Katherine Webb

When they were children, Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, spent their summer holidays at Storton Manor. Now, following the death of their grandmother, they have returned to the grand, imposing house in Wiltshire, England. Unable to stem the tide of childhood memories that arise as she sorts through her grandmother’s belongings, Erica thinks back to the summer her cousin Henry vanished mysteriously from the estate, an event that tore their family to pieces. It is time, she believes, to lay the past to rest, bring her sister some peace, and finally solve the mystery of her cousin’s disappearance. But sifting through remnants of a bygone time is bringing a secret family history to light—one that stretches back over a century, to a beautiful society heiress in Oklahoma, a haunting, savage land across the ocean. And as past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two shocking acts of betrayal . . . and the heartbreaking legacy they left behind.

A Novel

The Legacy

From Katherine Webb, the author of the acclaimed international bestseller The Legacy, comes a compelling tale of love, deception, and illusion A vicar with a passion for nature, the Reverend Albert Canning leads a happy existence with his naive wife, Hester, in their sleepy Berkshire village in the year 1911. But as the English summer dawns, the Cannings' lives are forever changed by two new arrivals: Cat, their new maid, a disaffected, free-spirited young woman sent down from London after entanglements with the law; and Robin Durrant, a leading expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows nearby. Quickly finding a place for herself in the underbelly of local society, Cat secretly plots her escape. Meanwhile, Robin, a young man of considerable magnetic charm and beauty, soon becomes an object of fascination and desire. Sweltering in the oppressive summer heat, the peaceful rectory turns into a hotbed of dangerous ambition, forbidden love, and jealousy—a potent mixture of emotions that ultimately leads to murder.

The Unseen

Puglia, 1921. Leandro Cardetta, born into poverty, emigrated to America to make his fortune and has returned home to southern Italy a rich man, accompanied by his glamorous wife, Marcie, an ex-showgirl fighting middle age. Now Leandro has money enough to hire renowned English architect, Boyd Kinsgley, to renovate a crumbling palazzo into an Art Deco statement of wealth, and host Boyd's teenage son and his diffident young second wife, Clare, for one extraordinary summer. Under the burning sky, beyond the luxury of Leandro's home, tensions are high. Veterans of the Great War are desperate for work and food. Among these is Ettore, Leandro's nephew. Gripped by grief at the loss of his fiancée, Ettore has sworn to identify Livia's killer, and take his revenge. He is too proud to go to his uncle for charity, but when he injures himself one day, he has no choice but to knock on Leandro's door. Meeting Clare there will change everything - and in the most violent way. During the fierce summer of 1921, all these lives converge. Exactly how did Leandro grow rich in America, and what is the strange hold he has over Boyd? What happened to the first Mrs Kingsley, and what secret haunts the outwardly exuberant Marcie Cardetta? Hearts will be broken, blood will be spilt and the hardest of life's lessons will be learnt as shadows fall.

The Night Falling

Dark truths. Beautiful lies. Bath, England, 1821. Rachel Crofton escapes the binds of her unhappy employment as a governess by marrying a charming self-made businessman. She sees a chance to create the family and home she has so long been without, but her new life soon takes an unexpected turn. Through her new husband's connections, Rachel is invited to become the companion of the reclusive Jonathan Alleyn, a man tortured by memories of the Peninsula War, and tormented by the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Alice. Starling, foundling servant to the Alleyn family, is convinced that Alice, the woman she loved as a sister, was stolen from her. Did Alice run away? Or did something altogether more sinister occur? Starling is determined to uncover the truth. Others want only to forget, and will go to extreme lengths to do so. Rachel's arrival has an unsettling effect on the whole Alleyn household, and suddenly it seems that the dark deeds of the past will no longer stay contained.Shattering truths lurk behind Bath's immaculate facades, but the courage Rachel and Starling need to bring these truths to light will come at a very high price.

