The Wings of Poppy Pendleton - by Melanie Dobson

About the Book

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York's gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room. 1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy's castle, now in ruins, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe's doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe's store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she'd thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma's life, so Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

Book Synopsis

In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family's castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy, once and for all.

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York's gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room.

1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy's castle, now in ruins, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe's doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe's store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she'd thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma's life, so Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

"[A] propulsive time-swapping tale. . . . Fans of WWII inspirationals will love this." Publishers Weekly on The Curator's Daughter

"Readers will delight in this story that illustrates how the past can change the present." Lisa Wingate, national bestselling author of Before We Were Yours, on Catching the Wind

• Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery
• Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner or Lisa Wingate
• Book length: 95,000 words
• Includes discussion questions for book groups

Review Quotes

[A] captivating dual-timeline novel. . . . [The] central mystery is layered and exciting. . . . Dobson's characters find redemption, discover their own strength, and experience the power of family relationships to pull us down--or lift us up.--BookPage

Telling the stories of two women separated by a century but connected by past secrets, The Wings of Poppy Pendleton is an enthralling novel.--Foreword Reviews