**SPECTATOR BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020**
**SUNDAY TIMES FAVOURITE PAPERBACKS OF 2020**

'The best royal book by miles . . . funny, gossipy and riveting'
JANE RIDLEY, SPECTATOR

'If your jaw doesn't drop at least three times every chapter, you've not been paying proper attention'
SUNDAY TIMES

'A captivating account of a life lived with resilience and grace'
DAILY MAIL

'The stoical Lady G writes with infectious joy and optimism'
DAILY EXPRESS

'The gossip is stupendous but it's also tremendously touching. It's one of those books that makes you long for bed so you can read more!'
JILLY COOPER

'I can't recommend it highly enough'
LORRAINE KELLY

'Gentle, wise, unpretentious, but above all inspiring'
THE TIMES

'A candid, witty and stylish memoir'
MIRANDA SEYMOUR, FINANCIAL TIMES

'Stalwart and disarmingly honest . . . emotion resonates through this delightful memoir'
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

'Discretion and honour emerge as the hallmarks of Glenconner's career as a royal servant, culminating in this book which manages to be both candid and kind'
GUARDIAN

'I couldn't put it down. Funny and touching - like looking through a keyhole at a lost world.'
RUPERT EVERETT

~

The remarkable life of Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret who was also a Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation. Anne Glenconner reveals the real events behind The Crown as well as her own life of drama, tragedy and courage, with the wonderful wit and extraordinary resilience which define her.

Anne Glenconner has been close to the Royal Family since childhood. Eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was, as a daughter, described as 'the greatest disappointment' by her family as she was unable to inherit. Her childhood home Holkham Hall is one of the grandest estates in England. Bordering Sandringham the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were frequent playmates.

From Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation to Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Glenconner is a unique witness to royal history, as well as an extraordinary survivor of a generation of aristocratic women trapped without inheritance and burdened with social expectations.

She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and it became a favourite retreat for Princess Margaret.

But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. On Lord Glenconner's death in 2010 he left his fortune to a former employee.

'[A] winning, well-plotted read... the mystery's denouement at the dance makes a glamorous and dramatic conclusion' Daily Mail

'A breezily entertaining read from the author of Lady In Waiting, with clever plotting and a beautiful setting' Sunday Express

The thrilling new novel from the acclaimed author of Murder on Mustique and Lady in Waiting.

January 1950. Lady Anne Coke, daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, is in Scunthorpe on a business trip when she is called home after a sudden death in the family. She returns to Holkham Hall to discover a mystery: her beloved grandfather has been found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a valuable piece of jewellery in his pocket. No one can find a cause of death, and some even suspect foul play from the ghost who supposedly haunts the house. But Anne's suspicions are aroused; she grew close to her grandfather when they lived together during the war and she is determined to discover the truth.

During World War II, Holkham Hall was an army base with large sections out of bounds, and 11-year-old Anne was in the care of a new governess, whom she hated and believed to be deceitful. Although she had been told to stay away from certain parts of the house, Anne used the secret passageways and the cellars to move around unnoticed. And something she saw then could unlock the mystery of her grandfather's death now ...

Full of rich historical detail, this is a gripping novel of wartime secrets, intrigue and deceit.

'Stirring story of wartime secrets and intrigue' Best

'Clever plotting' Daily Mirror

'Delightfully intriguing' Peterborough Telegraph

'Thrilling... The atmosphere is perfect, the anxieties and fears of the young Anne are particularly realistic, and the mystery is the perfect riddle. This is a superb story, told with verve and love' Books-monthly.co.uk

Es war ein traumhafter Sommer auf Mustique. Während die meisten Urlauber die Insel bereits verlassen haben, genießt eine illustre Runde wohlhabender Engländer weiterhin Sundowner und Dinnerpartys, darunter Lady Veronica Blake, Hofdame im Ruhestand. Als eine junge Amerikanerin aus bester Gesellschaft spurlos verschwindet, beginnt sie, auf eigene Faust zu ermitteln, sehr zum Missfallen von Solomon Nile, dem einzigen Polizisten der Insel. Wenige Tage später wird Amanda Fortinis Leiche aus dem türkisblauen Wasser geborgen. Der Mörder ist noch auf der Insel, vermutet Lady Blake. Dann bricht ein Tropensturm los, Mustique ist von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten, und eine weitere Person verschwindet …