The Secret Keeper....by Kate Morton

I have been wanting to read The Secret Keeper written by Australian Kate Morton for some time and have only just done so and what a wonderful book...first a little about the author, Kate Morton...

Image - Kate Morton

Kate Morton is the eldest of three sisters.  Her family moved several times before settling on Tamborine Mountain where she attended a small country school.  Kate enjoyed reading books from an early age, her favourites being those by Enid Blyton...read more about  Kate here.

Growing up in Tamborine Mountain and spending a great deal of time climbing trees and hiding in them, led Kate to an idea for the beginning of her book The Secret Keeper. This book encompasses mystery, a love story, friendship, trust and loyalty, second chances and the power of love...all the necessities for a good read...I just loved it and an added bonus, it is printed in Australia...here

Image - by  Kate Morton

Here is a glimpse of the story....

"1961: On a sweltering summer's day, while her family picnics by the stream on their Suffolk farm, 16 year old Laurel hides out in her childhood tree house dreaming of a boy called Billy, a move to London, and the bright future she can't wait to seize.  But before the idyllic afternoon is over, Laurel will have witnessed a shocking crime that changes everything.

2011: Now a much-loved actress, Laurel finds herself overwhelmed by shades of the past.  Haunted by memories, and the mystery of what she saw that day, she returns to her family home and begins to piece together a secret history.  A tale of three strangers from vastly different worlds, Dorothy, Viven and Jimmy, who are brought together by chance in wartime London and whose lives become fiercely and fatally entwined......."

It's a fascinating tale and a quite surprising, unpredictable end...I would highly recommend The Secret Keeper by this Australian Author ... also have a listen to a delightful interview with Kate on her website 

.... when you finish The Secret Keeper,  her other best selling novels, The Shifting Fog and The Forgotten Garden have also won worldwide acclaim...read more about them here

Enjoy this excellent book ....Wendy

Phryne Fisher's clothes...where can you see them?

Rippon Lea Image - National Trust

The popular ABC TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries will return to Rippon Lea this spring with a major exhibition featuring the sumptuous costumes worn by the Hon. Phryne Fisher and her cohorts. The house and gardens, which features in the series as the home of Aunt Prudence, will once again be transformed as the doors open to the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Costume Exhibition on the 7th September...here More than 30 outfits worn by the lead cast including Miss Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis), Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Nathan Page) and Aunt Prudence (Miriam Margolyes) from both series one and the soon to be broadcast series two of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries will be showcased in the exhibition...here

Images - National Trust

Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries Costume Exhibition

Visitors will be taken on a journey into the creation of the many worlds of Miss Fisher with insight from Kerry Greenwood, the author of the Phryne Fisher mysteries series of books, Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, producers of the popular ABC TV series and Marion Boyce, the costume designer for the TV series. The mansion will be open throughout the day for visitors to see the exhibition at their leisure. Alternatively there are guided historic tours available for those interested in learning more about the social history of Rippon Lea.  Costumes provided by Every Cloud Productions.  Date and Time: Saturday September 7 2013 to Sunday 27 October 2013 10.30am - 4.30pm Where: Rippon Lea House & Gardens, 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick

Admission:

Adult $15 Concession $12 Child $9 Family $35 (2 adults and 2 children) National Trust Members  $10 Adult $7 Concession  $4 Child  $20 Family (2 Adults and 2 children)

Bookings advised. Book online here. I love this TV series and to see the clothes is an added bonus on a visit to the most beautiful mansion, Rippon Lea.....Wendy