In 2011, writer, Leah Hickson, is asked to investigate the
murder of a man who is traced back to the early twentieth
century. Although Leah initially shows little interest in
the story, the appearance of a group of well preserved
letters found with the body compel Leah to immerse herself
in a murder mystery which takes her back to the year 1911
and into the home of a man named Reverend Albert Canning and
his wife Hester.
THE UNSEEN transitions between 2011 and 1911. As Leah
launches her investigation into the murder of the mysterious
corpse, the ghosts from the past narrate their own story.
Albert Canning and his wife, Hester, lived a quiet existence
in a sleepy village named Cold Ash Holt in Berkshire,
England. But when a new maid named Cat Morley is introduced
to the household, Hester is warned that an unexpected evil
has been invited into her home. Cat's arrival coincides with
the arrival of a Spiritualist named Robin Durrant. Durrant
arrives in Cold Ash Holt in order to prove the existence of
fairies. But weeks after his arrival, Hester finds that
Durrant presence has created an unexpected disturbance in
her home and marriage. The Reverend's wife finds that since
Durrant's arrival, her husband has developed a bizarre
obsession with the young and handsome spiritualist.
Not only does Hester Canning fear the presence of Robin
Durrant, but her new maid comes with a startling reputation.
Cat Morley, nicknamed Black Cat, is reputed to have murdered
not only her former employer, but her father as well. Yet,
Cat remains an enigma to the residents of the Rectory.
Although Hester Canning is aware of Cat's time in prison,
she fears the young girl suffers in silence over a terrible
secret.
In 2011, Leah sifts through letters and newspapers and soon
finds herself at the old Rectory where the Reverend and his
wife Hester once lived over a hundred years ago. With the
help of the Canning's great grandson, Mark Canning, Leah is
able to piece together the shocking pieces of the murder
which took place in the home of Albert Canning and his wife.
As Leah and Mark investigate, they discover clues pointing
to a second gruesome murder. When Lean finds a letter
stating that the evidence about the murder has been buried,
she is determined to uncover the truth about who was
murdered at the old Rectory in 1911 and why.
Murder, deception, seances, and a page-turner mystery make
this alluring novel required reading material for the
summer. Katherine Webb impresses readers with her effortless
way of transitioning the novel between 2011 and 1911 as the
author allows the ghosts of the past to tell their own
tragic story. THE UNSEEN lures readers in with its
mysterious hundred year old murder mystery. The clues are
numerous, but Webb spins a splendid mystery which will leave
readers in the dark until Leah's shocking discovery.
Written in the vein of a Kate Morton novel, Katherine Webb
has created a extraordinary mystery which takes readers into
the past with a modern heroine who is relentless in her
pursuit of the truth.
From Katherine Webb, the author of the acclaimed international bestseller The Legacy, comes a compelling tale of love, deception, and illusion A vicar with a passion for nature, the Reverend Albert Canning leads a happy existence with his naive wife, Hester, in their sleepy Berkshire village in the year 1911. But as the English summer dawns, the Cannings' lives are forever changed by two new arrivals: Cat, their new maid, a disaffected, free-spirited young woman sent down from London after entanglements with the law; and Robin Durrant, a leading expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows nearby. Quickly finding a place for herself in the underbelly of local society, Cat secretly plots her escape. Meanwhile, Robin, a young man of considerable magnetic charm and beauty, soon becomes an object of fascination and desire. Sweltering in the oppressive summer heat, the peaceful rectory turns into a hotbed of dangerous ambition, forbidden love, and jealousy—a potent mixture of emotions that ultimately leads to murder.