When Gemma discovers a pair of ancient duelling pistols encrusted with rubies in the basement of the local museum, she is immediately intrigued…
On a fateful night in 1838, two sisters were found shot in the cellars of Red Hill Hall. And when Gemma delves deeper into their history, she begins to realise that the secrets of that night are darker than anyone had ever imagined.
As the shocking events of the past begin to unravel, Gemma’s own life starts to fall apart. Loyalties are tested and suddenly it seems as if history is repeating itself, as Gemma learns that female friendships can be deadly…
Perfect for fans of The Emerald Comb, The Pearl Locket, Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.
The Daughters of Red Hill Hall
Kathleen McGurl
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2016
Copyright © Kathleen McGurl 2016
Kathleen McGurl asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © April 2016 ISBN: 9781474049627
Version date: 2019-11-18
KATHLEEN MCGURL lives near the sea in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband and elderly tabby cat. She has two sons who are now grown-up and have left home. She began her writing career creating short stories, and sold dozens to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Then she got side-tracked onto family history research – which led eventually to writing novels with genealogy themes. She has always been fascinated by the past, and the ways in which the past can influence the present, and enjoys exploring these links in her novels.
When not writing or working at her full-time job in IT, she likes to go out running. She also adores mountains and is never happier than when striding across the Lake District fells, following a route from a Wainwright guidebook.
You can find out more at her website: http://kathleenmcgurl.com/, or follow her on Twitter: @KathMcGurl.
‘There were twists and turns galore that had me gripping my Kindle to within an inch of its life…’
– Becca’s Books on The Pearl Locket
“…exciting, fast-paced and impossible to put down…”
– Books Reviews by Em on The Emerald Comb
“Two stories: one historical, the other contemporary, cleverly interwoven with conflict, mystery and passion…an absorbing read”
– Jane Hunt on The Emerald Comb
“Infuriatingly well-written…an intelligent and refreshingly different read”
– Read Reviewed on The Emerald Comb
“An edge of your seat read, that is a page turner and gripped me from page one”
– Comet Babe on The Emerald Comb
“…beautifully written and left you wanting more. More of everything.”
– Feed Me Into Books on The Emerald Comb
The Emerald Comb
The Pearl Locket
The Girl from Ballymor
The Drowned Village
The Forgotten Secret
The Stationmaster’s Daughter
My thanks are due as always to my editor Victoria Oundjian and everyone else at Carina, for their advice, support, superb editing and wonderful cover designs.
Thanks also to my writing buddies – the other Carina authors, the Write Women and my friends in the Romantic Novelists Association. Writing is a lonely activity, and the online chats and occasional meet-ups are what keep me going.
My sons, once again, helped me out with this book. Fionn McGurl gave me valuable feedback as my beta-reader, and Connor McGurl acted as a sounding-board and helped me work out some tricky plot twists. My heartfelt thanks to both of them.
Thanks to Della Galton, whose writing classes I attended for many years. This novel grew from a prologue I wrote for one of her end-of-term competitions.
And finally, thanks to my husband Ignatius McGurl who was so enthusiastic about that prologue that it spurred me on to complete the entire novel.
For my husband Ignatius. This is the book you said I should write!
Contents
