The Dead Secret

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Synopsis

"The Dead Secret" centers around a socially and morally questionable event, from which all incidents derive, and towards which all characters inevitably move. The secret, identified with the Cornish mansion Porthgenna, has all but ruined the life of the young servant girl Sarah Leeson; 15 years later it comes back to confuse and haunt Rosamond, the heir to Porthgenna. Collins's talent for eccentric characters is given full scope in the misanthropic hermit Andrew Treverton, his bullying servant Schrowl, and the actress whose powerful will lies behind the secret. "The Dead Secret" is a relentless quest to uncover a forgotten crime; the heir's detective work must finally lead to a disastrous revelation.