During WWII many stately homes were requisitioned for military use and Lord Westerham's ancestral home was now being used by the army. One morning, his daughter comes across a dead soldier who appears to have fallen to his death when his parachute failed to open. But there are many questions surrounding the dead soldier with no identity and only a photograph tucked away.
The story continues to unfold through once childhood friends, the five daughters of Lord Westerham, their neighbor Jeremy and the vicar's son, Ben. Many of the friends are involved in top secret jobs whether in the military, the code breaking facility of Bletchly Park or MI5.
My thoughts:
Rhys Bowen has done in depth research for the novel. There were lots of things I'd forgotten about living in England in the 40s and 50s - one is that trains had separate carriages for ladies who preferred to be segregated from the male population. She weaves a good story using childhood pals who know a little about the secret societies of nazi sympathizers in England at the time. Although they each stated they had signed The Official Secrets Act they didn't seem particularly concerned with discussing secrets among themselves but was necessary for the story to develop.
This would make an excellent book club read.
A few bits of interesting info:
Dolphin Square was once the largest block of flats in Europe and Ian Fleming was recruited there by MI5
Many of the English aristocrats during WWII (including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor) were Nazi sympathizers and part of the reason why the English government did not want Edward to remain their king.
Girls born in Kent are referred to as either Kentish Maids or Maids of Kent depending on which side of the River Medway they are born. (Or for men - Kentish men or men of Kent).
