just finished watching The Great Raid and have been trying to find information on Margaret Utinsky. Are you able to share what happened to her and her son after the war. Thanks
July 17th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Donna,
I’m currently reading “Court of the Flowering Peach” published under Janette Radcliffe and there is no question that the first sex scene is rape. Granted the two were married and on their ‘honeymoon’. But the husband was drunk, bitter that his love had married his (less worthy) brother and had no regards for the wife’s pleas and cries of pain during her first sexual experience. There was nothing romantic or gentle and he even justified his action by the mere fact that as the husband it’s his right to treat his wife as he sees fit. I love this author’s work as she writes a very good story with appealing heroines who remain true to her kind-hearted self despite sometimes overwhelming circumstance, but this scene left a bad taste in my mouth.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Nicole
Thanks for leaving the comment above. It’s not a book I’ll ever read, so both your opinion and reaction were very useful. I certainly don’t intend to disagree with you — I most definitely don’t — but from another point of view, might it be said that Roberts as Radcliffe was trying to be historically accurate (if hardly romantic) in the way she portrayed the “honeymoon” scene?
– Steve
July 17th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Nicole, Haven’t read JLR in years, but I’ve no doubt you’re right. Like you and Angela, I loved her books. But that was a shocker,especially in those less explicit days. No wonder she was such a popular writer. She could always be counted on to scandalize her audience just a bit, I guess, which always kept me reading.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Dear Steve and everyone,
I tried to reach David Grant Stewart Sr, who responded to my query about Margaret Utinsky. Unfortunately, his email address doesn’t seem to work. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong? (Steve, could you send a short query to Mr Stewart and see if it arrives?) But I just can’t reach him. Sorry, I really wanted to know more about Ms Utinsky. There was a business address as well, but it also seems to have a problem. I hesitate to list his business address, since it might belong to others as well.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Donna
My email to Mr. Stewart just now bounced back almost immediately. The address I have for him is the same as the one on his website.
I’ll try again later, in case it’s only a temporary problem.
— Steve
August 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
A defect somewhere between my computer and the ISP generates an erroneous error message saying your e-mail to me did not go through. It does.
- David Stewart
Evergreen, Colorado
dstewart@amnix.com
72languages.com
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Steve – I have five books by Janet Louise Roberts that you do not have listed. They are Scarlet Poppies, Forget Me Not, Silver Jasmine, Flamenco Rose which is a sequel to Silver Jasmine and Flower of Love. Ms Roberts had a wonderful way of writing, and not all her heroines were helpless even though it may have seemed so. The heroes were just very arrogant, and possessive.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
JLR has always been one of my most favorite authors… I first discovered her books while in high school.. and i have been a fan for years… I have always wanted to know more about her…I thank you for the information..
September 24th, 2009 at 4:13 am
I think Janet Louise Roberts opened the doorway for all the paranormal books tht are very popular now. Some elements are there.She did lots of historical romances and some Regencies too.