A secret buried so deep, only a liar could uncover it
Wiltshire, 1922.
Fifteen-year old Pudding Cartwright has begun the career she always wanted, as girl groom to the Hadleigh family’s horses at Manor Farm. Irene Hadleigh is struggling to adjust to her new life in sleepy Slaughterford, having married Alistair to escape a scandal in London. At a loss to occupy herself, Irene sets about restyling Manor Farm, and during the work the chance finding of a strange object, hidden away in the house for years, will change everything.
When somebody close to both of them is murdered, Pudding and Irene are thrown together to seek out the identity of the killer in their midst, unaware of just how deep the roots of the crime lie.
During a hot, humid summer of grief, betrayal, and misapprehensions, they will uncover truths neither of them could ever have foreseen.
The perfect book group read for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley and Santa Montefiore.
Read by Anna Bentinck
(p) 2017 Orion Publishing Group
Wiltshire, 1922.
Fifteen-year old Pudding Cartwright has begun the career she always wanted, as girl groom to the Hadleigh family’s horses at Manor Farm. Irene Hadleigh is struggling to adjust to her new life in sleepy Slaughterford, having married Alistair to escape a scandal in London. At a loss to occupy herself, Irene sets about restyling Manor Farm, and during the work the chance finding of a strange object, hidden away in the house for years, will change everything.
When somebody close to both of them is murdered, Pudding and Irene are thrown together to seek out the identity of the killer in their midst, unaware of just how deep the roots of the crime lie.
During a hot, humid summer of grief, betrayal, and misapprehensions, they will uncover truths neither of them could ever have foreseen.
The perfect book group read for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley and Santa Montefiore.
Read by Anna Bentinck
(p) 2017 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
An enormously talented writer
Webb has a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart and exploring the truth of love
Katherine Webb's writing is beautiful
I've loved all of Katherine Webb's books
A truly gifted writer of historical fiction
Katherine's writing is rich, vivid and evocative and her characters breathtakingly real
Brilliant and absorbing drama
A haunting novel of betrayal
This isn't your usual country house mystery. It's a vivid portrait of rural life at a time of great change, especially for the women. In its Wiltshire setting and depth of research, it reminded me of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, but Katherine's wonderful descriptions and characters make it sing. And I guarantee that the ending will surprise. Her legion of fans will be delighted with this immersive, beautifully written tale of secrets and betrayals that echo down the generations
Katherine Webb is such a reliably good storyteller and this beguiling mystery, set so vividly in the glorious Wiltshire countryside, is no exception. It will keep you guessing right to the end.
Plucky heroines and tangled secrets kept hidden for generations make for an involving tale of passion and
deceit.
A sleepy Wiltshire village is rudely awakened when a man is found murdered. His widow and a local teenage girl join forces to root out the killer in this engrossing story of betrayal, secrets and lies.