Aspects of the book felt very repetitive and formulaic, and whilst there were one or two surprises towards the end, most of the story felt very predictable, and relied heavily on coincidence to connect characters together in the current strand. The present day storyline centering around Sylvie, I found even less engaging than the story set in the 1970s. Whilst the story started off quite slow-paced, I wasn't put off by this as Chase's previous novels have very much been in the same vein, and I kept expecting this one to improve and suddenly take off, but unfortunately it never did, and as the book went on, it actually became harder work to keep going with it. But even amidst the general gloom of Rita’s years living in Torquay, there were a few things she like and appreciated, very much the same sentiment as the American musician Johnny Rivers must have felt when he penned the famous lyrics, “It’s hard to find nice things on the poor side of town.” Not impossible, as Rivers indirectly points out, but difficult. Devilishly atmospheric…Chase builds a narrative laden with twists rendered so cleverly that readers likely will not foresee them. She does so with deeply formed characters, a setting guaranteed to evoke unease and prose that amplifies the ominous events.But Chase does not stop with an engaging tale. Her portrait of mothers and daughters…delves intensely into connections that can be as fraught as those between fathers and sons.With profound but restrained passion typical of Britons, Chase creates a rewarding, disturbing tale of transgressions of commission and omission, with a measure of redemption born of her innate decency and empathy.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch The following is an exclusive excerpt from The Daughters of Foxcote Manor , by Eve Chase. The Harrington family has experienced enough sorrow by the time their London mansion catches fire. Relocating to Foxcote Manor in the country seems like a perfect plan to recuperate, but then a baby is found in the woods. And so is a body. The summer at Foxcote is meant to be a break for Mrs. Harrington, but she seems to be struggling with depression. There are mysterious happenings that summer with an odd local housekeeper who keeps turning up, a baby left behind in the forest, and a budding romance for Rita. There’s an explosive end to the summer including a dead body in the woods. Rita is forced to say goodbye to the Harringtons.

The alternating storyline features a woman named Sylvie who is dealing with drama with her daughter and an unexpected accident with her mother. Sylvie is trying to get past her divorce and help her daughter navigate a life changing event. I loved Rita, the nanny. She was the one person in the book I truly cared about and I really wanted the best for her. I was invested in the other characters as well – they were all likeable in their own way and I enjoyed getting to know them better. However, apart from Rita, no one else made a huge impact on me. Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life” by Helen Fisher – Book Review @RandomTTours #BlogTour #BookReview @simonschusterUK #JoeNuthinsGuideToLife @HFisherAuthor November 20, 2023Bewitching and beguiling. . . . As suspenseful as the mistress of psychological drama, Daphne Du Maurier. Chase is simply brilliant.” —Veronica Henry, author of How to Find Love in a Bookshop

It was sometime later that Jeannie Harrington informed Rita that this was the very moment she knew she was the right person for the job. She wanted, she explained, a “fun” and young nanny for her two children, not some, “cross old boot.” Secrets don’t go away completely, it turns out. Like moths in a wardrobe, they nibble away, hidden, before you notice the hole.” Rita’s mind had raced. First, if she left, where would she go? How would she live? Nan had died a few months earlier—not a bad case of indigestion, after all—and the council had reclaimed her bungalow. She had been determined to give Nan a proper send-off and a gravestone. The cost had wiped out her savings.

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The purpose of this close arrangement is for the benefit of their teenage daughter Annie. But upon finding out about her parent’s split, will choose neither location, instead favoring a decampment at Sylvie’s mom’s cottage in Devon for the summer. For Annie, this choice has the benefit of distracting her, one in the form of a waitressing job, the other, a boyfriend, the identity of whom she chooses not to reveal to her mother over the phone. And the way it flexes, bends, speeds up and slows down, as if subservient to the needs of the story: If you like your mysteries atmospheric then I highly recommend The Glass House - it's the kind of book that makes you look up in surprise at your present-day surroundings. Long-fused mysteries in the past and present take a tantalisingly long time to weave together but the wait is absolutely worth it. Beautiful, transportive writing.’ Erin Kelly author of He Said She Said She felt positive about the future, but her plans had to be put on hold when a terrible accident left her usually bright and active mother in a comma. Her daughter’s reaction to that was not what she expected, Sylvie suspected that something was very wrong, because that had always been very close and they always talked about anything and everything. I adored The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase. Sublime writing, secrets, lovable characters I didn’t want to leave, and a ripping twisting plot that kept me guessing. An absolute jewel of a book.” —Dinah Jefferies, author of The Sapphire Widow

