The Mystery of Yew Tree House

In 1940, Adelaide Stride is raising her two daughters alone at Yew Tree House, but she is surrounded by enemies posing as allies. When a skeleton is found in a pillbox, Stella Darnell begins to unravel a mystery that has been hidden for eighty years. Lesley Thomson's novel is a unique take on the traditional murder mystery, full of psychological suspense and worthy of Barbara Vine.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Lesley Thomson's 2023 crime novel, "Eighty Years of Secrets," is a captivating masterpiece that will leave readers laughing, crying, and guessing until the very end. Set in 1940 at Yew Tree House, a recently widowed Adelaide Stride is raising her two daughters alone, but the threat of German invasion is not the only thing keeping her up at night. She is surrounded by enemies posing as allies, and as war rages, she grows sure that something terrible is about to happen.

Soon after Stella Darnell begins her holiday at Yew Tree House, a skeleton is found in a pillbox at the bottom of the garden. The bullet hole in the skull tells Stella that the person was murdered, and this triggers the unravelling of a mystery that has been hidden for eighty years. Stella will learn that Adelaide was right to worry—the fighting might have been happening abroad, but the true enemy was always much closer to home.

Thomson's novel is a unique take on the traditional murder mystery, and it is sure to appeal to fans of Elly Griffiths, Val McDermid, and Mari Hannah. Fiercely unique, it is a whodunnit on an epic scale, with a complex mystery full of psychological suspense that will make readers feel the presence of evil.

The novel is praised by critics for its elegant and spooky writing, and for its gripping demonstration that the past is never really the past. The Detective's Daughter series, which includes "Eighty Years of Secrets," is praised for its cunningly plotted characters and one of the most original characters in British crime fiction.

In conclusion, "Eighty Years of Secrets" is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery, and for fans of Lesley Thomson's Detective's Daughter series. With its captivating plot, complex characters, and eerie atmosphere, this novel is sure to keep readers entertained and guessing until the very end.

Weight: 518g
Dimension: 235 x 156 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781804546161