This is my second favorite of Stewart's novels - the Lipizzan horse caps it off. Even without the horse it would be one of my favorites of hers. Vanessa, Lewis and Tim are such appealing characters, if this were written today they would be part of a series I'm sure. Great pacing, every character is perfectly delineated, good believable dialogue, and excellent sense of place. The crime aspect does make the book a little dated - in 1965 that was a major event but today, although serious, seems like small potatoes. And of course the relationship between the sexes is from 1965 too, but Vanessa is not a subservient character nor do the men act as though she is. I loved how even after the bad guy is captured there is still a scene of great peril, which Vanessa averts. There is one scene that has always stayed with me (and partly because I first read it as as a teen) - the scene where Vanessa watches the old horse dance in the moonlight. I know it's not Great Literature, but I love it anyway.
