Nine Coaches Waiting is typical of Mary Stewart’s work, with the usual elements of suspense and romance. I enjoy her writing because she paints lyrical phrases with the brush of her craft: the pen.
I’m not normally a fan of romances, but Stewart nicely caters to my aversion by keeping that element to a minimum—mostly—concealing it among plenty of intrigue so that when it does occur, it’s as if a sunbeam has escaped the tale’s lowering storm clouds.
From an editorial perspective, the book is very good, which is to be expected from work of that era (1958). But it’s not perfect, with typos rather than grammatical errors being the venial sins.
Stewart has an easy writing style that beckons the reader in like warm firelight on a chill evening. I recommend
Nine Coaches Waiting to anyone who likes her books, an interesting suspenseful story, or lovely writing.
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