The Misbegotten

A spellbinding tale about the power of love, the danger of obsession, and the unfaithful nature of memory, A Half Forgotten Song is by turns haunting, joyous, and heartbreaking 1937. In a windswept village on the Dorset coast, fourteen-year-old Mitzy Hatcher has endured a wild and lonely upbringing. But the arrival of renowned artist Charles Aubrey, along with his exotic mistress and their two daughters, changes everything. Over the course of three summers, Mitzy develops a deep and abiding bond with the Aubrey household, gradually becoming Charles's muse. Slowly, she begins to perceive a future she had never thought possible—and a powerful love is kindled in her. A love that will grow as she does: from innocence to obsession; from childish infatuation to something far more dangerous. Years later, a young man in an art gallery happens upon a hastily drawn portrait and is intrigued by its curious intensity. The questions he asks lead him to the seaside village—and to the truth about those fevered summers of long ago.

A Half Forgotten Song

Ian Rankin

Jojo Moyes

Kate Mosse

Penny Vincenzi

Breast Cancer Care

Irresistible stories of love and fidelity, mystery and unexpected lives from some of the bestselling authors writing today. Published in conjunction with Woman & Home and Breast Cancer Care, this collection of terrific short stories includes many of the top names in fiction writing today: Fanny Blake, Fern Britton, Elizabeth Buchan, Tracy Chevalier, Jenny Colgan, R J Ellory, Julia Gregson, Tessa Hadley, Maeve Haran, Veronica Henry, Victoria Hislop, Eowyn Ivey, Cathy Kelly, Erin Kelly, Deborah Lawrenson, Kathy Lette, Lesley Lokko, Jill Mansell, Val McDermid, Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes, Adele Parks, Nicky Pellegrino, Ian Rankin, newcomer Cara Ross, Penny Vincenzi and Katherine Webb.

The Coffee Shop Book Club

From Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author, Katherine Webb, The English Girl is perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies, Kate Morton and Santa Montefiore. In a land full of secrets, you can make your own rules. Joan Seabrook has fulfilled her lifelong dream to travel to Arabia and has arrived in the ancient city of Muscat with her fiancé, Rory. Desperate to escape the pain of a personal tragedy, she longs to explore the desert fort of Jabrin and unearth the wonders held within. But Oman is a land lost in time, and gaining permission to explore could prove impossible. Joan's disappointment is only eased by the thrill of meeting her childhood heroine, pioneering explorer Maude Vickery, and hearing the stories that captured her imagination as a child. The friendship that forms between the two women will change everything. Both have desires to fulfil and secrets to keep. As their bond grows, Joan is inspired by the thrill of her new friend's past and finds herself swept up in a bold and dangerous adventure of Maude's making. Only too late does she begin to question her actions - actions that will spark a wild, and potentially devastating, chain of events. 'A compelling and beautifully written tale of adventure, mystery and love, The English Girl enthralled me from the first page. Set against the exotic backdrop of Arabia, Webb brings her world to life with skill and passion.' Santa Montefiore 'I've loved all Katherine Webb's books and this is a wonderful addition to my collection. After I finished, I found myself missing the searing heat and huge blue skies of the Omani desert.' Kate Riordan Your favourite authors love Katherine Webb's sweeping novels: 'An enormously talented writer' Santa Montefiore 'Webb has a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart and exploring the truth of love' Kate Williams 'Katherine Webb's writing is beautiful' Elizabeth Fremantle 'A truly gifted writer of historical fiction' Lucinda Riley 'Katherine's writing is rich, vivid and evocative' Iona Grey

A compelling, sweeping novel of love, loss, secrets and betrayal

The English Girl

England Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts. Gut Storton Manor in der Grafschaft Wiltshire fällt nach dem Tod ihrer Grossmutter an die Schwestern Erica und Beth. Vor vielen Jahren ist dort ihr 12-jähriger Cousin Henry spurlos verschwunden. Erica will das Familiengeheimnis lüften ...

