The Secret Rooms

In April 1940 the 9th Duke of Rutland, one of Britains richest men, ended his days in the servants quarters of his home, Belvoir Castle. It was the end of months of manic, secretive activity, and after his death his son ordered the rooms to be sealed. For sixty years they remained untouched. What was he doing? And what secrets did the rooms still hold? Here, Catherine Bailey unravels a complex and compelling tale of love, honour and betrayal, played out in the grand salons of Britains stately homes and on the battlefields of the Western Front. At its core is a secret so twisted and dark that concealing it drove a man to his death. Astonishing, jaw-dropping, superb. Horrifying, extraordinary. Sunday Telegraph Gripping. Reads like the best kind of mystery story. It is a tale of mistresses and heirlooms, cowardice and connivance. Sunday Times Compelling. A remarkable piece of research which throws a bright shaft of light on powerful people, hypocrisy and the First world War. Jeremy Paxman, Guardian, Books of the Year Extraordinary, edge-of-the-seat enthralling. The plot is thick with destroyed documents, decadent aristocracy, betrayed honour and curses. Metro Wonderful . . . has everything: family intrigue and hatred, love and war, eccentricity, snobbery and a series of shocking secrets. No reader can finish it unmoved. Sunday Express

Categories: Mystery