The Women of Heachley Hall - Rachel Walkley

A family saga mystery about a decaying house with secrets only women can discover and a tragedy that needs forgiveness and self-sacrifice to resolve.

Twenty-eight year old Miriam moves into abandoned Heachley Hall and she plans to continue to work as an illustrator while renovating the property. She's the sole surviving heir to her great-aunt's estate, however, great fortune comes with an unbreakable contract. To earn her inheritance, Miriam must live a year and a day in the decaying Heachley Hall.

Located on the Norfolk coast in a fictional village near Hunstanton, the house is neglected and surrounded by woods draped in sea mist. With the help of a local handyman, Charles, she begins to transform the Victorian house and when she struggles with the scale of the renovations, she increasingly relies on him and ignores his peculiar habit of coming and going without explanation.

Miriam is desperate to discover the truth behind Felicity's terms. But, delving into Felicity and Heachley's long past is going to turn Miriam's view of the world upside down.

After tracking down her aunt's lost possessions, Miriam uncovers the consequences of a devastating fire, the plight of a selfish lover and the history of her own fragmented family.

The book is in three parts and narrated from the perspective of two characters in the first person.

Fans of family sagas will enjoy the historical aspect of the book, while readers of women's fiction and authors such as Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton, Karen Swan and Lulu Taylor, will appreciate the independent spirit of Miriam.