Greek Island Escape: The perfect holiday read

Description

'I am Sofia. I am searching for my daughter, born 1st November 1972. Can you help me?' On the beautiful beaches of Crete, an old woman is handing out scraps of paper. Sofia, eighty-five years old, unable to speak, is desperate to find a daughter she has never known. After a tragic childhood in Athens and a soaring career as a singer, the brutal treatment of the man she loved by a tyrannical regime forced her to give up her daughter mere days after her birth. Now she longs to be reunited with her child before it's too late. Meanwhile in London, Zoe is searching too. In the months since the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Zoe's life has crumbled apart. Her husband has left her, her son feels forgotten, and every day is a struggle. But Zoe is desperate to track her daughter down, even if she doesn't want to be found . . .

Patricia Wilson was born in Liverpool, has lived on Crete and is now settled on Rhodes. She was first inspired to write when she unearthed a rusted machine gun in her garden - one used in the events that unfolded during World War II on the island of Crete. The now elderly women involved in those events told Patricia their story, and her celebrated debut Island of Secrets (150k copies sold) was the result.

This book would for me have been a perfect beach read. Instead it made a great lockdown read as I sat in my garden with a glass of rose, imagining I was on holiday * Fab After Fifty * We race to the end with our hearts thumping. Full of local colour and tradition this is a little slow to start but certainly builds to unexpected conclusions. Terrific stuff * Love Reading, on Villa of Secrets * Full of raw emotion * Sunday Post, on Villa of Secrets * One for the suitcase - whether real or imaginary. You'll feel you're in Greece as soon as you start reading * Frost Magazine, on Secrets of Santorini * Packed with intrigue, danger and romance, Wilson's passion for the classics and an endless fascination with foraging into the vibrant corners of history, this is a poignant and beautifully written story best read on a sunlounger with a glass of chilled ouzo * Lancashire Telegraph, on Secrets of Santorini * Wilson delves into Greece's war-torn history, weaving the past and present together to create an evocative and emotional drama that tugs at the heartstrings. It's an equally enjoyable novel whether you're hiding inside from the British rain or lounging outside in the sun * Culture Fly *