Author: Lucinda Riley
ISBN: 978-1509825042
RRP: $17.99
Publication Date: 31 July 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
The Love Letter is a re-release by the internationally bestselling author, Lucinda Riley, the book was originally published as Seeing Double. It is quite a lengthy book at just under 600 pages so certainly one that you can sink your teeth into.
A thrilling tale of secrets and lies set in London in the mid-1990s. Sir James Harrison was one of the acting greats of his generation and when he passes away, at 95, he leaves behind a legacy that is so much more than his heartbroken family. He also has a shocking secret that could knock the socks of the English establishment.
The journalist assigned to cover the funeral is the young and ambitious Joanna Haslam, and she stumbles on the mention of a letter containing secrets that have remained hidden for over seventy years. The funeral is attended by the cream of the celebrity world and I would say that some of them have a lot to lose if the secret is revealed.
Joanna starts uncovering the lies surrounding the secrets contained in the letter and realises there are forces at work to stop her discovering the truth and they will stop at nothing to get to the letter first.
This sounds like a book of twists, hidden lives, and information that could do some pretty hefty damage to the lives and careers of the stars.
I look forward to reading what our members think.
Lucinda Riley can be found on Facebook and LucindaRiley.com.
The Love Letter is published by Pan Macmillan and is available now through Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan 15 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading The Love Letter so please be aware that there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
This is such a cheeky book in theory, yet a marvellous ‘could have been’. One will never know… In actuality the story was intense and moody and rather thrilling – a paper chase to uncover a secret that could possibly destroy the British monarchy. I love the way it starts – with journalist Joanna Haslam trying to be ‘nice’ and help a distressed old lady home from the funeral of an acclaimed British actor, and so missing the chance to interview the grandson and granddaughter. Little does she know that the little old lady might be the key to all the secrets, lies, and cover-ups – and even murder – that Joanna slowly discovers, This is a delicious layer-by-layer onion peel reveal. Each clue from the past leads to more and more shocking revelations and potential disaster for the present. I loved the paper chase, the slow revelations that upped the ante, the twists and turns – and the last couple of twists were just so fabulous I certainly didn’t see them coming! This one’s a winner because of the sheer readability of the story; such wonderful entertainment.
Sorry, I think my first comments vanished. Take #2:
This was a terrific thriller, but very cheeky in its possibilities. (Perhaps quite relevant, but we’ll never know…) It all starts when journalist Joanna Haslam is sent to cover the funeral of an acclaimed British actor, but ends up taking the distressed old lady sitting beside her home. In an unusual move, this lady hands Joanna an old love letter, trusting her to deal with it. By taking the lady home, Joanna misses her chance to interview the actor’s granddaughter and grandson, both being endlessly fascinating journalistic material, and slightly resents this, not knowing she’s been handed a bombshell of the highest order. The story goes from there, in a particularly delicious paper chase that becomes more and more fraught and dangerous as the story escalates. All sorts of high level things start to occur, and I did wonder if one particularly high level government man was also slightly insane. Then the revelations begin – and as they do, you realise exactly what high stakes the simple ‘love letter’ the old lady hands to Joanna portends. Rather mind blowing, actually, and the shock twists keep coming. The last two were doozies. Love it when that happens! Immensely and fabulously readable. Thanks so much to Pan McMillan Australia and Beauty & Lace Bookclub for the reading copy.
This book is a mysterious one set in lively London.
An ambitious young journalist named Joanna Haslam lifts the veil on some lies and secrets in what is a rollicking thriller and page-turner, which has far-reaching implications for all involved.
The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley
Joanna is a reporter who is sent to attend and report on the funeral of a great British actor who dies at the grand age of 95. The funeral has a big celebrity gathering, but one old lady sitting next to her shows great distress, leading to some kind of health turn, so Joanna escorts the lady back to her home.
This chance meeting thrusts Joanna into a mass of questions when she receives a letter from the old lady asking her to come and visit her. Enclosed with that request is a love letter which is decades old.
Joanna is set on a path seeking answers as more and more mysteries surface.
Her journalistic skills give her a craving to solve and finalise this, and she is led into dangerous territory.
This is not a romantic book, but a thriller, which gets a faster and faster pace as it nears the final chapters.
The ending is a real surprise, but ties all the loose ends and (on reflection) clues together well.
A great read, although rather long at 600 pages.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace Book Club, and to Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this page turning story.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley.
What a roller coaster of a story – I absolutely loved it and was hooked until the very end.
It was full of mystery, intrigue, spy’s, interesting relationships and a few love stories.
The central character is Joanna Haslam, a young keen journalist who is sent to cover the funeral of a famous actor. Joanna goes expecting to try to get an interview with one of the children of the actor but inside finds herself drawn in to assist an ill, elderly lady find her way home. Little does Joanna know that this chance encounter will change her life forever. The elderly lady has a secret involving the deceased actor which people have died to protect … and Joanna is now in the firing line as she digs to uncover the truth.
Fire stars from me – highly recommended read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I first came across Lucinda Reilly through The Seven Sisters series. I was excited to be given the opportunity to read her earlier book, The Love Letter, that was set to be published in 2000. As explained by Lucinda in a letter to the reader at the beginning of the book, this didn’t happen due to various circumstances. Now in 2018 the book has been released and I’m so very glad that it was! Set in 1995, it is the story of journalist Joanna as she stumbles across a secret that is seventy years in the making.at a funeral. What follows is action and romance, leading to the discovery that I never saw coming. Lucinda does a wonderful job of teasing it out! With well developed characters, especially Joanna and Marcus, my feelings veered from one minute to the next as I booed the villains and cheered for the good guys. I cant say more in fear of spoiling it but The Love Letter is a must read for fans of conspiracy theories! Just make sure you set aside some time because at 700 pages once you start reading you cant stop…..
The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley is set in the UK in the mid-1990s. it’s a riveting story about scandal and how the establishment tries to cover it up. The lead character, Joanna Haslam, is a journalist who after attending the funeral of the acclaimed actor Sir James Harrison accidentally stumbles across a scandal which could unravel the monarchy.
When I first picked up this novel I was a little concerned about its size but I really enjoyed it. It was a book I didn’t want to finish as I was enjoying it so much! The characters are terrific and the story moves well, there’s a few surprises along the way and while it might seem a bit far-fetched at times who knows what goes on behind closed doors?
Thanks to the Beauty and Lace book club and Pan Macmillan for the giving me the opportunity to read this novel. I’ll certainly look out for other books by Lucinda Riley.