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About The Book

From the bestselling author of A Desperate Fortune and The Firebird, comes an entrancing new novel of love, war, and historical intrigue.

Some houses seem to want to hold their secrets.

It’s 1759 and the world is at war, pulling the North American colonies of Britain and France into the conflict. The times are complicated, as are the loyalties of many New York merchants who have secretly been trading with the French for years, defying Britain’s colonial laws in a game growing ever more treacherous.

When captured French officers are brought to Long Island to be billeted in private homes on their parole of honour, it upends the lives of the Wilde family—deeply involved in the treasonous trade and already divided by war.

Lydia Wilde, struggling to keep the peace in her fracturing family following her mother’s death, has little time or kindness to spare for her unwanted guests. And Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran has little desire to be there. But by the war’s end they’ll both learn love, honour, and duty can form tangled bonds that are not broken easily.

Their doomed romance becomes a local legend, told and re-told through the years until the present day, when conflict of a different kind brings Charley Van Hoek to Long Island to be the new curator of the Wilde House Museum.

Charley doesn’t believe in ghosts. But as she starts to delve into the history of Lydia and her French officer, it becomes clear that the Wilde House holds more than just secrets, and Charley discovers the legend might not have been telling the whole story...or the whole truth.

About The Author

Photo by Wendy McAlpine

New York Times, USA TODAY, and Globe and Mail bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, often in twin-stranded stories that interweave present and past. Her award-winning novels are published in translation in more than twenty-five countries. She lives near Toronto. Visit her at SusannaKearsley.com or follow her on Twitter @SusannaKearsley.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 24, 2018)
  • Length: 432 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781501116568

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Raves and Reviews

Praise for Bellewether

“This new title from New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley grapples with the largest of themes: love and justice. Kearsley, a former museum curator, possesses a deep passion for historical detail, and an unflinching determination to confront the atrocities of the past. As such, this narrative is as much an anti-slavery tract as it is a romance.”
TORONTO STAR

“I’ve loved every one of Susanna’s books! She has bedrock research and a butterfly’s delicate touch with characters—sure recipe for historical fiction that pulls you in and won’t let go!”
DIANA GABALDON, New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

Praise for A Desperate Fortune

“Fascinating, immersive and twisty—twists not only of plot, but of character and time. I love a novel that deals with codes and ciphers, and the other ways in which people keep their secrets.”
DIANA GABALDON, New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

“Within a few paragraphs, you realize you are in the hands of a master storyteller: Kearsley’s novels are accessible but challenging, narratively propulsive but thoughtful. . . . This is smart historical fiction which isn’t afraid to assume the best of its readers.”
TORONTO STAR

“Educates as it entertains, and manages to be wonderfully romantic at the same time.”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“Her prose is beautifully crafted and evocative of character, time and place.”
VANCOUVER SUN

“Kearsley is nothing less than a magician weaving together the past and the present in yet another marvelous, genre-bending, romantic, mysterious, and utterly unputdownable novel. You’ll be captivated by the history, the secrets, the memorable heroines, and one of the cutest dogs to show up on the pages in a long time. Kearsley raises the bar book to book, and this is one of her most ambitious and successful ever. Bravo!”
M.J. ROSE, New York Times bestselling author of Seduction

“Kearsley has conjured a story that will stay with you long after you put it down. Her deft touch with historical intrigue is matched only by her delivery of a contemporary heroine who is as unique as she is memorable.”
DEANNA RAYBOURN, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Enquiry

Praise for The Firebird

“Kearsley brings historical figures and events to life in this artfully crafted, exquisitely detailed tale, laced with a heady mix of intrigue and romance.”
CHATELAINE

“Kearsley has written a compelling and intricate character-driven story.”
VANCOUVER SUN

“Kearsley deftly interweaves a compelling contemporary romance with a sweeping historical drama, and the fantastic with the realistic, to create a richly nuanced, delicately balanced novel that will not only satisfy her regular readers but seems well-positioned to win new converts to her unique approach to fiction. . . . The Firebird is the sort of book one wants to curl up within and savour.”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“An enchanting story told with wit and dexterity . . . The Firebird has it all: love, intrigue, twists, betrayal, and unexpected outcomes. . . . This is a book to remember.”
TORONTO STAR

“The latest historical romance from acclaimed Ontario author Susanna Kearsley crackles with imagination. . . . With intrigue and verve, Kearsley has penned what is sure to become another bestseller.”
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Praise for Season of Storms

“If you liked The French Lieutenant’s Woman, you’ll love this.”
— ROMANTIC TIMES

Praise for The Shadowy Horses

“Susanna Kearsley’s best. . . . A brilliant book!”
— SARAH BROADHURST, The Bookseller

“[A] deft blending of romance and the Gothic. . . . lush with romantic and ghostly threads.”
KIRKUS

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