Cat Carlisle

Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out… that is until a trusted friend asks her to switch her husband's papers in a desperate bid to confuse the Germans. Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and the evidence seems to point right at her.

After a sudden unexplained disappearance, Thomas Charles comes back into Cat Carlisle's life with the suggestion she leave London – and the threat of bombs – to move to back her childhood village in Cumberland. Back in her hometown Cat discovers her childhood friend, Beth Hargreaves, is suspected of murder. As Cat tries to prove Beth's innocence, she discovers a scheme of deception that affects the whole village. Can she uncover the family truths behind the murder and expose the enemy hiding in plain sight?

While World War Two rages, Cat Carlisle runs a women's refuge to protect beaten wives. But when one of the women is found dead in the woods behind the house, Cat's world shatters. Was the killer a violent husband seeking revenge? A secret lover? Or is something more dangerous at play? Because Cat and her fiancé Thomas have a secret: they're hiding a precious golden chalice, keeping it locked safely away from the plundering Nazis until the war is over. But someone wants that treasure, and no one will be safe until they get it... '... Just when you think everything is resolved, you let your guard down, and think it might coast towards a happy ending... oh no, we're off again, and it's quite wonderfully done...