Every now and again along comes a book that pulls me in so much that I don't want it to end.  Yes, The House at Riverton is just such a book.  After I'd read The Thirteenth Tale, somebody had recommended this one to me, saying if I enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale so much, I was bound to enjoy this one.  They were right.

This is the debut novel of Australian author, Kate Morton.  The trade paperback just became available in the United States this month.

The blurb on the back of the book:  Grace Bradley was just a girl when she began working as a servant at Riverton House.  For years, her life was inextricably tied up with the glamorous and eccentric Hartford family's daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.  Then, at a glittering society party in the summer of 1924, a young poet shot himself.  The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline, and only they--and Grace--knew the dark truth.   

The authors prose flows across the pages.  Her characters are finely drawn, especially Grace, who I loved dearly.  It was obvious this author did some major research for her story, because the time period and setting was wonderfully authentic.  But what really impressed me was how Morton effortlessly wove her story back and forth from past to present.  When the story begins, Grace is now 99 and residing in a nursing home.  She receives a visit from a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer........the director takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories of the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege, of the vibrant twenties and of a stunning secret that Grace kept all her life.

I truly didn't want this story to end.  It was that good.  But I have to say that even the ending had a very satisfying finish, with all the loose ends properly tied up.

And the good news is........Morton's second novel, The Forgotten Garden, will be released here in the US in May.  I've already pre-ordered it on Amazon.  She's now working on her third novel, The Distant Years, which takes place during WWII.

I've found myself another new author.  Her writing and story has captured me and I wanted to share it here with you.

See you here next time.............