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What's It About?
Following the death of her last living relative, Hetty Deveraux leaves London and her strained relationship behind for Muirlan, her ancestral home in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. She intends to renovate the ruinous house into a hotel, but the shocking discovery of human remains brings her ambitious restoration plans to an abrupt halt before they even begin. Few physical clues are left to identify the body, but one thing is certain: this person did not die a natural death.
Hungry for answers, Hetty discovers that Muirlan was once the refuge of her distant relative Theo Blake, the acclaimed painter and naturalist who brought his new bride, Beatrice, there in 1910. Yet ancient gossip and a handful of leads reveal that their marriage was far from perfect; Beatrice eventually vanished from the island, never to return, and Theo withdrew from society, his paintings becoming increasingly dark and disturbing. What happened between them has remained a mystery, but as Hetty listens to the locals and studies the masterful paintings produced by Theo during his short-lived marriage, she uncovers secrets that still reverberate through the small island community—and will lead her to the identity of the long-hidden body.
What Did I Think?
100 years separate the past story from the present story which is told from the view points of Hetty in the present and her ancestor Beatrice in the past. Hetty dreamed of turning the house her aunt had left her into a beautiful hotel in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Hetty had never seen the area where the house was located so the reality was more than she had ever bargained for. Not only was the house in danger of falling into the sea but there was an unwelcome guest already in residence...it had been there for the better part f 100 years.
This was Sarah Maine's first novel and she has created a top rate story. I can't say that it's exactly a riveting mystery but it certainly bears all the elements of intriguing. If you are drawn to the wild Scottish landscape and historical romance and mystery are what you love in a book...they you'll love this one.
