The Cuckoo's Child

A gripping historical mystery, set in the north of England - Yorkshire, 1909. When Laura Harcourt accepts a position in Wainthrope, home to a prosperous wool mill and its respected owner, Ainsley Beaumont, she does not dream that it will change her life forever. But she arrives to find the Beaumont family still torn apart by the death of Theo, Ainsley’s son, in a disastrous fire twenty years ago; and the Beaumonts have secrets ­– secrets that DI Charlie Womersely, investigating a body found floating in the mill dam, must uncover if he is to find the truth . . .ReviewThe strength of Rowe's 12th mystery set in second-century Britain (after 2010's Requiem for a Slave) lies more in the well researched history than the whodunit plot. While Longinus Flavus Libertus, a pavement maker and occasional sleuth, is attending the birthday celebration of Emperor Commodus in Glevum (ancient Gloucester), his patron, Marcus Septimus, summons him to track down a missing bride. Audelia, a former vestal virgin, was slated to marry Publius Martinus, one of the richest men in Rome, who'd come to Britannia for the wedding. Despite having next to nothing to go on (no one can describe Audelia, who usually wore a veil), Libertus has no choice but to accept Septimus's order to find the woman before word of her disappearance becomes public knowledge. The discovery of a mutilated corpse raises the stakes. The rich character of Libertus compensates for a somewhat disappointing ending. --Publishers Weekly, May 30, 2011Laura Harcourt, the plucky 21-year-old heroine of this solid stand-alone set in 1909 from British veteran Eccles (Last Nocturne), has sought her independence from her wealthy family by serving in a refuge for destitute women in London's East End. After realizing that such work is not for her, Laura accepts a position in Wainthorpe, a small Yorkshire town, to catalogue books in a 16th-century manor house owned by Ainsley Beaumont, who runs a large mill in the area. On arrival, Laura is shaken to see that a wing of the house destroyed in a fire years before remains "an empty fire-blackened shell." Later, when a man's body surfaces in the water near the mill dam, signs of blunt force trauma to the head suggest foul play. The killer's identity will surprise more than a few readers, but the book's main strength lies in the author's gift for describing people and scenery. --Publishers Weekly, May 30, 2011Laura Harcourt is at loose ends after a stint at a women's shelter in the slums of East London, so when she receives an offer to travel to the Yorkshire village of Wainthorpe and catalog wealthy mill owner Ainsley Beaumont's library, she decides to accept. When she arrives, she finds the entire Beaumont family mysterious and unwelcoming. The one bright note is handsome Tom Illingworth, a longtime friend of the Beaumonts, to whom Laura is instantly attracted. It's a shock when, soon after Laura arrives, Ainsley Beaumont is murdered. A further shock awaits. When Beaumont's will is read, Laura learns that Ainsley has left her £15,000. Why would a man she had just met leave her money? Laura realizes that Wainthorpe and the Beaumonts have many dark secrets, but she's determined to get at the truth. Set in early-twentieth century Britain, Eccles' latest enjoyably blends historical romance and suspenseful murder mystery in a keep-'em-guessing plot with revealing insights into English society at the time and authentic period ambience. Entertaining reading for fans of British historicals. -- Booklist, July 1, 2011 About the AuthorMarjorie Eccles was born in Yorkshire and spent much of her childhood there and on the Northumbrian coast. She is the recipient of the Agatha Christie Short Story Styles Award. A keen gardener, she lives with her husband in Hertfordshire.