The London House

A young woman is tasked with writing the next chapter of her family’s story...

The London House

Uncovering a dark family secret sends one woman on the journey of a lifetime—through the history of Britain’s WWII spy network and glamorous 1930s Paris—in an effort to understand her past, save her family, and shape her future.

Caroline Payne thinks it’s just another day of work. Then she receives a call from Mat Hammond, an old college friend and historian. He has uncovered a scandalous secret kept buried for decades. During World War II, Caroline’s great-aunt betrayed her family and country to marry her German lover.

Caroline, determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, flies to the old family house in London. There, she and Mat discover diaries and letters that reveal her grandmother and great-aunt were known as the “Waite sisters.” Popular and witty, they came of age during the interwar years, frequenting dances and jazz clubs with an air-filled romance. Despite this, the buoyant tone of the correspondence soon yields to sadder revelations. One sister eventually leaves joins the glittering fashion scene of Paris, despite rumblings of a coming world war.

Was Caroline’s great-aunt actually a traitor and Nazi collaborator? Is there a more complex truth buried in the past? Together, Caroline and Mat uncover stories of spies and secrets, love and heartbreak. And ultimately, unravel the events of one fateful evening in 1941 that changed everything.

INDUSTRY PRAISE

Thrillist's "10 Amazing Book Club Reads That Will Get Everyone Talking"

"A woman searches for the truth about the disappearance of her ancestor in the spellbinding latest from Reay (Dear Mr. Knightley)…Reay’s fast-paced foray into the past cleverly reveals a family’s secrets and how a pivotal moment shaped future generations. Readers who enjoy engrossing family mystery should take note.”

Publishers Weekly

“Carefully researched, emotionally hewn, and written with a sure hand, The London House is a tantalizing tale of deeply held secrets, heartbreak, redemption, and the enduring way that family can both hurt and heal us. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”

—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars and The Book of Lost Names




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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katherine Reay author photo

Katherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. KnightleyLizzy and Jane, The Brontë Plot, A Portrait of Emily PriceThe Austen Escape, and The Printed Letter Bookshop. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flairKatherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and is a wife, mother, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL.