Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6627 in Books
• Published on: 1990-05-25
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Synopsis
The arrival of a stranger in William Trenchard's life threatens to destroy all he holds most dear. The stranger claims to be Sir James Davenall, who was once engaged to Trenchard's wife, who supposedly committed suicide years before and his return reveals dark secrets about the Davenall family.

From the Publisher
The brain-teasing new thriller from the 'master of the clever twist'

From the Back Cover
On a mild autumn afternoon in 1882, William Trenchard sits smoking his pipe in the garden of his comfortable family home. When the creak of the garden gate heralds the arrival of an unexpected stranger, he is puzzled but not alarmed. He cannot know the destruction this man will wreak on all he holds most dear...

The stranger announces himself as James Norton, but claims he is in reality Sir James Davenall, the man to whom Trenchard's wife Constance had been engaged, and who had committed suicide eleven years ago. Sir Hugo, James's younger brother, and his mother, Lady Catherine, refuse to recognise Norton and force Trenchard - who fears the loss of his wife's affections - into an uneasy alliance against him. But Trenchard must plumb the depths of his own despair before the dark secrets of the Davenall family can finally, shockingly, be revealed...

Customer Reviews

Fantastic
This was one of the best audio books i have ever listened to the reader was excellent and the story had loads of thrills. I am now working my way through all the other Robert Goddard books. Only one criticism went on a bit too long, but still worth it

Painting a fine story
I hesitated about reading this book,, I've loved many of Goddard's other books but was concerned that this would be a bit historical for me as its set in the 1800s. Not a bit of it, it reads very well and I was totally engrossed. The best of his books that I've read so far. Kept me guessing on the edge of me seat until the end.

An engaging melodrama
In the first day of October 1882, William Trenchard, co-owner of the Trenchard & Leavis retailing chain, is still a happy man in his marital status with his wife Constance Sumner. In the afternoon of that same day, a tall, slim and elegantly dresses man comes to The Limes residence and introduces himself under the name of James Davenall.
A firework of characters, twists and turns, plots and subplots. Mr Goddard is quite a storyteller and his adventures are an excellent entertainment. The book is read in an astonishingly vivacious way by the British actor Michael Kitchen who delivers a very good performance.