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| Hera Books 10 November 2022 My thanks to the author from my copy of the book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour |
Darkness lies at the heart of this family…
In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.
In the present day Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy,Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers – Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.
As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?
📖 My Review...
There are many hidden secrets in the Rutherford-Percy family and in this multi-layered gothic suspense novel we go deep into the heart of the family to discover just how many dreadful secrets they have hidden away over the years.
When psychiatric nurse, Christie first encounters Lilian Percy they find that they have much in common, both lost their mothers some time ago, and it is this common bond which allows the rapport between them to develop. Lilian’s fear of returning to her childhood home at Rutherford House is palpable and there is obviously something about the haunting echoes of the place which terrify Lilian.
The author writes well, bringing her characters to life with a fine eye for detail and her distinct writing style brings each generation of the Rutherford-Percy family to life. The story is told from a multi-narrator viewpoint and whilst dipping into, and out of, various time frames takes a little getting used to, once I had the characters firmly placed I found the story flowed easily and I was certainly invested in the story and wanted to know the outcome.
The Shadows of Rutherford House is a complex, multi-generational story which is cleverly woven together by an author who knows how to keep the reader’s attention from start to finish. I enjoyed the slow build up, the gradual revealing of the layers and the unravelling of all the secrets which have been hidden away for years. There are more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader guessing and with a strong cast of characters The Shadows of Rutherford House is definitely a story which lingers even after the last page is turned.
🍷Best Read with.. maybe a glass, or two, of Malbec
About the Author
Caroline England was born and brought up in Yorkshire and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before leaving the law to bring up her three daughters and turning her hand to writing. Caroline is the author of The Wife's Secret, previously called Beneath the Skin, and the top-ten ebook bestseller My Husband's Lies. Betray Her is her third novel. She lives in Manchester with her family. The House of Hidden Secrets is the first title written under her pseudonym, CE Rose.
Twitter @CazEngland
@HeraBooks
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