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1959, 2018: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery
1959, 2018: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery
At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tumbilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.
Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.
At a loose end in Nora’s house, Jess does some digging into her past. In Nora’s bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime – a crime that has never been truly solved. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find . . .
Adelaide Hills
The novel evokes the area of the Adelaide Hills extremely well. This is KAte Morton’s homeland and she knows this area inside out. She describes and evokes it in some fine detail and you have to use your five senses to appreciate it when reading.
The small town where the house is, Tumbilla, is fictional but it is close to Nairne, Cudlee Valley and Verdun as these are mentioned as being nearby.
You can see the house and land very very clearly when reading the book. The landscape with its native flora and fauna really is something to enjoy becoming immersed in thanks to Kate’s writing.
London
London plays a small part in the novel. There’s a lovely scene in the Charles Dickens museum which will make you want to go there and take some tea!
This is just Kate Morton on a whole other level!
Destination/location: South Australia, Adelaide Author/guide: Kate Morton Departure Time: 1959, 2018
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