Laurence Bartram

In the aftermath of the Great War and a devastating family tragedy, Laurence Bartram has turned his back on the world. A well-timed letter draws him back in. Mary Emmett's brother John, an officer during the war-has apparently killed himself while in the care of a remote veterans' hospital, and Mary needs to why. What connects a group of war poets, a feud within Emmett's regiment and a hidden love affair? Was Emmett's death really a suicide or the missing piece in a series of murders?

When Great War veteran Laurence Bartram arrives in Easton Deadall, he is struck by the beauty of the place: a crumbling manor, a venerable church, and a memorial to the village's soldiers, almost all of whom died in one bloody battle. Now peace prevails, but Easton Deadall remains haunted by tragedy - as does the Easton family. In 1911, five-year-old Kitty disappeared from her bed and has not been seen in thirteen years; only her fragile mother still believes she is alive.