The Distant Hours

The discovery of a long-lost letter reveals an old secret and the truth behind a woman's mysterious past in the best-selling novel from international publishing sensation, Kate Morton, author of The Shifting Fog and The Forgotten Garden.

'A fresh and thrilling gothic mystery . . . Layers of deliciously surprising secrets' Library Journal

Edie Burchill and her mother, Meredith, have never been close, but when a long-lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, Edie begins to suspect that her mother's emotional distance masks an old secret.

As a thirteen-year-old World War Two evacuee, Meredith was sent to live with the mysterious Blythe family: Juniper, her twin sisters Percy and Saffy, and their father, Raymond, author of the 1918 children's classic The True History of the Mud Man. In the grand and glorious Milderhurst Castle, a new world opened up for Meredith. She discovered the joys of books and fantasy and writing, but also, ultimately, their dangers.

Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother's riddle, she, too, is drawn to Kent and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel Meredith's past; but there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected.

'An intriguing and beautifully observed story.' Lancashire Evening Post

About the Author

Kate Morton is the award-winning, worldwide bestselling author of The Shifting Fog (known internationally as The House at Riverton), The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House and The Clockmaker's Daughter. Her books are published in 38 languages across 45 territories and have been #1 bestsellers around the world. She holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature and lives with her family in London and Australia.

Kate Morton's new novel, Homecoming, will be published in April 2023. Join Kate's mailing list and receive early information about her books at katemorton.com. Kate can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.