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Escape to Enchanted Hill in this historical mystery where two people with a dark, shared past collide while working undercover at a glittering mansion on the California coast.
The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd's legendary estate. She's closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client.
An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.
Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again-and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.
They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd's labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.
Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable historical romance set in a world you won't want to leave, and is perfect for fans of historical fiction books like the Molly Murphy Mysteries, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Kate Morton books.
Emily Bain Murphy was born in Indiana and raised in Hong Kong and Japan. She graduated from Tufts University and has also called Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California home. Murphy is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels: The Disappearances, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and Splinters of Scarlet. Murphy lives in St. Louis with her husband and three children, where she's always on the lookout for beautiful old mansions hiding new stories. Find her online at Instagram @emilybainmurphy and www.emilybainmurphy.com. When she turned toward him, her eyes were fire.
"Why are you here with a name other than your own?" Jack asked.
"I could ask you the same question," she retorted. "I'm wondering what the going reward might be for turning you in."
"So you haven't turned me in, then," he said, watching her face carefully.
"Yet," she said.
They stared at one another for a long moment, hardly breathing, and he had a sudden memory of the Western radio shows that Leo used to listen to when they were young. Two outlaws, facing off. He saw the rise and fall of her chest. Her hazel eyes were alert and dilated, framed by a fringe of lashes.
"You're working as a maid here, but you don't want anyone to know your real name," he said. "Interesting." He kept his eyes on her. "You wouldn't need to go to any of that trouble on my account. Unless…" He fiddled with the button on his cuffs, thinking. "You're actually not here for me, after all."
His smile became easier when he rolled up his sleeves. More relaxed, like a fist loosening, and with a fierce, hot swell, Cora looked as though she hated him. It was fascinating to watch the grooves of her face, the way she had grown from a girl into a woman. He had never seen her truly angry-scared or annoyed, sometimes, and sad, and so many other emotions that had played out across her face as a young girl, but this was something else entirely.
"It appears we both are different people than everyone else thinks we are," he said. He leaned forward, just a bit. Almost conspiratorially.
"And yet that's where the similarities between us end," she said, drawing away from him. "Because only one of us is a killer who should either be locked up or rot
The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd's legendary estate. She's closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client.
An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.
Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again-and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.
They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd's labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.
Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable historical romance set in a world you won't want to leave, and is perfect for fans of historical fiction books like the Molly Murphy Mysteries, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Kate Morton books.
Emily Bain Murphy was born in Indiana and raised in Hong Kong and Japan. She graduated from Tufts University and has also called Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California home. Murphy is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels: The Disappearances, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and Splinters of Scarlet. Murphy lives in St. Louis with her husband and three children, where she's always on the lookout for beautiful old mansions hiding new stories. Find her online at Instagram @emilybainmurphy and www.emilybainmurphy.com. When she turned toward him, her eyes were fire.
"Why are you here with a name other than your own?" Jack asked.
"I could ask you the same question," she retorted. "I'm wondering what the going reward might be for turning you in."
"So you haven't turned me in, then," he said, watching her face carefully.
"Yet," she said.
They stared at one another for a long moment, hardly breathing, and he had a sudden memory of the Western radio shows that Leo used to listen to when they were young. Two outlaws, facing off. He saw the rise and fall of her chest. Her hazel eyes were alert and dilated, framed by a fringe of lashes.
"You're working as a maid here, but you don't want anyone to know your real name," he said. "Interesting." He kept his eyes on her. "You wouldn't need to go to any of that trouble on my account. Unless…" He fiddled with the button on his cuffs, thinking. "You're actually not here for me, after all."
His smile became easier when he rolled up his sleeves. More relaxed, like a fist loosening, and with a fierce, hot swell, Cora looked as though she hated him. It was fascinating to watch the grooves of her face, the way she had grown from a girl into a woman. He had never seen her truly angry-scared or annoyed, sometimes, and sad, and so many other emotions that had played out across her face as a young girl, but this was something else entirely.
"It appears we both are different people than everyone else thinks we are," he said. He leaned forward, just a bit. Almost conspiratorially.
"And yet that's where the similarities between us end," she said, drawing away from him. "Because only one of us is a killer who should either be locked up or rot