I still dream,every night,of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace.
By day,Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy - one whose death decades ago haunts her still.
For Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the Great House,and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover,if she is ever to be free.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9780241503300Number of pages: 288Weight: 499 gDimensions: 240 x 162 x 28 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'The Key in the Lock is an absolute triumph! Dark,clever and utterly enthralling,this is historical fiction - and storytelling - at its absolute best. I can't wait to read whatever Beth Underdown writes next'- Elizabeth Macneal
'Underdown's latest is a gothic mystery of the highest order. Chilling,sad,beautiful,and so elegantly conjured,it's a story that summons du Maurier but retains ghosts all its own. I raced through it,my heart in my mouth. Superb'- Emma Stonex
'The Key in the Lock is the perfect gothic novel. It has secrets,guilt,brilliant characters,and a grand old house built on a terrible past. An absolute corker'- Stuart Turton'Absorbing,beautifully written... Everything I enjoy in a gothic mystery'- Rosie Andrews
'This is a novel of true elegance,deftly and satisfyingly plotted. I expect impeccable prose from Beth Underdown but The Key In The Lock is also wise,thoughtful,and profoundly moving'- Imogen Hermes Gowar
'The Key in the Lock will enthral fans of The Witchfinder's Sister. A brooding Cornish tale of a grieving mother obsessively unpicking the lies around the death of the child of the man she secretly loves,it'll also recruit fans of Du Maurier & Waters'- Patrick Gale'Deliciously intriguing from the very first sentence,with shades of Du Maurier and Dunmore. I was hooked by this exquisitely written tale of secrets and lies'- Sara Collins
'A smouldering gothic mystery that slowly envelopes you,The Key in the Lock is a novel of repressed desire and well-tended grief - getting to the very heart of the grudges we hold against ourselves'- Joseph Knox
'Brilliantly twisty,dripping with mystery and utterly heartbreaking'- Emily Koch
'I was completely enthralled by this poetic,beautifully conceived and executed mystery full of secrets and subtlety'- Imogen Robertson
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