The Daughters of Foxcote Manor - Eve Chase

Oh. my. gosh. I cannot tell you how much I loved Eve Chase's new book, The Daughters of Foxcote Manor!!

After a tragedy in London, Mrs. Harrington, her son and daughter move to the family's country home. With them is Rita, a naive nanny who loves the Harrington children. The danger and tension ramp up - and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.

What's not to love? 1970 England. An isolated, crumbling house in a forest. The forest itself is hiding many secrets. An older housekeeper who insinuates herself into the lives of the inhabitants. Danger in the form of a husband and a lover, each vying for the same woman. There's a Gothic feel to this part of the book.

The story at Foxcote Manor is alternated with a second timeline. Forty years forward Sylvie is making changes in her life. She has decided to leave her husband and start over. But, the fact is she has never really addressed her own start in life. Not until her daughter uncovers a cache of newspaper clippings in her ailing grandmother's home.

How Chase ties these two stories together is brilliant. There are so many threads from the past that weave into the present  - in ways I hadn't seen coming.

The characters were so well drawn. My heart was with Rita. The relationships are just as well developed - complicated, intricate and entwined. The plotting is so imaginative and unique. And the settings will draw the reader in. For me, it was the forest that called.

Chase's writing is so very, very good - she is a brilliant storyteller. And it makes for addicting reading.  I can't recommend The Daughters of Foxcote Manor enough. Have a look - read an excerpt.

Fans of Kate Morton will want to read The Daughters of Foxcote Manor - or any of Chase's books - I've read and loved them all.