Welcome to Elmwood, a once beautiful old family home, now sad and neglected since the death of its most recent occupants. Every old house has a history, but are there some unexpected mysteries hiding in the dilapidation that is left in Elmwood?

We get caught up in the family saga as the author brings us up to date. After the death of Aunt Helen’s husband, her neighbour, Gordon, mysteriously takes over and when she becomes ill, he moves into Elmwood. When Helen dies, the family discover just how treacherous the interfering Gordon has been towards them.

And yet the real and awful story only begins to take shape on Gordon’s death some time later. It falls to the author and her husband to wind up the family affairs. As they work through the letters and diaries from the old house, they unearth a whole series of unimaginable secrets from the past.

It’s real detective work but gradually the unfortunate story comes together: betrayal, secret love, unexpected death, departed joy. This is riveting stuff from start to finish, both fascinating and tragic.