Summer 1924: on the eve of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.
Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time house-maid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could.
Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The Shifting Fog is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.
#28 in Australia’s Top 100 Favourite Homegrown Reads
‘…an extraordinary debut….a sweeping saga, a period piece, a romance, and a mystery…written with a lovely turn of phrase by someone who knows how to eke out tantalising secrets and drama…’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Full of lovely writing, grand houses, snobbery, cruelty and passion, this compelling mystery-cum-love story…is utterly addictive….A brilliant Australian debut.’ Australian Women’s Weekly
‘…captures the atmosphere and ambience of the time and place, the melancholy and wistfulness as well as the glittering moments…(A) haunting and enthralling book, exquisite not only in the writing but also in the structure.’ Good Reading
‘…you get a sense of stepping back in time, and feeling the heartache and thrills of love. A beautifully told, engrossing tale.’ New Idea
‘A stunning must-read story that’s set for stardom.’ Time Out
‘…one of those novels which act on the reader somewhat like Pringles crisps. You may not intend to stay up until 3 am, but there you are, turning the pages faster and faster, pretending the alarm clock isn’t set for 7 am.’ Irish Times
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