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“McKervey excels at [such] insights into longing and self-deception. Her observations of human foibles are both humorous and profound. One odious character, Johnnie, is “the sort of man who, if he stole something from you, would be the first to sympathise with your loss.”
Set against the abdication of Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson, the novel explores similar themes of duty, reputation and female autonomy. Ultimately, it is less about solving a mystery than examining how jealousy, dependence and class shape the fragile architecture of power between women. The result is a tight, compelling Gothic thriller that both honours and reimagines its literary predecessor.” The Irish Times
“The book is tight, every chapter has a point and succeeds in effortlessly progressing the story forward, keeping the pace sharp, quick and in a way that enables the tension to build…Being pulled from one character to the other and their respective predicaments ratchets up the suspense and intrigue…it was immensely satisfying to discover the details of what happened and to recognise the importance of a seemingly minor detail before its reveal later on”. The Irish Independent
This novel was inspired by one of literature’s most curious unsolved puzzles: in Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 suspense masterpiece Rebecca, who is the woman buried as Rebecca in the de Winter family crypt? I have read Rebecca many times and always wondered as to the identity of the body taken from the sea that Maxim de Winter claims, two months after her disappearance, is that of his missing wife. This body is then laid to rest in the de Winter family crypt. A year later, Rebecca de Winter’s body is recovered from the cabin of her yacht by divers investigating a wreck nearby. When Rebecca’s body is found, there is no mention of where the misidentified stranger’s disinterred corpse will be moved to. The woman disappears from the narrative, a mystery unsolved.
I found myself thinking often about this poor unclaimed creature and imagining what her story might have been.
Henrietta McKervey 