Josie Price has given up much of her life for the sake of the wealthy Haddeley family. She works with them, lives with them and knows their secrets. So when a young man, Luke, appears and claims, shockingly, to be the son of Kit Haddeley's late wife Alice, Josie tries to help the Haddeleys come to terms with the family ghosts they hoped had been laid to rest.

But Luke's arrival casts shadows on both the past and the future. Above all it is the ghost of Alice Haddeley which hangs most heavily over the family. Through Luke, she seems to demand to be both mourned and revenged.

With her intimate knowledge of the family past, it is Josie who holds the key to the mystery of Alice, and it is Josie, beset by guilt, who must resolve the destructive inheritance which Luke brings in his wake.

Sometimes the past just won't let go ...

About the Author

Gillian Greenwood is a former editor of the Literary Review. She has also been Series Editor of BBC 1's Omnibus, and Executive Producer of the South Bank Show. She lives in London.

Reviews
Praise for Gillian Greenwood's first novel, Satisfaction * --- *
'A seriously good comedy of manners' * Melvyn Bragg *
'An entertaining and beautifully constructed first novel . . . It is completely satisfying. Take this book to the beach, but read it in the shade' * Observer *
'This is obviously a story Greenwood wants to tell; she loves her troupe of players and has realised them all in a deft, careful way . . . a gentle, interesting tale and an accomplished debut' * Evening Standard *
'With deft plotting, a light touch and plenty of writerly observation about modern mores, Greenwood delivers an entertaining first novel' * Guardian *
'Greenwood slowly reveals, in careful, considered prose, the ever-changing dynamics of contentment, and discloses, with the help of a shocking twist, how happiness happens' * Daily Mail *

Praise for The Ghost Lover:

'Greenwood is a highly talented writer ... a superbly imagined and transfixing storyline ... she has woven wonders with this genuinely rich work'

* The Lady *
'A fiercely powerful story,' * Good Housekeeping *
'Deft and amusing...Greenwood makes one turn the pages' * Times Literary Supplement *
In her fifties and single, Josie Price, the protagonist of Gillian Greenwood's second novel, is a textbook example of a woman who is simultaneously dependent and depended on. From her student days, she has been bound into the personal and business relationships of the Haddeley family, as a clever, good-looking observer and amanuensis whose innocence has been compromised. On closer look, the tainting of Josie is unsurprising. Operating a slightly shady international antiquities business, the Haddeleys are louche, occasionally menacing and certainly amoral, and those swept into their orbit tend to end up damaged. Deeply attached to Alice, Kit Haddeley's unstable wife who died young, Josie (and the family) are shocked when a young man turns up claiming to be Alice's son. None of them are equipped to deal wisely with the situation -- and they don't. Smart and quietly assured, this sharply observed drama of the flawed and the spoilt, and their milieu, exerts an unobtrusive grip * Sunday Times *
Praise for Gillian Greenwood's first novel, Satisfaction * --- *
'A seriously good comedy of manners' * Melvyn Bragg *
'An entertaining and beautifully constructed first novel . . . It is completely satisfying. Take this book to the beach, but read it in the shade' * Observer *
'This is obviously a story Greenwood wants to tell; she loves her troupe of players and has realised them all in a deft, careful way . . . a gentle, interesting tale and an accomplished debut' * Evening Standard *
'With deft plotting, a light touch and plenty of writerly observation about modern mores, Greenwood delivers an entertaining first novel' * Guardian *
'Greenwood slowly reveals, in careful, considered prose, the ever-changing dynamics of contentment, and discloses, with the help of a shocking twist, how happiness happens' * Daily Mail *

Praise for The Ghost Lover:

'Greenwood is a highly talented writer ... a superbly imagined and transfixing storyline ... she has woven wonders with this genuinely rich work'

* The Lady *
'A fiercely powerful story,' * Good Housekeeping *
'Deft and amusing...Greenwood makes one turn the pages' * Times Literary Supplement *
In her fifties and single, Josie Price, the protagonist of Gillian Greenwood's second novel, is a textbook example of a woman who is simultaneously dependent and depended on. From her student days, she has been bound into the personal and business relationships of the Haddeley family, as a clever, good-looking observer and amanuensis whose innocence has been compromised. On closer look, the tainting of Josie is unsurprising. Operating a slightly shady international antiquities business, the Haddeleys are louche, occasionally menacing and certainly amoral, and those swept into their orbit tend to end up damaged. Deeply attached to Alice, Kit Haddeley's unstable wife who died young, Josie (and the family) are shocked when a young man turns up claiming to be Alice's son. None of them are equipped to deal wisely with the situation -- and they don't. Smart and quietly assured, this sharply observed drama of the flawed and the spoilt, and their milieu, exerts an unobtrusive grip * Sunday Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9780719568732
Author Gillian Greenwood
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 256g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 26mm