The Distant Hours [Paperback]

'A cleverly crafted and beautifully descriptive novel.' --Choice

'Morton's writing has enough atmosphere, intrigue and, whisper it, intelligence for The Distant Hours to wheedle its way into the most cynical of hearts...The Distant Hours proves there will always be a readership for melodramatic tales of family intrigue - and Morton is adeptly carrying that tradition into the 21st century.' --Metro

'Morton (The Forgotten Garden) has quickly established herself as a master of modern gothic, producing complicated and completely satisfying historical mysteries. Her third novel solidifies her dominion... Featuring a fresh and thrilling gothic mystery, cinematic storytelling, and fully developed characters who possess layers of deliciously surprising secrets, this complex story is developed at a leisurely but compelling pace that keeps readers hooked. Recommended for a wide readership, including mystery lovers and historical fiction fans.' --Library Journal

'Kate Morton's clever and compelling new novel is yet more evidence of her place in both the bestseller charts and the hearts of her readers. In this atmospheric and evocative tale of a daughter's journey into her mother's past, a long-lost letter leads Edie Burchill to Milderhurst Castle in Kent and a forgotten world... An intriguing and beautifully observed story.' --Lancashire Evening Post

'Kate Morton's stunning new novel will not disappoint' --Best Magazine

'A page-turner of mystery and suspense.' --ASOS magazine

'In this, her third book, Morton writes in her usual engaging style, taking the reader to the heart of the Blythe family, so that from wartime evacuations through to the machinations of modern-day publishing, you live through every twist and turn.' --Waterstones Books Quarterly

'Enthralling romantic thriller... will stun readers' --Publishers Weekly

'Shades of I Capture the Castle haunt Kate Morton's The Distant Hours as protagonist Edie is drawn into the past.' --InStyle

'A bewitching tale of family secrets and betrayal' --Good Housekeeping

'An absorbing and haunting read' --Woman & Home

'A dilapidated castle, aristocratic twins, a troubled sister and a series of dark secrets cast a whispery spell in Morton's third book' --Marie Claire

'A fascinating family saga . . . I adored this book - and was - literally - unable to put it down. There were echoes of Daphne du Maurier, of Victorian novels, and of Ian McEwan's Atonement' --Irish Examiner

'A nuanced exploration of family secrets and betrayal, Morton's latest is captivating' --People magazine

'The Distant Hours is an ambitious book from popular Australian novelist Kate Morton... Milderhurst Castle is as enchanting to the reader as it is to Edie and her mother'
--Daily Express

'At its centre is Edie Burchill, an editor at a small publishing house, who is surprised to discover that her mother was once familiar with the Blythes, a famous dynasty of writers and artists. Intrigued, Edie begins to investigate the connection, and is drawn into the mystery surrounding the family and its peculiarly dark history.' --Independent on Sunday

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret. Evacuated from London as a thirteen year old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Millderhurst Castle with the Blythe family. Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it . . .