Can the secrets of one woman's past change another woman's future?

Cate is a gifted young artist who survives in New York by producing remarkable copies of Old Masters.She arrives in London to stay with her aunt Rachel who owns an auction house, determined to leave the pain of her past behind.

Cate is sent to Devon with Rachel's colleague Jack to value the contents of Endsleigh, the grand Georgian home of a former socialite. But inside, its once elegant interiors are now worn with age and dust.

Then Cate discovers hidden in the back of one of the bookshelves, an old shoebox containing an exquisite pair of silk dancing shoes from the 1930's along with a mysterious collection of objects - a diamond brooch, a photograph of a handsome young sailor, a dance card, and a beautiful pearl and emerald bracelet from Tiffany's.

Unable to solve the questions in her own life, Cate quickly becomes engaged in solving the mystery of the shoe box and begins to unravel the story of Baby Blythe; bright, beautiful and reckless, she was the most famous debutante of her generation.

The clues in the box reveal a tale of a dark, addictive love, a tale that will lead Cate to uncover some secrets of her own.

About the Author

Born in Pittsburgh, Kathleen Tessaro studied drama before emigrating to London. After ten years working as an actress in films, television, and theatre, she left the profession and spent several years working for the English National Opera, while training in the evenings as a drama teacher and voice coach. During this time, she began to write. Working on short stories during her lunch hour, she soon became a regular member of a writers workshop.

Reviews

Praise for The Debutante:

'It's an elegant and glamorous plot ...which means lots of mouth-watering descriptions of decaying stately homes by the sea' Daily Mail

'The latest from the author of bestseller Elegance. New Yorker Cate immerses herself in the mystery of the Mitford-esque 1920's London debutante' Red

'A shoebox filled with momentos sets artist Cate on a hunt for the truth behind the disappearance of a dazzling 1920's 'it' girl in Kathleen Tessaro's The Debutante' Good Housekeeping

'Tessaro gets her story-weaving wand out with a gloriously rich story of past and present love' InStyle

'Reading The Debutante was the most delicious treat. Engrossing, romantic, wise and witty - the perfect read. I could not put it down' Gillian Greenwood, author of Satisfaction and The Ghost Lover

Praise for Kathleen Tessaro:

'Ultra-smart and classily edgy, this is the glitz novel brought up to date' Sunday Times

'This is a book all women will identify with' Glamour

Book Information
ISBN 9780007215409
Author Kathleen Tessaro
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 280g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 26mm