- This edition a large print version from my local library
- First published in Great Britain in 2024 by Boldwood Books
- ISBN 978-1-83751-649-0
- 472 pages
Synopsis (Publisher)
A mysterious bequest and the legacy of a tragic love – only one person can unravel the hidden secrets of the past before it’s too late…
When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…
Elisabeth’s family turn to Touissants detective agency for help but, when Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, their frustration soon mounts. Their only clue is a photo of two young women holding the hands of a tiny child. The women are smiling but Mila is haunted by the sadness in their eyes. Is this Astrid and Elisabeth and if so, who is the child? And why are there signs everywhere in Elisabeth’s home that the old woman was frightened despite her living a quiet life with no known enemies?
As Elisabeth and Astrid’s story slowly unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home The Sea House closing in. And as the secrets finally begin to reveal themselves, she is ever more determined to carry out Elisabeth’s final wishes. Because what is inside that unprepossessing parcel might just save a life…
Louise Douglas is back in the Brittany seaside town of Morranez with a heart-stopping, heart-breaking, brilliantly written and utterly compelling mystery!
My Take
In many ways a romantic thriller. I struggled at first to get my head around the background to this story. Mila Shepherd has come to Brittany to look after her niece Ani whose parents died mysteriously at sea two years earlier. Mila's sister's body was found soon after the disaster but her brother in law's body has turned up recently in a local cave. The evidence found in the cave raises questions about how he died.
Mila is working for her stepmother at the Touissants detective agency which specialises in tracking people down.
When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…
The search for Astrid Oake takes Mila to England where Astrid's family was killed in a tragedy nearly 20 years earlier.
The plot gets better as it goes on, and eventually I really became invested in working everything out.
My rating: 4.4
About the author
Louise was born in Sheffield but has lived in North Somerset for the past 20 years. She has three beautiful sons, and lives with her partner, who works in construction.
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