But within days a body is found in the grounds of their house and their perfect new family implodes. It was very easy for me to get into this book, as the writing is captivating and colourful. I started to connect the dots very early and from then on, I was more and more curious to see what direction the story will take. As has been the case with Eve Chase’s other novels, I was drawn in right from the beginning, expecting to savor every intriguing moment of the stories of Rita, Sylvie and Hera and the storied old manor house itself… And then two terrible blows strike the Harrington household, one almost immediately after the other… Years later, Sylvie was making plans to leave her husband. They were calling it a trial separation, but she knew that they had drifted apart and that it was time for a permanent change.

I was able to keep faith for most of th And she couldn’t bear the thought of walking away from Jeannie, Hera, and Teddy when they needed her most. It’d be like giving up on them. Or saying,” I can’t help you anymore,” even though she’s sure she can—she knows about grief, the way it scars you, not on the skin but on the soft suede of the soul inside. (And how it is to grow up different, like Hera, the one who doesn’t fit.) So yes, surely better she “report” on Jeannie this summer, fudging whenever necessary, than some strict new hire, she reasoned. Even this morning it felt like the right decision. But now that they’re here, enclosed by these somber, looming trees, in a spot so remote it feels like they’re the last survivors on the planet, she’s no longer sure. Her mouth is dry and metallic. It tastes of betrayal. Chase parcels out her clues slowly, without a hint of showiness. In the end, ‘The Daughters of Foxcote Manor’ is not really about a murder, or a creepy house, but about families — the ones we’re born into, the ones we make and especially the ones we flee.” New YorkTimes What's not to love? 1970 England. An isolated, crumbling house in a forest. The forest itself is hiding many secrets. An older housekeeper who insinuates herself into the lives of the inhabitants. Danger in the form of a husband and a lover, each vying for the same woman. There's a Gothic feel to this part of the book. Utterly captivating, this is a glorious dream of a novel – an irresistible story of family secrets, beautifully written.”

I brought you something,’ he says, handing her a parcel. She looks to him for further explanation, ’A forest map, if you like,’ he says as she opens the parcel. The Daughters of Foxcote Manor is not really about a murder, or a creepy house, but about families – the ones we’re born into, the ones we make and especially the ones we flee.”— The New York Times Eve Chase is an extraordinary writer and The Daughters of Foxcote Manor is absolutely her best yet. No one creates families as complex, loveable and utterly believable as Chase and she is the master of the dual time frame narrative' - Lisa Jewell, author TheFamily Upstairs

Eve Chase

How Chase ties these two stories together is brilliant. There are so many threads from the past that weave into the present - in ways I hadn't seen coming. Fourteen months ago, Rita had never been to London. But she'd dreamed of it longingly, the Rita she might be there, far away from Torquay, everything that had happened. And the metropolitan family-just like the Darlings in Peter Pan-who'd embrace her as their own. They'd live in a tall warm house that didn't have a coin-gobbling electricity meter, like Nan's bungalow did. She'd get a bedroom of her own, with a desk and a shelf, perhaps a view of the churning, thrilling city. And the mother she worked for would be . . . well, perfect. Someone delicate and kind and soft. Cultured. With tiny earlobes and fluttery birdlike hands. Like her own mother, whom Rita hazily remembered. Everything she'd lost in the accident. And that a bit of her kept searching for. An] atmospheric mystery...A mple foreboding and evocative prose propel things to a gratifying close. Gothic suspense fans will be delighted.' Publishers Weekly, US