This is a tale of heartache and drama with supernatural overtones. 1929. On receipt of an unexpected inheritance, small-time crook Horace Butterfield splashes the cash on a large house in rural Essex, and sets about turning it into his dream home. Buying an enormous antique chandelier in order to enhance his brand-new ballroom, he is intrigued by the dealer's story behind its provenance: a young woman who lost all her money in the Wall Street Crash and was forsaken by her lover is said to have hanged herself from it. For the next five years, Horace enjoys telling the story at every party he hosts. But tragedy is set to strike. Horace's marriage collapses when he embarks on an ill-advised affair with a pretty young fortune-hunter: an affair which is destined to lead to murder and suicide. Over the next two decades, tragedy, violence and heartbreak befall all who move into Crossway Lodge - from bright-eyed young newly-weds Mabel and James to hardened soldiers billeted there during WWII. Is the house really cursed - and who is the mysterious, shadowy young woman seen lurking in the ballroom?

Author Biography

Elizabeth Lord was born in the East End of London but has lived in Essex most of her life. She has a son and two daughters. Ruth Rendell describes her as "a natural storyteller".