Jaipur, 1934
When Philip Grainger and Frank Fletcher met late at night on the edge of an indigo plantation in Gujarat back in 1916, and one of them handed a new born baby to the other and walked away, their stated intention was never to see each other again.
In Jaipur, 1934, almost eighteen years later, Philip’s daughter, Eleanor, is excited to learn that a new family has moved into the street where they live, and that the family has a daughter similar in age to
herself.
When Frank Fletcher, having struggled for years to make a profit from his isolated indigo plantation, turns to exporting, he is encouraged by his exporter friend, Maxwell Anderson, to move his family to
Jaipur. His daughter, Alice, hopes that at last she will make some friends.
But where there are secrets, someone invariably senses a secret, is determined to uncover it and use it to his advantage. Nothing stays hidden for ever…
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Liz Harris is the author of the historical novels THE ROAD BACK (US Coffee Time &
Romance Book of the Year 2012) and A BARGAIN STRUCK (shortlisted for the RoNA Historical 2013).
Both they and THE LOST GIRL/GOLDEN TIGER and A WESTERN HEART were shortlisted for Best Historical Romance by The Festival of Romance. In addition are contemporary novels EVIE UNDERCOVER, THE ART OF DECEPTION, THE BEST FRIEND and WORD PERFECT. THE DARK HORIZON, THE FLAME WITHIN and THE LENGTHENING SHADOW, set between the wars, comprise The Linford Collection, which was followed by The Colonials : DARJEELING INHERITANCE, COCHIN FALL, HANOI SPRING and SIMLA MIST.
The second edition of THE ROAD BACK appeared in August 2022, followed by IN A FAR PLACE. Second editions of A BARGAIN STRUCK and GOLDEN TIGER were published in 2023. THE LOOSE THREAD, the first in the Three Sisters trilogy, was published in February 2024, THE SILKEN KNOT, the second in September 2024 and THE WOVEN LIE in February 2025. AWESTERN HEART was published December 2024.
In addition to these, Liz has had short stories published in anthologies and magazines.
Twitter Handle: @lizharrisauthor
Bluesky handle: @lizharris.bsky.social
Instagram Handle: liz.harris.52206
Facebook: Liz Harris Website
My thoughts: Set during the height of the British Empire among the expat community of Jaipur, who gather at the Bitish club to socialise and mingle.
When a new family move in down the road, Eleanor Grainger is pleased that there’s a daughter close to her age, potentially a new friend. But there’s a connection between the two families that she has no idea about. She and Alice do become friends, although Alice has secretly learnt about the connection.
As the two girls shop and Eleanor and friend Harriet show Alice the beautiful buildings of Jaipur, the fathers attempt to keep their families apart. Meanwhile a gem smuggling operation sets up in town, risking businesses and prison for anyone caught. As the men get drawn into conspiracies and plots, they are secretly under surveillance. When the truth is exposed, everything will change.
Intelligent and engaging, this was a pleasure to read and brought the past vividly to life, with an intriguing plot and likeable characters.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 