This book goes on sale tomorrow, but I got an advance copy to review for Waterstones and can recommend it as a great read. It tells the incredible story of a lost or veiled history attached to one of the wealthiest aristocratic families in the country.
Catherine Bailey explains how she originally wanted to write a book on the impact of the First World War on this small part of England. She wanted to follow the paths of all the Belvoir volunteers who had left their roles on the estate to fight for their country. However when she started to go through the family records at Belvoir Castle a darker story started to emerge. Although the records had been catalogued, archived and meticulously organised to an incredible level of detail, spanning hundreds of years, they revealed 3 short periods of time that were missing. Further investigation led her to understand that they had been removed to conceal something that the 9th Duke of Rutland wanted to remain secret - something that led him to work tirelessly right up to his last moments before he died alone in the very rooms that house the archive of records. He went to great lengths to erase these periods within his personal history, however fragments of clues remained that were just enough to be explored and the real story gradually unfolds.
The mystery is incredibly intriguing and each chapter ends with a further twist or revelation that keeps you wanting to read on. The detective work that the author has undertaken in order to follow all the trails, hints and sometimes red herrings to get to the bottom of the mystery reveal the wider context within which the events are taking place – from the military service records publically available right through to private correspondence that has been preserved by friends and acquaintances of the family. All these sources are pieced together to expose aspects of the Rutland’s characters that some would have preferred to remain private.
This book would appeal to those who have also enjoyed The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Mrs Robinsons Disgrace. It’s a great read, very easy to get into and equally hard to put down.
