'Layers of secrets are gradually peeled back in this brilliantly absorbing tale.' Marion Todd, author of Old Bones Lie

Darkness lies at the heart of this family...

In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.

In the present day, Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy, Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers.

– Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.

As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?

A twisty, chilling modern gothic story about family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Louise Douglas and Harriet Evans.

CE Rose is the pen name of Caroline England, the author of psychological thrillers "Beneath the Skin", "My Husband’s Lies", "Betray Her" and "Truth Games". As CE Rose, Caroline has written gothic-tinged domestic suspense novels, "The House of Hidden Secrets" and "The House on the Water’s Edge".