I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review of the latest novel from Deborah Klée, The Evacuee’s Secret. Independently published on 6th June, the first in a new series, it’s now available both for kindle and in paperback, via Amazon in the UK and US. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to Rachel and Deborah for my advance reading ecopy.
I’m sure many readers will be drawn to this book by its lovely cover and intriguing story, but I’ve read Deborah’s books before and very much enjoyed her writing. And this was a book I particularly wanted to read because its setting is based the former village of West End, submerged by Thruscross reservoir – only a few miles away from me here in Yorkshire, and somewhere I often walk. Deborah’s also a great supporter of other writers – you might have seen some of her Castaway Books interviews with authors about books that have inspired them and influenced their writing (she’s chatted with some bloggers too, including me – you’ll find her YouTube channel here), or listened to The Mindful Writer podcasts (you’ll find them here). She’s always been particularly supportive of my reviews too – apologies for increasing your spending though Deborah!
As for her earlier books, I never caught up with The Borrowed Boy (but did share a guest post on publication day back in 2020 – you can read it again here) – but I did read and very much enjoy Just Bea with its lovable and quirky heroine, a convincing friendship and romance, a compelling race against time, and an intriguing mystery to be resolved (you can read my full review again here). And then there was The Forever Cruise, which I must say I absolutely loved. At first, it explored the whole experience of cruise ship retirement living, with some wonderfully drawn characters – but then there was a shift, a dramatic incident in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, and the whole story became something quite different (you’ll find my review here). And this latest book is certainly something very different again…
A forgotten village. A dangerous secret. A love that defies time.
In a Yorkshire village, condemned to be flooded as a reservoir, WW11 evacuee, Louise Pearson, commits a crime with devastating consequences.
A secret that keeps her away from her childhood home and her best friend and soul mate, Richard, for twenty years.
In 1965, fleeing a dangerous marriage, Louise returns to Yorkshire assuming a new identity. But the village she once knew and loved is about to be submerged to create a reservoir.
As the waters rise, so do the ghosts of her past.
Will Louise uncover the strength to face her demons and reclaim the love she left behind? Or will the secrets that surface pull her under forever?
A heart-breaking story of love, loss and betrayal.
This was such a well told dual time story, impeccably researched, filled with drama and romance, set during wartime and 1960s Yorkshire.
As a child, in 1942, Louise was evacuated from London – experiencing far more love and care from the Becks on their Yorkshire farm than from her mother, who quickly moved on to make a life of her own. She finds a firm friend in Dicky Braithwaite from the village shop, and has a fairly idyllic childhood – but then has her first experience of jealousy and unrequited love, that ultimately brings her Yorkshire stay to a particularly distressing end.
Growing up without family to turn to, she marries young, two years after her return to London – but finds herself caught up in a lifestyle that’s less than comfortable, and unable to escape. It’s twenty years after her abrupt departure from Thorncrest when she finally finds a way to leave, with a plan to head somewhere more remote so that she can never be found – but first, she returns to Yorkshire, planning to ensure that no evidence remains of the childhood action that has blighted her life, a secret that if uncovered might be held over her to force her home.
She finds that the valley and village she loved is about to be submerged by a new reservoir, with feelings running high as the community is gradually moved out – and, under a false name and certain no-one will recognise her, takes a job handling liaison between the contractors and the villagers. The future of the church and graveyard proves a particularly difficult issue – but so does the fact that her former childhood friend is one of the villagers opposing the evacuation and her efforts to ease its impact.
The author deals exceptionally well with both the emotional and practical sides of the villagers losing their homes and important parts of their history – they’d had the threat hanging over them for some considerable time, and understandably struggled when it became an unavoidable reality. Louise’s efforts to conceal her identity are well handled too, while worrying that every new stranger has been sent by her husband to bring her home. Her fears lead to some particularly well written dramatic scenes – nicely edge-of-the-seat with distinct uncertainty about their outcome.
And then there’s her own difficult history, and the childhood memories she shares with Dicky. There’s a gentle rekindling of the attraction between them, their friendship having been a particularly special one – they both have an emotional attachment to the Becks’ former farm on the brink of the planned flooding, each with their own reasons for hoping it will be spared. I very much enjoyed the Yorkshire story – both through the wartime experience and following Louise’s return – the whole setting and both eras vividly brought to life. I was, I’ll admit, a little less convinced by Louise’s London connections – but their inclusion certainly added to the tension and drama of the story.
This is the first in a planned series, and there’s an element of “to be continued” about the satisfyingly emotional ending – outlined further in the author’s fascinating postscript, which also tells us more about her research into the real-life submerged village of West End. I’m looking forward to picking up the threads again in the next book, and finding out more about Ma Beck’s story – this was a book I really enjoyed.
About the author
Deborah has worked as an occupational therapist, a health service manager, a freelance journalist, and management consultant in health and social care.
Deborah writes page-turning, uplifting stories about friendship, community, and emotional courage. Her novels, The Borrowed Boy, and Just Bea have won multi-international awards. The Evacuee’s Secret is a dual timeline WW11 story; the first book in Secrets of a Sunken Village series.
She lives on the Essex coast, where she loves to walk by the sea or the surrounding countryside filling her pockets with shells, and acorns, and her head with stories.
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Thank you Anne for this lovely review. I had forgotten you know this part of Yorkshire well. So especially pleased you enjoyed the story.
My pleasure Deborah. And, as chance would have it, I’m walking near there this afternoon! x