At a lavish summer party on an English country estate, tensions between social classes lead to deadly consequences that won’t stay buried in this twisty, engrossing suspense novel by the author of The Midnight Hour.
Even the darkest secrets unravel in time. . . .
2024: Jo O’Mara, a young writer, lands a job working for Mimi Mott, a wealthy style icon and legendary founder of a decorating empire. Newly widowed and in her seventies, Mimi is preparing to auction off her possessions, through them finally telling the story of her early life. Famously private, Mimi has kept her past shrouded in mystery. Jo doesn’t dare reveal how closely it touches her own.
Tasked with collecting the untold tales behind each auction lot, Jo peels back the layers of Mimi’s origin story and discovers it’s far darker than anyone ever suspected.
1969: Mimi and her sister, Pamela, live in a cramped, musty staff cottage on the grounds of Rushwood, an idyllic English country estate owned by the Caswell family, their demanding new employer. Working alongside their gardener parents, the girls have been raised with their hands in the soil and know only a traditional, simple life—but spirited Mimi hungers for more.
When the Caswells’ adult children, Nancy and Lawrence, arrive at Rushwood for the summer, the sisters are drawn into a privileged, intoxicating world, unsettling their own, and passions spark under the blazing sun—until a shattering death at Rushwood’s high-society party tears Mimi and Pamela apart.
Now time is running out. Jo discovers both a missing auction piece and a missing sister and vows to find them no matter how dark the secret they expose—or the cost to herself.
Genre: Mystery
Even the darkest secrets unravel in time. . . .
2024: Jo O’Mara, a young writer, lands a job working for Mimi Mott, a wealthy style icon and legendary founder of a decorating empire. Newly widowed and in her seventies, Mimi is preparing to auction off her possessions, through them finally telling the story of her early life. Famously private, Mimi has kept her past shrouded in mystery. Jo doesn’t dare reveal how closely it touches her own.
Tasked with collecting the untold tales behind each auction lot, Jo peels back the layers of Mimi’s origin story and discovers it’s far darker than anyone ever suspected.
1969: Mimi and her sister, Pamela, live in a cramped, musty staff cottage on the grounds of Rushwood, an idyllic English country estate owned by the Caswell family, their demanding new employer. Working alongside their gardener parents, the girls have been raised with their hands in the soil and know only a traditional, simple life—but spirited Mimi hungers for more.
When the Caswells’ adult children, Nancy and Lawrence, arrive at Rushwood for the summer, the sisters are drawn into a privileged, intoxicating world, unsettling their own, and passions spark under the blazing sun—until a shattering death at Rushwood’s high-society party tears Mimi and Pamela apart.
Now time is running out. Jo discovers both a missing auction piece and a missing sister and vows to find them no matter how dark the secret they expose—or the cost to herself.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"I loved everything about The Secret Thread. Spellbinding, evocative and beautifully written, with stunning locations and unforgettable characters that I truly cared about. A moving and compelling story of sisters, hidden secrets, tragedy and first love. Eve Chase's best book yet!" - Claire Douglas
"The novel really is proof that the treasures we hold onto are more than mementos of our past; they are also keys to our future. The Secret Thread is supremely clever, glittering with glamour, and exquisitely tied together with the most beautiful denouement. A stunning achievement. I loved it." - Amanda Geard
"An intriguing mystery wrapped in the sumptuously glamorous life of a famous designer, The Secret Thread is a story beautifully and compassionately told. With shades of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo I was enthralled till the very end." - Jennie Godfrey
"The Secret Thread is a stunning, evocative novel that pulls you into a hot summer on a grand country estate, in which the lives of two families become fatally entwined. Characters you feel like you know coupled with descriptions that are wonderfully lush and vivid meant I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I had to find out what happened to them all." - Araminta Hall
"I was completely swept up in this intoxicating tale of two sisters divided by tragedy. The Secret Thread is a riveting, beautifully told mystery that absorbs from the very first page. I loved it." - Clare Leslie Hall
"The intriguing story of Mimi Mott, with its myriad strands that eventually weave together all the secrets of her past, is riveting from the very first page. Sibling rivalry, unrequited love, class divides and a dazzling career span decades and countries- no-one does glamorous family drama like Eve Chase. It glitters and winks and shines, never letting up for a moment. Absolutely gorgeous." - Veronica Henry
"Family secrets unravel in this clever page-turner of a book, portraying a constellation of glittering characters. A sharply observed and sumptuous read." - Fiona Valpy
"An exquisite stately home caught in the stultifying summer's heat; ripe gardens and inviting river. First love and sexual awakenings. Glamorous interiors. A story waiting to be unravelled and understood. Chase's numerous fans are in for a treat with a propulsive mystery, luminous writing, and characters who stayed with me. Quite possibly her best yet." - Sarah Vaughan
"The Secret Thread is sensational - Eve Chase is a writer at the top of her game. Gripping, immersive and hair-raisingly beautiful, it is written with Chase's absolutely peerless style and flair for character. I adored every word, every page." - Rosie Walsh
"Exquisite! Shimmering with allure, The Secret Thread is a story of embroidered memories, naked ambition and families ripped asunder. With rich, textured prose, the star-crossed lives of the earthy Bramleys and the celestial Caswells unfold deliciously in this addictive read." - Evie Woods
"The novel really is proof that the treasures we hold onto are more than mementos of our past; they are also keys to our future. The Secret Thread is supremely clever, glittering with glamour, and exquisitely tied together with the most beautiful denouement. A stunning achievement. I loved it." - Amanda Geard
"An intriguing mystery wrapped in the sumptuously glamorous life of a famous designer, The Secret Thread is a story beautifully and compassionately told. With shades of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo I was enthralled till the very end." - Jennie Godfrey
"The Secret Thread is a stunning, evocative novel that pulls you into a hot summer on a grand country estate, in which the lives of two families become fatally entwined. Characters you feel like you know coupled with descriptions that are wonderfully lush and vivid meant I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I had to find out what happened to them all." - Araminta Hall
"I was completely swept up in this intoxicating tale of two sisters divided by tragedy. The Secret Thread is a riveting, beautifully told mystery that absorbs from the very first page. I loved it." - Clare Leslie Hall
"The intriguing story of Mimi Mott, with its myriad strands that eventually weave together all the secrets of her past, is riveting from the very first page. Sibling rivalry, unrequited love, class divides and a dazzling career span decades and countries- no-one does glamorous family drama like Eve Chase. It glitters and winks and shines, never letting up for a moment. Absolutely gorgeous." - Veronica Henry
"Family secrets unravel in this clever page-turner of a book, portraying a constellation of glittering characters. A sharply observed and sumptuous read." - Fiona Valpy
"An exquisite stately home caught in the stultifying summer's heat; ripe gardens and inviting river. First love and sexual awakenings. Glamorous interiors. A story waiting to be unravelled and understood. Chase's numerous fans are in for a treat with a propulsive mystery, luminous writing, and characters who stayed with me. Quite possibly her best yet." - Sarah Vaughan
"The Secret Thread is sensational - Eve Chase is a writer at the top of her game. Gripping, immersive and hair-raisingly beautiful, it is written with Chase's absolutely peerless style and flair for character. I adored every word, every page." - Rosie Walsh
"Exquisite! Shimmering with allure, The Secret Thread is a story of embroidered memories, naked ambition and families ripped asunder. With rich, textured prose, the star-crossed lives of the earthy Bramleys and the celestial Caswells unfold deliciously in this addictive read." - Evie Woods
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