First published 1995
Martin Radford sits in a Madeira villa, his own life destroyed by scandal. Someone places Edwin Strafford's leather journal in his hands and offers him work. Strafford was a British cabinet minister whose career collapsed in 1910 under mysterious circumstances. Martin must return to England and uncover what really happened. He discovers Strafford loved a suffragette who rejected him, creating political chaos. The more Martin digs, the clearer it becomes that Strafford didn't simply fall from grace. Someone orchestrated his destruction. Deaths continue to plague Strafford's family decades later. Martin finds himself caring about this dead politician and his secrets in ways he never expected. The investigation pulls Martin deeper into a web of betrayal and murder that spans generations. He realizes the story didn't end with Strafford's ruin. The same forces that destroyed the minister now threaten Martin himself.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, suspense, mystery, crime, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, Madeira
Period: 1910, 20th-century
Audio Cassette · HarperCollins Audio