The Distant Hours

By: Kate Morton

Narrated by: Louise Brealey

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long-lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.

Evacuated from London as a 13-year-old girl, Edie’s mother was chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family.

Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother’s riddle, she too is drawn to Milderhurst Castle and the eccentric Blythe sisters. Old ladies now, the three still live together as the twins nurse Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time to be uncovered ...

©2010 Kate Morton (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"There's a rewarding, bittersweet payoff in the author's most gothic tale yet."(Kirkus)

"An enthralling romantic thriller...will stun readers." (Publishers Weekly)

"An absorbing and haunting read." (Woman & Home)

The characters

The novel was hard to put down. was The women are complex and like a good Victorian Gothic novel, utterly engaging. Family secrets

The suspense. What happens next!

The mystery of it all. Who killed who. I love these types of stories that go from present to past.

Loved the journey

One of her best . Looking forward anything she writes… story telling keeps you hooked ..didn’t want the book to stop

Good but not like her other novels

It took a while for the plot to come together. Starts very slow; there were times when I wanted to fast forward however Morton hides so many hints that I made myself listen to it until the story started to flow. I’m still a huge fan.

I love Kate Morton

I have now listened/read many Kate Morton books. She always includes fascinating settings and houses and a lot of history. These are my favorite things!

An intricately woven tale of three sisters

Based on a fictitious best selling children’s book, The True History of the Mud Man, this is the tale of the interactions of a set of very disparate characters whose lives become intertwined over more than half a century, all centered in an old, decaying castle, a misogynistic father and author, a young journalist, her mother, two world wars, and three eccenteic sisters whose lives are the stuff of legend, guilt, mystery, and horror. A wonderful read!

English Secrets

I loved every bit. The twists kept coming, even when I thought it had to be over!
Excellent narration.

Great twist at the end but so slow getting to it

Long drawn out story, twist at the end was good however I’d almost stopped listening by then. Wanted to gave up many times if hadn’t been for the quality of her other tittles l would done.

Too Long

There are several good stories in this novel as well as great characters and interesting plot twists. However, it’s too, too long. I became bored with the book and just wanted it to end.

Good story- lots of intrigue

Historical fiction-WWII era. This was a well told story with fun depth and detAiled imagery. Many surprises along the way!