The perfect life. The perfect home. But at what price?

Introspective Ruth Parker is desperate for love and attention. Overlooked as a child by her cold and critical mother, her pain manifests in loneliness and a crippling lack of self-esteem. When glamorous actress ‘Aunt’ Vanessa, her mother’s childhood friend, shows an interest in her, Ruth basks in the blinding light of her attention.

Once Ruth escapes to university in London, Aunt Vanessa invites her to Wilton Place, her stunning Belgravia residence. As she blossoms under Vanessa’s guidance, Ruth finds herself torn between student life and the hypnotic, luxurious confines of Wilton Place. Belgravia wins out, but when Ruth explores the gloomy attic of her new home and finds a hidden, locked door, she discovers that Vanessa is hiding the darkest of secrets from her childhood, secrets that threaten everything Ruth knew about her own mother.

How far will Ruth go to find the truth – and how much does she really want to know?

The Attic at Wilton Place

by CE Rose

My review

The Attic at Wilton Place is a brilliant read. One that kept me guessing and wondering about it when I wasn’t reading it. I couldn’t wait for bedtime to see what would happen next.

Ruth is an interesting character. I still can’t make my mind up if I liked her or not but as her story progressed, I certainly came to understand her better. Ruth has a lovely Dad, but she has an odd relationship with her mother. Her mother is a hard character, difficult to relate to, but I knew there must be some reason behind her behaviour towards her daughter. This kept me intrigued. It also made it easier to understand Ruth’s adoration of her Aunt Vanessa and why she puts up with her on/off attention. I did feel quite sorry for Ruth.

Again, I knew Vanessa must have her reasons for her flaky behaviour, but she does come across as though she only wants to spend time with Ruth when it suits her. This made me feel sorry for Ruth even more. The poor girl doesn’t seem to know where she belongs. Her visits to the big posh house sound idyllic, but she still seems extremely lonely. She never seems to have her aunt’s undivided attention for very long.

I wish I could talk more about this book without giving anything away.

Quite a sad story really and one with an underlying tension throughout. It made me feel a bit on edge as I read it. As truths are revealed I came to understand why.

If you love a book with fascinating characters and complicated relationships full of dark secrets, you will love this book. It certainly kept me glued to my kindle.

**Many thanks to Caroline England for my review copy**