Roman

Das geheime Vermächtnis

'Gripping, heart-wrenching and painfully real. An absolute triumph' Iona Grey What was hidden will be revealed... When Frances' best friend Bronwyn disappeared over twenty years ago, her body was never found. The mystery over what happened has cast a shadow over Frances' life ever since. Now, it's 1942 and bombs are raining down on Bath. In the chaos a little boy - Davy Noyle - goes missing. Frances was meant to be looking after him and she is tortured by guilt at his disappearance. Where has he gone, and could he possibly have survived? But bombs conceal, and they reveal - and as quiet falls and the dust settles, a body is disturbed from its hiding place. What happened all those years ago? And can Frances put the wrongs of the past right again...? Praise for The Disappearance: 'A wonderful wartime story . . . A huge treat' Kate Riordan 'I couldn't have loved it more. Riveting, haunting, beautifully written . . . a stunner!' Jenny Ashcroft 'Evocative. Totally transporting. This is a rich and delicious multi-layered read' Eve Chase 'A beautifully written and emotionally involving mystery...highly recommended' Amanda Jennings 'Immersive, powerful and beautifully written, The Disappearance had me hooked from the first page to the last. I loved it' Judith Kinghorn Your favourite authors love Katherine Webb: 'An enormously talented writer' Santa Montefiore 'Katherine Webb's writing is beautiful' Elizabeth Fremantle 'Webb has a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart' Kate Williams 'A truly gifted writer of historical fiction' Lucinda Riley

The Disappearance

The perfect book group read for fans of Kate Morton, Rachel Hore and Santa Montefiore. A secret buried so deep, only a liar could uncover it '..towards the end, comes a twist in the plot so bold it will leave you blinking...A thoroughly satisfying read.' WI Life One hot summer in 1922. A house at the heart of the village. A crime that will shock the community. A man accused and two women with everything to lose. When Donny Cartwright is accused of murder, his sister Pudding is determined to discover the identity of the real killer. Together with newcomer, Irene, she begins to uncover the truth - a secret that has been buried for years. But when they happen upon a strange object, hidden in the past, they realise it will change everything . . . Your favourite authors love Katherine Webb: 'An enormously talented writer' Santa Montefiore 'I've loved all of Katherine Webb's books' Kate Riordan 'Katherine Webb's writing is beautiful' Elizabeth Fremantle 'Webb has a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart' Kate Williams 'A truly gifted writer of historical fiction' Lucinda Riley

A compelling tale of murder and deceit with a twist you won’t see coming

The Hiding Places

Joan Seabrook, a fledgling archaeologist, has fulfilled her lifelong dream to visit Arabia by travelling from England to the ancient city of Muscat with her fiancé, Rory. Desperate to escape the pain of a personal tragedy, she longs to explore the desert fort of Jabrin, and unearth the treasures it is said to conceal. But Oman is a land lost in time - hard, secretive and in the midst of a violent upheaval - and gaining permission to explore Jabrin could prove impossible. Joan's disappointment is only alleviated by the thrill of meeting her childhood heroine, pioneering explorer Maude Vickery, and hearing first-hand the stories that captured her imagination and sparked her ambition as a child. Joan's encounter with the extraordinary and reclusive Maude will change everything. Both women have things that they want, and secrets they must keep. As their friendship grows, the thrill of adventure seduces Joan, and only too late does she begin to question her actions - and Maude's motives. Realising she has become a pawn in a treacherous game to settle old scores, Joan must decide where her loyalties lie, and find a way to halt a chain of events that she herself has set in motion, before the terrible consequences can play out. Will the girl that left England for this beautiful but dangerous land ever find her way back?

Bath, 1821. Rachel Crofton seizes the opportunity to leave behind the binds of her unhappy employment as a governess and start a new life as the wife of a charming self-made merchant. Through her new husband's connections Rachel is invited to become the companion of the reclusive Jonathan Alleyn, a man tortured by memories of what he witnessed in the Peninsula War, and tormented by the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Alice, 12 years ago. Rachel's arrival into the grand house on Lansdown Crescent has a mysterious effect on those who live there, and suddenly it seems the secrets and dark deeds of the past can no longer be swept away. Starling, foundling servant to the Alleyn family, is convinced that Alice, the woman she felt as close to as a sister, was stolen from her. She is determined to uncover the truth about Alice's disappearance. Did she run away? Was there someone else? Or did something altogether darker occur? Others want only to forget, and will go to extreme lengths to do so. All is refinement and politeness in the grand drawing rooms of Bath society, but there are shattering truths lurking in the lives hidden behind closed doors. Rachel's marriage is far from the partnership she had hoped for, and her husband has troubling secrets of his own. She is drawn to Starling and her obsessive need to find the truth about her beloved Alice. As, together, they seek answers, they learn that courage comes at a high price, and that to resist the constraints of their social position is to risk everything.

