Lyonhurst

by Rona Randall

Book Overview

Originally published in Great Britain under the title Walk into my parlour. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345254031
• ISBN13: 9780345254030
• Release Date: May 1977
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable Romantic Mystery

The plot line begins with a tragedy. A young woman of 16, Katherine, is seperated from the man, Pierre, whom she has married in secret. Her father, Sir Humphrey, has found out that she is pregnant with Pierre's child and he comes to get her. She has been in France at a convent for schooling. Sir Humphrey is a wealthy barrister from England. The child is born and immediately taken from Katherine. Sir Humphrey will not listen to her pleas to keep the child. However, Pierre's sister, Francoise, steps in and takes the child. The lovers promise to meet again. However, World War II is upon them and Pierre is fighting for the Marquis. The story is left off there to be picked up with Belinda, the now grown daughter of Pierre and Katherine. Francoise has kept her promise of raising Belinda. The war forced them to flee from France and they are living in London, England. Francoise, an impressive seamstress, has her own exclusive shop in London with a clientele of the rich and famous. Belinda is attending college, studying fashion design. However, she is on vacation. What to do? Francoise has gone to a host of fashion shows on the continent, leaving Belinda behind. Precocious and inquisitive, Belinda decides that she is going to go to Lyonhurst, the ancestral estate of her mother, the woman that she believes abandoned her at birth. While visiting the village near Lyonhurst, and after numerous attempts to gain access to Lyonhurst, an opportunity presents itself. SHe is able to enter the world where her mother has lived for the last 20 years in nearly complete seclusion. However, she will have to do so as an imposter. An so begins the series of events that lead her further and further into the twisted and tangled world of her grandfather's building. I thought this was a really fun read. Rona Randall is an author that you can count on to give you fun ride. She has suspense, humor, romance, and bit of tragedy. This novel also possesses a bit of a gothic feel simply because it takes place in the grounds of an aging country estate, and deals with a woman who may or may not be out of her mind. I recommend this one.