The Shadow Hour

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Two generations of women, and one house that holds the terrible secrets of their pasts Nineteen twenty-two. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own. Why has she been sent here Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is

Reviews

I was immediately drawn in by this beautifully written tale. I loved the sense of intrigue and the air of mystery at Fenix House, and was itching for answers as the two narratives unfolded Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tea Planter's Wife A perfect gothic, big-house mystery that kept me turning the pages. Very well written - I really enjoyed it Katherine Webb It's wonderful - the dark suspense and evocative descriptions are perfect -- Liz Fenwick, author of Under a Cornish Sky The parallel stories of Fenix House governess Harriet Jenner and her granddaughter Grace had me absolutely gripped. Intelligent, poignant, unexpected: highly recommended Louise Candlish Beautifully written and utterly compelling, I loved this Katie Fforde Gorgeously written - I was instantly drawn in to the mysteries of Fenix House and Kate's evocative storytelling held me rapt until the very end. Lucy Diamond The parallel stories of Fenix House governess Harriet Jenner and her granddaughter Grace had me absolutely gripped. Intelligent, poignant, unexpected: highly recommended -- Louise Candlish, author of The Swimming Pool Full of dark intrigue, rich description and haunting secrets, this kept me reading and reading! Beautifully written and compelling until the end. I adored it -- Sasha Wagstaff, author of Recipe For Love Headily atmospheric Victorian gothic detail brings to life the house which holds secrets and memories in its dim rooms, and conjures up a world of hot house flowers and stifled passions. Certain images stay with you - Riordan richly juxtaposes a measured, scientific world of steam trains, comets and clocks with the wild: flooded quarries, ice storms, and the irresistible desire for love and revenge which defies rationality. It's all in the detail - jewelled Indian daggers, sunlight on red gold hair, claustrophobic mazes and ice houses, and mysterious sounds in the night. From the utterly gripping prologue, The Shadow Hour transports you back in time, and shows how a few minutes here or there can catastrophically change a life -- Kate Lord Brown, author of The Christmas We Met Rich and atmospheric, like Rebecca this novel casts an enduring spell Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author Full of slow-burning tension Essentials A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts Good Housekeeping A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere Sunday Mirror A prickly story full of tension Sunday Express

Author Bio

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She is an avid reader of Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie, both of whom have influenced her writing. She lives in the Cotswolds, where she writes full-time. Her previous novels include The Girl In The Photograph, The Shadow Hour, The Stranger and The Heatwave, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Summer Fever is her fifth novel.