One Moonlit Night: The unmissable novel from the million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Spy Paperback – Import, 15 September 2022
Rachel Hore . Simon & Schuster Ltd . English
THE HIDDEN YEARS, the captivating new novel from million-copy bestselling author Rachel Hore, is out now in paperback. Loyalty and betrayal, hope and despair, One Moonlit Night tells the captivating story of a husband and wife separated by secrets as well as by war. ‘So complex and moving, with a sense of mystery as powerful as the sense of love and betrayal’ Cathy Kelly Forced to leave their family home in London after it is bombed in the Blitz, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge at Knyghton, the beautiful country house in Norfolk where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood. But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited. Arriving at Knyghton, Maddie feels closer to her missing husband, but she soon realises that there’s a reason Philip has never spoken to her about his past. Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora. Maddie’s curiosity turns to desperation as she tries to discover the truth, but no one will speak about what happened all those years ago, and no one will reassure her that Philip will ever return to Knyghton. ‘Beautifully rich in period detail – an absorbing and touching story’ Erica James, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mothers & Daughters 'Brimming over with everything I love about this author's writing: atmosphere, intrigue, wonderful characters and a beautiful love story. Pure delight to read' Tracy Rees 'A stunning depiction of life during the war, both for the men who faced death on the battlefields and those left behind in England . . . a compelling and evocative read, brimming with hope, courage and buried secrets.' S Magazine 'We’re in the London of World War II, her house is bombed to bits and husband Philip is missing after Dunkirk. With two small daughters in tow, Maddie seeks refuge at Knyghton, Philip’s childhood home . . . In this gripping, detailed, beautifully written drama, Hore brilliantly captures the danger and desperation on both the home and battle fronts.' Daily Mail Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can.
Categories: Action & Adventure
About the Author
A warm welcome to my page. I'm the bestselling author of fourteen novels, the most recent of which is The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge, which was published in July. I came to writing quite late, after a career editing fiction at HarperCollins in London. My husband and I had moved out to Norwich with our three young sons and I'd had to give up my job and writing was something that I'd always wanted to try. I originally studied history, so it was wonderful finally to put my knowledge to good use and to write The Dream House, which is partly set in1920s Suffolk and London. Most of my novels are dual narrative, with a story in the present alternating with one set in the past. I love the freedom that they give me to escape into the past, but also the dramatic ways in which the stories interact. My characters are often trying to solve some mystery about the past and by doing so to resolve some difficulty or puzzle in their own lives. The books can involve a lot of research and this takes me down all sorts of interesting paths. For The Glass Painter's Daughter I took an evening class in working with coloured glass. My glass creations were not very amazing, but making them gave me insight into the processes so that my characters' activities would feel authentic. For A Week in Paris I had to research Paris in World War II and the early 1960s through films and books and by visiting the city - that was a great deal of work for one novel. Last Letter Home involved me touring a lot of country houses with old walled kitchen gardens in search of atmosphere and to explore the different kinds of plants grown there. Places often inspire my stories. The Memory Garden, my second novel, is set in one of my favourite places in the world - Lamorna Cove in Cornwall - which is accessed through a lovely hidden valley. A Place of Secrets is set in a remote part of North Norfolk near Holt, where past and present seem to meet. Southwold in Suffolk, a characterful old-fashioned seaside resort with a harbour and a lighthouse, has been a much loved destination for our family holidays and has made an appearance in fictional guise in several of my novels, including The Silent Tide and The Love Child. Until recently I taught Publishing and Creative Writing part-time at the University of East Anglia, but now I'm a full-time writer, which felt like a big step. My boys are all grown up now and finding their way in the world, but we still see a lot of them. My husband David is a writer, too (he writes as D.J. Taylor), so we understand each other's working lives. I find I have to have a regular routine with my writing, not least to keep the book in my head. My aim is to sit down at 9am every morning and write till lunchtime, then again the afternoon, but there is often something ready to interrupt this, not least our Labrador girl Zelda, so I go with the flow. I hope that you are able to find my books easily and enjoy them - I am always happy to hear from readers! Happy reading! Rachel Hore