The misbegotten

En underholdende og uforglemmelig roman om besættende kærlighed, et gådefuldt portræt og hemmeligheder, som ikke længere kan forties. Dorset, Sydengland, 1937. For 14 år gamle Mitzy Hatcher består livet af husarbejde og ensomme vandringer langs havet. Men da den berømte maler Charles Aubrey flytter ind i nabohuset med sin marokkanske elskerinde og deres to døtre, øjner Mitzy en fremtid hun ikke troede eksisterede. Aubrey beder hende sidde model, og det bliver starten på en række skæbnesvangre begivenheder. I løbet af tre hektiske somre holder Mitzy op med at se på ham med barnets uskyldige øjne. I stedet overtager et uregerlig, besættende begær ... Mange år senere tryllebindes galleriejeren Zach af intensiteten i Charles Aubreys førkrigsportrætter. Trangen til vide mere om modellen og miljøet leder Zach til Dorset, og langsomt kommer han på sporet af, hvad der egentlig skete mellem Mitzy og Aubrey for over 60 år siden.

En sang fra fortiden

Un lugar escondido

O verão quente de 1911 vê chegar à pacata aldeia de Cold Ash Holt dois novos habitantes. Cat Morley, a nova criada do reverendo Albert Canning e da sua mulher, Hester, vem de Londres. Cat é rebelde e ousada mas é também incapaz de esquecer um passado demasiado doloroso. A tímida mulher do reverendo fica ainda mais inquieta quando o marido lhe apresenta o outro desconhecido, abrindo as portas de sua casa não apenas a um jovem atraente e carismático, mas também a uma perigosa obsessão. O calor opressivo daquele verão parece intensificar-se e impregnar tudo e todos, e o ambiente na reitoria fica carregado de ambição, paixão e ciúme; uma mistura de emoções tão poderosa que conduz, em última instância, ao homicídio. Cem anos depois, cabe a Leah, jornalista incansável, decifrar duas enigmáticas cartas e juntar as peças de um quebra-cabeças assombroso.

O Mundo Invisível

Das fremde Mädchen

Das Versprechen der Wüste

As mentiras mais belas escondem as piores verdades. Bath, Inglaterra, 1821. Jonathan Alleyn vive atormentado pelas memórias da guerra e pela dor de ter perdido Alice, o seu amor de infância. Nos últimos anos, a mansão em que vive apenas oferece abrigo aos seus fantasmas. Até Starling, a governanta, e irmã adotada de Alice, duvida que a jovem tenha simplesmente fugido e teme algo bem mais sinistro. Mas eis que chega Rachel, casada com um charmoso homem de negócios e que é convidada a fazer companhia a Jonathan. A sua presença tem um efeito perturbador na falsa harmonia da mansão Alleyn, pois Rachel é muito parecida com a desaparecida Alice. As ameaçadoras sombras do passado emergem para trazer à tona verdades desoladoras e cruéis. Quem terá coragem de desvendar um passado cheio de enigmas obscuros? Quem é Rachel? E o que aconteceu a Alice?

A Mulher Esquecida

Nevidljivi

Duas irmãs. Um segredo avassalador. Um passado que não pode permanecer secreto. Após a morte da avó, as irmãs Erica e Beth Calcott regressam a Storton Manor, a imponente mansão da família. Rodeada pela atmosfera mágica das férias de Verão da sua infância, Erica relembra o passado, particularmente o primo Henry, cujo desaparecimento daquela mesma casa dilacerou a família e marcou Beth terrivelmente. A jovem decide agora descobrir o que aconteceu a Henry, para que o passado possa ser enterrado e a irmã consiga finalmente encontrar alguma paz. Mas, quando começa a investigar, um segredo familiar ameaça sair da sombra: uma história que remonta à América na viragem do século XIX, protagonizada por uma bela herdeira das classes altas e uma terra selvagem e assombrosa. À medida que o passado e o presente convergem, Erica e Beth têm de enfrentar duas terríveis traições e uma dolorosa herança.

Katherine Webb

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