The Last To Know by Jo Furniss

 

A family’s past pursues them like a shadow in this riveting and emotional novel of psychological suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of All the Little Children.

American journalist Rose Kynaston has just relocated to the childhood home of her husband, Dylan, in the English village of his youth. There’s a lot for Rose to get used to in Hurtwood. Like the family’s crumbling mansion, inhabited by Dylan’s reclusive mother, and the treacherous hill it sits upon, a place of both sinister folklore and present dangers.

Then there are the unwelcoming villagers, who only whisper the name Kynaston—like some dreadful secret, a curse. Everyone knows what happened at Hurtwood House twenty years ago. Everyone except Rose. And now that Dylan is back, so are rumors about his past.

When an archaeological dig unearths human remains on the hill, local police sergeant Ellie Trevelyan vows to solve a cold case that has cast a chill over Hurtwood for decades.

As Ellie works to separate rumor from fact, Rose must fight to clear the name of the man she loves. But how can Rose keep her family safe if she is the last to know the truth?

So, English village ✔️ Family returning to set up home in husband's ancestral home ✔️ Mystery and rumours about husband's family past✔️ Secrets unearthed ✔️

Yes, this book was just the kind of read I like. I don't know why stories set in this kind of location pull me in but there often seems a more 'community' feel to the supporting cast - and that was very much the case here. Does hubby have a secret in his past? Does gossip and rumour grow until falsehoods are believed as truth?

For me the story flowed well, with the two different view points, Rose - the wife struggling to settle in, and Ellie - the local police officer investigating human remains found at a nearby dig. How it all comes together makes for a good, enjoyable read.

Recommended 4/5*

Thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for inviting me to review this book