The Midnight House.
Out Now in hardback, paperback, audio and ebook.
People disappear. Secrets remain.
A rich, spellbinding mystery, sweeping from the wilds of beautiful Ireland to wartime London, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley.
Over 13,500 Amazon ratings and a Bookseller Heatseeker for 2023
1940: In south-west Ireland, the beautiful Lady Charlotte Rathmore is pronounced dead after she mysteriously disappears by the lake of Blackwater Hall. In London, on the brink of the Blitz, Nancy Rathmore is grieving Charlotte's death when a letter arrives containing a secret that she is sworn to keep - one that will change her life for ever.
1958: When she moves to the mysterious Blackwater Hall, Nancy’s daughter Hattie soon realises that nothing above or below stairs is quite as it seems … and what she discovers she can never forget.
2019: Decades later, Ellie Fitzgerald is forced to leave Dublin disgraced and heartbroken. Abandoning journalism, she returns to rural Kerry to weather out the storm. But, when she discovers a faded letter, tucked inside the pages of an old book, she finds herself drawn in by a long-buried secret. And as Ellie begins to unravel the mystery, it becomes clear that the letter might hold the key to more than just Charlotte's disappearance.
Moving between 1940, 1958 and 2019, this is an unforgettable and spellbinding story of secrets, war, love and sacrifice.
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“A wonderful tale of family secrets. Compelling, intriguing, and brimming with lush historical detail.”
— HAZEL GAYNOR, NYT bestselling author of The Bird in the Bamboo Cage
“An intriguing multi-layered mystery spanning generations, evocative and beautifully written.”
— TRACY REES, Richard & Judy winner and author of The Hourglass
“Amanda Geard is a warm and lively new voice and has a wonderful storytelling talent. I loved The Midnight House.”
— RACHEL HORE, author of bestselling Richard & Judy Bookclub Last Letter Home and A Beautiful Spy
“I was pulled in from page one. It's beautiful and I love it.”
— LIZ FENWICK, “the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel”
“I really, really loved it. Written in that old-school, descriptively beautiful way I just love and adore. Totally atmospheric and wonderfully escapist.”
— LORNA COOK, USA Today bestselling author of The Girl from the Island
“With its gorgeous setting, wonderful characters, & secrets that kept me glued to the pages, it's a beauty - a hit for 2022!”
— JENNY ASHCROFT, author of Under the Golden Sun and Meet Me in Bombay
“Moving and intriguing … A lovely book.”
— SINÉAD MORIARTY, Bestselling Irish author and Easons Ambassador
“An intriguing story with wonderful characters in a beautiful setting. I loved it.”
— RACHAEL ENGLISH, author of the #1 bestseller ‘The Letter Home’
Audio.
Listen to a sample of the audiobook of The Midnight House. Read by the wonderful actress and narrator, Caitlin Shannon.
Ebook.
Read a sample of the ebook of The Midnight House.
What bloggers are saying …
“Enchanting, enveloping and cleverly written, The Midnight House is the perfect read for all fans of historical fiction. It has all the ingredients you could possibly need, with a sprinkling of Kerry magic on top of a tightly woven mystery.” Mairéad Hearne at Writing.ie
“My Book of the Year.” Frank O’Shea of Tinteán Magazine (The Australian Irish Heritage Network)
“Amanda Geard has written a captivating debut encompassing a mystery which unfolds between the covers, family secrets and female friendship in a spellbinding setting. I absolutely loved it.” Nicola from Short Books & Scribes
“Warning – Don’t read this if you, like myself, haven’t been to Kerry in a while, it’s all you’ll want to do after finishing it.” Katy from Dublin City FM
“I was hooked to the very last page. I quite simply just loved this book.” Mary from Over40AndAMumToOne
“… a beguiling and riveting book with a few mind blowing twists that keep the reader rapidly turning the pages as you move between the past and present as Ellie becomes drawn into the mystery surrounding Lady Charlotte’s disappearance so many years ago ... If this is the calibre of Amanda’s debut novel I can only imagine what is to come in the future.” Emma Crowley at Shaz’s Book Blog
The Midnight House is a LoveMyRead pick!
“Stories have the power to change lives. They can change the way we see the world and shake our souls up for the better. Sharing a story is one of life’s greatest gifts.”
Book Club Questions - from the Richard & Judy WHSmith Special Edition
1. The friendship between Nancy and Charlotte is central to the novel. What other key relationships drive the narrative?
2. Nancy kept secrets from both Albert, Teddy and Tomas. Do you think she was right to do this and how would her story, and the story of those around her, have been different if she hadn’t?
3. How do the descriptions in the different settings of the novel bring the story to life?
4. Nancy and Ellie are two young women living eight decades apart. What are their similarities and differences and how are these affected by the time in which they live?
