The Legacy - by Katherine Webb (Paperback)

About the Book

"A brilliant and absorbing drama."--Good Housekeeping (UK)

A fresh and exciting new voice in contemporary fiction, Katherine Webb debuts with a haunting novel about a secret family history. Already a sensation in the United Kingdom, Webb's The Legacy is a treat for every fan of upmarket women's fiction and literary suspense in the vein of bestselling authors Kate Morton, Sarah Waters, and Diane Setterfield. Taut, affecting, and surprising--a story that ranges from present-day England back to the American West in the early twentieth century--The Legacy embroils two sisters in an investigation into the strange, never solved disappearance of their cousin, a dark mystery that opened deep family wounds that never healed.

Book Synopsis

"A brilliant and absorbing drama."
--Good Housekeeping (UK)

A fresh and exciting new voice in contemporary fiction, Katherine Webb debuts with a haunting novel about a secret family history. Already a sensation in the United Kingdom, Webb's The Legacy is a treat for every fan of upmarket women's fiction and literary suspense in the vein of bestselling authors Kate Morton, Sarah Waters, and Diane Setterfield. Taut, affecting, and surprising--a story that ranges from present-day England back to the American West in the early twentieth century--The Legacy embroils two sisters in an investigation into the strange, never solved disappearance of their cousin, a dark mystery that opened deep family wounds that never healed.

From the Back Cover

When they were children, Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, spent their summer holidays at Storton Manor. Now, following the death of their grandmother, they have returned to the grand, imposing house in Wiltshire, England. Unable to stem the tide of childhood memories that arise as she sorts through her grandmother's belongings, Erica thinks back to the summer her cousin Henry vanished mysteriously from the estate, an event that tore their family to pieces. It is time, she believes, to lay the past to rest, bring her sister some peace, and finally solve the mystery of her cousin's disappearance.

But sifting through remnants of a bygone time is bringing a secret family history to light--one that stretches back over a century, to a beautiful society heiress in Oklahoma, a haunting, savage land across the ocean. And as past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two shocking acts of betrayal . . . and the heartbreaking legacy they left behind.

Review Quotes

"Stunning, unforgettable....Webb's skillful, urgent writing is impossible to put down and more impossible to forget." -- Booklist (starred review) on The Legacy

"An intelligent and addictively readable novel." -- Historical Novels Review on The Legacy

"Webb winds her way through three generations of women by following the path of grief created by a broken heart, crafting characters you care about and a story you won't soon forget: poignant and completely engrossing." -- M. L. Malcolm, author of Heart of Deception

"This is a great yarn, spanning generations, with neat twists and a surprising ending." -- Prima magazine (UK)

"'Has it all--mystery, intrigue, history and a great big old house." -- Radio Times (UK)

"A haunting novel of betrayal." -- Woman and Home (UK)

"A brilliant and absorbing drama." -- Good Housekeeping (UK)