The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Pan priced at Ł7.99)

A beautifully written story which follows the life of Grace, a young girl in service as a housemaid. Duty, self sacrifice and loyalty give way to secrets and despair as we are transported from 1999, the present, back to the early 1900s, the devastating Great War years and then to the decadent 1920s. With overtones of Gosford Park, Kate Morton captures the mood of English society in the early 20th century taking the reader through wonderful scenes of garden parties, debutante balls and staid dinner parties. Atmospheric and gripping with the final secret revealed on the very last page. Brilliant!