Published By: Boldwood
Pages: 280
Released On: 13/05/2024
Something old, something new, something stolen…?
Gina Knight is looking forward to the prospect of retirement with her husband of forty-three years. Until, to her surprise, said husband decides he needs to ‘find himself’ – alone – and disappears to Santa Fe, leaving divorce papers in his wake.
Now Gina needs a new role in life, not to mention somewhere to live, so she applies for the position of Companion to elderly Dorothy Reed. At eighty-three, ‘Dot’ needs someone to help her around the house – or at least, her family seems to think so. Her companion’s first role would be to accompany Dot for a week-long extravagant wedding party.
But when Georgina arrives at the large Norfolk estate where the wedding will take place, she quickly discovers Dot has an ulterior motive for hiring her. While the other guests are busy sipping champagne and playing croquet, Dot needs Georgina to help her solve a mystery – about a missing painting, which she believes is hidden somewhere in the house.
Because, after all, who would suspect two old ladies of getting up to mischief?
*****
Thanks to Kate herself for sending me an advanced copy of her new book in return for an honest review.
I have read and absolutely adored Kate’s previous two books – The Second Chance Holiday Club and The Golden Girls’ Road Trip – they were so gorgeous and such fun and so was thrilled when Kate got in touch about reading her new one. I always feel like I’ve had a big cosy hug when I read her books.
She has this immense talent and ability to write older characters. So often in fiction, old people, especially women, are written into books as an extra, a novelty, a joke, in the way, is forgetful, is an obstacle. Rarely are they the main star, and that’s what I love about her books. She shows such compassion towards them and they make just as good protagonists as any youngster and I for one, love her for that.
There’s many, many characters in it, and I don’t have the space to go into all them, but I will obviously talk about our two main ladies.
I felt sorry for Gina at first. This is her life and yet it’s being ruled by her ex-husband and her children (although more her daughter than her son). She seemed a bit timid, but came into her own when given the chance. She was a really well written character. She’s clearly an older lady, but there’s enough of a gap between her and Dorothy for you to see this relationship blossom, rather than just having two old women living together. She felt very everyday, like she could be you or I, a friend or a relative. Very relatable and normal, but never dull.
And then we have Dorothy, who I loved. She’s this old woman whose family think she needs help, but she doesn’t think so, but she does play up to the old woman charade when needed. She is just gorgeous. I could picture her in my mind instantly. For me, she was this boho, free spirit of an old lady, rather than your stereotypical doddery grey-haired grandmother. I found her instantly interesting.
I would say your antagonist, if you want to call him that, is Leonard, Dorothy’s relation and behind the week’s get together. I won’t spoil why or what he does, but he definitely felt very slimy and cold, definitely hiding something, but again very well written, even if I didn’t like him much.
It is an uplifting and joyous book, but there are elements of a thriller here, almost a whodunnit, which gave it more depth and made it even more exciting.
Yes, at its heart it is an uplifting book, but it doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, such as death, grief, accidents, thievery, old age, divorce, feeling lost, revenge, and blackmail.
It was another of my break-my-rule-of-never-reading-the-kindle-in-bed rule. To be honest, that keeps happening, and I feel it’s now become – in the words of one Captain Jack Sparrow – more of a guideline than an actual rule. I just couldn’t put it down. I read it in less than 24 hours. That’s three of her books read, and all loved, and I cannot wait for future works as she’s an excellent storyteller.
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