Joanne Coyle

Book blurb...

1765 On a sultry June night in a lonely farmhouse in Glenisla, a laird dies an agonising death. In the turmoil that follows, his young bride, Katherine Nairn Ogilvie, and his charismatic younger brother, Lieutenant Patrick Ogilvie, are arrested. Accused of the shocking crimes of incest and murder, they must stand trial in Edinburgh, facing execution and eternal disgrace. But are they guilty? Or is history hiding a darker truth?

1997 While recuperating from a mysterious heart condition, history lecturer Caroline Caillouet discovers an old manuscript in a hidden antiquarian bookshop in Kirriemuir. Nestled within its pages lies an exquisitely painted miniature of bluebells, lilies and moss-green foliage. The discovery awakens something in her she cannot explain. Drawn ever deeper into the forgotten tragedy of Katherine and Patrick Ogilvie, Caroline uncovers long-buried family secrets, rumours of arsenic poisoning, and a mystery that Glenisla has guarded for more than two hundred years. As past and present become increasingly entwined, she finds herself pulled towards a desperate search for answers. But each revelation comes at a cost. As Caroline's own health deteriorates, time is running out for her, and perhaps for those whose names history has condemned.

A haunting dual-timeline historical mystery inspired by real events, exploring innocence, guilt, redemption and enduring love across centuries.