Book synopsis
Escape to Enchanted Hill in this historical mystery where two people with a dark, shared past collide while working undercover at a glittering mansion on the California coast. The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd’s legendary estate. She’s closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client. An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals. Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again-and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down. They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd’s labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed. Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable, sweepingly romantic novel set in a world you won’t want to leave.
About the Author
Emily Bain Murphy was born in Indiana and raised in Hong Kong and Japan. She graduated from Tufts University and has also called Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California home.
Murphy is the author of the critically acclaimed YA fantasies SPLINTERS OF SCARLET and THE DISAPPEARANCES, which was a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, an ALAN Pick, and shortlisted for the Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize.
Her debut adult historical mystery ENCHANTED HILL is available Nov. 7, 2023 (Union Square + Co.)
Murphy is represented by Peter Knapp at Park & Fine Literary and Media. She currently lives in the St. Louis area with her husband and three children. Follow her online on Instagram @emilybainmurphy and www.EmilyBainMurphy.com.
My review
This book is set in the 1930’s with flash backs to when Cora is younger. A wonderful mystery with beautiful characters.
Cora and Jack are intriguing characters and their storyline will have you hooked on this book from the start. Meeting when Cora was a young girl and then a chance meeting again you can feel their emotions for one another within the chapters of this book. Both are complex characters in their own right with their own problems and they both have to learn to trust again.
Enchanted Hill is a beautiful house that Cora is working in as a servant undercover. She grew up on Pelican Island where she met Jack through a fence at the Prison there. I would love to read more about Cora and Jack and their mysteries.
Some of my favourite quotes are –
“And in that moment, he realized what he wanted most of all was for someone to forgive him.”
“Redemption isn’t possible without the truth.”
“It was the first time Cora had ever realized there was a difference between being in the shade and the shadows.”
Disclaimer – Thank you to the Author and the publishers for my advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.