First published 2019
Leonora "Lulu" Randolph arrives in Nassau in 1941 with a clear mission. The newly widowed journalist plans to write about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor for a New York society magazine. American readers want stories about the couple whose romance nearly toppled the British monarchy. Lulu expects to find glamorous exile in a Caribbean paradise. Instead she discovers Nassau crawling with spies, financial schemes, and racial tensions. The Duke and Duchess's glittering marriage conceals ugly secrets and possible treason. Lulu infiltrates their social circle and meets Benedict Thorpe, a charming scientist with questionable loyalties. She falls in love despite her better judgment. When Nassau's richest man dies in a notorious murder, the coverup stinks of royal protection. Benedict vanishes without explanation. Lulu travels to London and beyond, determined to uncover his family's complicated past. She finds a tragic wartime love story and a mother stripped of all happiness. Two women's lives interweave across this epic of wartime espionage and human courage.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, espionage
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Nassau, London
Period: 1941
480 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow