The House of Shadows

Description

'Brilliant - a passionate and poignant story of a glittering family on the precipice of a vanished world' Lisa Hilton A family destroyed by war. A secret that could change everything. Celia De Witt is half-German, half-English, and heir to her family's vast fortune. But as the glittering Twenties plunge into Depression, a shocking revelation sends her far from everything she knows. Thrust headlong into the wealth and promise of New York, Celia sets out to rescue the family business - and to set in motion her own plans. The son she thought was dead, and the man she once loved, are both close at hand - but in opening the Pandora's Box of the past, what other secrets will she let loose...? As the shadow of war darkens across Europe, Celia is determined to save those she loves, even if salvation comes at the highest price... 'A beautifully conjured family saga. Fans of Downton Abbey will love it' - Alison Weir

Kate Williams is an author, social historian and broadcaster. She is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling novels The Storms of War and The Edge of the Fall and four historical biographies of Emma Hamilton, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II and Empress Josephine - which is being made into a major TV series. She studied for her DPhil at Oxford, is Professor of Public History at the University of Reading, and has also taught creative writing under Andrew Motion at Royal Holloway. She judges various prizes and was the Chair of the Costa Book Award. Kate is CNN's historical and royal expert and regularly appears on other TV programmes, presenting on Restoration Home and her series Game of Kings, and on shows from BBC Breakfast to Countryfile, from Newsnight to The Great British Bake Off, discussing social and royal history, general politics and culture. She has won Celebrity Mastermind, Pointless and Antiques Roadshow and once beat an Egghead in the history round. In her spare time, she reads and tries to grow pot plants. Find out more at www.kate-williams.com and follow her on Twitter @KateWilliamsme

This terrific saga comes with a fascinating twist ... Williams has a gift for showing how great movements in history affect the lives of people caught up in them - THE TIMES Williams keeps her story moving and the result is a vivid portrait of a perennially fascinating period of history - THE OBSERVER Downton fans will love the elegance, intrigue and drama of The House of Shadows. - YOURS MAGAZINE Brimming with a historian's knowledge and an author's human insight, Williams's trilogy has been an exciting and absorbing portrait of a world in flux, and a poignant fictional reflection on life in the opening decades of the 20th century. - LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH A rocket of a historical novel. - THE LADY