The Girl In The Letter by Emily Gunnis @EmilyGunnis @headlinepg @Phoebe_Swinburn

Book Description:

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Kathryn Hughes, this gripping novel of long-buried secrets will stay with you for ever.

A heartbreaking letter. A girl locked away. A mystery to be solved.

1956. When Ivy Jenkins falls pregnant she is sent in disgrace to St Margaret’s, a dark, brooding house for unmarried mothers. Her baby is adopted against her will. Ivy will never leave.

Present day. Samantha Harper is a journalist desperate for a break. When she stumbles on a letter from the past, the contents shock and move her. The letter is from a young mother, begging to be rescued from St Margaret’s. Before it is too late. 
Sam is pulled into the tragic story and discovers a spate of unexplained deaths surrounding the woman and her child. With St Margaret’s set for demolition, Sam has only hours to piece together a sixty-year-old mystery before the truth, which lies disturbingly close to home, is lost for ever…

Read her letter. Remember her story…

My Thoughts:

The story flicks between present day and also to the past where we get a glimpse into the awful life at St Margaret’s. My heart literally broke for the children who had to endure time there. Life certainly was far from a loving, stable environment for them and I wanted to wrap them in my arms and take them all to safety.

In present day we meet journalist Sam, who, after uncovering Ivy’s letters, makes it her mission to find out more about her as well as the going on’s at St Margret’s. Wow, does it make for some powerful and very intriguing reading. Like Sam, I had to find out more and was like a dog with a bone. Not being able to let it go.

At times this was quite a sinister read, packed full of mystery and suspense. Yet at the same time it was also an emotional roller coaster of a read. My heart went out to quite a few of the characters. I did feel slightly hardened to the people that had previously worked there though that either made these children’s lives hell or did nothing to stop it.

The Girl In The Letter was a mesmerising novel that I struggled to put down. I got so wrapped up in what was happening that I didn’t want to go back to real life until I knew how it was all going to end. There were lots of twists and turns that make for some surprising as well as shocking reading. Will certainly be looking out for more books by the author.

The Girl In The Letter is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).