Evelyn is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her brother in the Great War, and to make her own way in the world - when a woman arrives with her brother's illegitimate child...

Living at home with her mother, aunt, and grandmother, Evelyn is still haunted by the death of her younger brother James in the First World War. She is also determined to make a career for herself as one of the first female lawyers. So when the doorbell rings late one night and a woman appears, claiming to have mothered James's child, her world is turned upside down.

Evelyn distrusts Meredith at first, but also finds that this new arrival challenges her work-obsessed lifestyle. So far her legal career has not set the world alight. But then two cases arise that make Evelyn realise perhaps she can make a difference. The first concerns a woman called Leah Marchant whose children have been taken away from her simply because she is poor. The second, Stephen Wheeler, has been charged with murdering his own wife. It is clear that Wheeler is innocent but he won't talk.

In the meantime, Meredith makes an earth-shattering accusation about James - and Evelyn falls in love with a man engaged to be married. With the Wheeler case coming to a head, and her heart in limbo, Evelyn takes matters into her own hands...

Evelyn is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her brother in the Great War, and to make her own way in the world - when a woman arrives with her brother's illegitimate child...

About the Author
Katharine McMahon is the author of ten novels, including The Alchemist's Daughter and The Crimson Rooms, that focus on astonishing women and their ability to find a voice and make a mark, even at times and in societies when they are risking everything. The Rose of Sebastopol was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller. http://www.katharinemcmahon.com

Reviews
One of those books so intensely alive in the past that it makes the world you actually live in feel flimsy and thin. McMahon combines a thriller writer's grip, pace and punch with the true novelist's depth and warmth of feeling * GUARDIAN *
A well-plotted, beautifully written tale which makes the point that everyone was a victim of the Great War * DAILY EXPRESS *
a fantastic read: moving, gripping,absorbing and thrillingly sexy.. a skilful, highly atmospheric drama of guilt, passion and consequences.. the kind of book you never want to end -- Wendy Holden * DAILY MAIL *
Compulsively readable... McMahon skilfully weaves the different strands of the complicated plot into a compelling and moving mystery story -- Anna Carey * THE GLOSS *
McMahon vividly recreates the stifled atmosphere of the period, sympathetically portraying the dilemmas faced by women * WATERSTONE'S QUARTERLY *
An absorbing and deftly woven tale, which impressively captures the spirit of the early 1920s... a cracking good read * PRESS ASSOCIATION *
A real treat and bound to enhance her reputation * THE MAGISTRATE *
Four stars: "Haunted by the loss of her brother in the First World War, Evelyn is shocked when someone appears with a boy, apparently a nephew" * OK! *
One of those books so intensely alive in the past that it makes the world you actually live in feel flimsy and thin. McMahon combines a thriller writer's grip, pace and punch with the true novelist's depth and warmth of feeling. -- Hilary Spurling * GUARDIAN *


Awards
Short-listed for Brit Writers' Awards: Published Writer of the Year Awards 2010 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780753825471
Author Katharine McMahon
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 330g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 133mm * 39mm