A Haunting at Holkham: from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Whatever Next

(Paperback)

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Description

The thrilling new novel from the acclaimed author of Murder on Mustique, based on the childhood described in her international bestseller Lady in Waiting.

January 1950. Lady Anne Coke, daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, is in Scunthorpe on a business trip when she is called home after a sudden death in the family. She returns to Holkham Hall to discover a mystery: her beloved grandfather has been found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a valuable piece of jewellery in his pocket. No one can find a cause of death, and some even suspect foul play from the ghost who supposedly haunts the house. But Anne's suspicions are aroused; she grew close to her grandfather when they lived together during the war and she is determined to discover the truth.

During World War II, Holkham Hall was an army base with large sections out of bounds, and 11-year-old Anne was in the care of a new governess, whom she hated and believed to be deceitful. Although she had been told to stay away from certain parts of the house, Anne used the secret passageways and the cellars to move around unnoticed. And something she saw then could unlock the mystery of her grandfather's death now ...

Full of rich historical detail, this is a gripping novel of wartime secrets, intrigue and deceit.

Reviews

[A] winning, well-plotted read . . . the mystery's denouement at the dance makes a glamorous and dramatic conclusion -- Wendy Holden * Daily Mail *
A breezily entertaining read from the author of Lady In Waiting, with clever plotting and a beautiful setting * Daily Mirror *
Stirring story of wartime secrets and intrigue * Best *
Delightfully intriguing * Peterborough Telegraph *
Thrilling . . . The atmosphere is perfect, the anxieties and fears of the young Anne are particularly realistic, and the mystery is the perfect riddle. This is a superb story, told with verve and love. Lady Anne Glenconner seems to have been born to write, and one wonders why she came to it so late in life . . . Hats off to Lady Anne for producing such a brilliant story! * Books-Monthly.co.uk *
Lady Glenconner's intimate knowledge of Holkham shines through . . . an enjoyable winter read to be savoured over the upcoming holiday season * The Wee Review *
It is the picture of life at Holkham and the training of an aristocrat to take on anything that may be thrown at her that makes this novel stand out * Literary Review *
The story's main hero is the magnificent house of the title . . . it will certainly give pleasure to many readers * Spectator *
Lady Anne Glenconner - who turns 90 in July - is remarkable . . . This, her second mystery, takes place in the grand house and estate where she grew up . . . As light as a souffl but just as delicious * Irish Independent *
A truly great read with a brilliant twist at the end * Yours *

Author Bio

Lady Glenconner was born Lady Anne Coke in 1932, the eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, and growing up in their ancestral estate at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. A Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation, she married Lord Glenconner in 1956. They had 5 children together of whom 3 survive. In 1958 she and her husband began to transform the island of Mustique into a paradise for the rich and famous. They granted a plot of land to Princess Margaret who built her favourite home there. She was appointed Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret in 1971 and kept this role - accompanying her on many state occasions and foreign tours - until her death in 2002. Lord Glenconner died in 2010, leaving everything in his will to his former employee. She now lives in a farmhouse near Kings Lynn in Norfolk.