Synopsis
An island of secrets. A runaway. And a promise…
A rebellious daughter
1923. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name. Rosalie Delacroix flees Paris for a dancer’s job in the bohemian clubs deep in its winding streets.
A sister with a secret
1944. Running from the brutality of war in France, Florence Baudin faces a new life. But her estranged mother makes a desperate request: to find her vanished sister, who went missing years before.
A rift over generations
Betrayals and secrets, lies and silence hang between the sisters. A faded last letter from Rosalie is Florence’s only clue, the war an immovable barrier – and time is running out…
Praise
‘Sisters, secrets and Malta at war . . . utterly gripping’
Susan Lewis
‘Dinah Jefferies wields her storytelling magic on the island of Malta, where cultures collide and ancient palaces hold secrets in their stones. She writes of women who have to find strengths they didn’t know they possessed, and families fractured by love, lies and war. It’s engrossing and sensual, full of the heat of the Mediterranean sun.’
Gill Paul
‘The Hidden Palace is a pitch-perfect continuation of the Daughters of War trilogy and completely swept me away to another place and time. Dinah Jefferies is the queen of sumptuous settings, transporting the reader effortlessly from chocolate-box Devonshire to the cabaret clubs of 1920s Paris and war-torn Malta. A marvellous multi-layered story, populated with characters to really care for. Fabulous!’
Hazel Gaynor
‘Sweeping and sumptuous with a gorgeously described sense of place. A marvellous adventure.’
Tracy Rees