The Distant Hours

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long-lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret. Evacuated from London as a 13-year-old girl, Edie’s mother was chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family. Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother’s riddle, she too is drawn to Milderhurst Castle and the eccentric Blythe sisters. Old ladies now, the three still live together as the twins nurse Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time to be uncovered ...

About the Author :
Kate Morton grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland and now lives in London. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, specialising in 19th century tragedy and contemporary novels. Kate has sold over ten million copies of her novels in 33 languages, across 38 countries. The Shifting Fog, published internationally as The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours and The Secret Keeper have all been number one bestsellers around the world. Louise Brealey is an actor and writer known for her roles in Back (Channel 4), Clique (BBC/Netflix) and Gomorrah (HBO Max). She played the role of Molly Hooper in the multi-award-winning TV series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Her stage work includes roles at the National Theatre, Royal Court, the Young Vic and the Bush with directors Marianne Elliott, Peter Hall, Roger Michell and Howard Davies. Most recently she has co-starred in film comedy Brian and Charles and on television in Netflix’s ghost-hunting smash, Lockwood & Co. Louise can next be seen as the lead in the BFI’s lesbian chicken factory musical Chuck Chuck Baby.

Review :
'There's a rewarding, bittersweet payoff in the author's most gothic tale yet.' 'An enthralling romantic thriller … will stun readers.' 'An absorbing and haunting read.' ‘A bewitching tale of family secrets and betrayal.’ ‘A dilapidated castle, aristocratic twins, a troubled sister and a series of dark secrets cast a whispery spell in Morton’s third book.’ 'Featuring a fresh and thrilling gothic mystery, cinematic storytelling, and fully developed characters who possess layers of deliciously surprising secrets, this complex story is developed at a leisurely but compelling pace that keeps readers hooked.' ‘The Distant Hours demonstrates a new leap in Morton’s authorial choreography ... [She] sustains an atmosphere of quiet dread rivaling that developed by Sarah Waters in The Little Stranger ... A rich treat for fans of historical fiction.’