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Footsteps in an Empty Room
At the turn of the last century, Alice is a 12 year old servant girl at Colonsay, the big house on the Victorian Coast belonging to wily political strategist Cosmo Cunningham and his beautiful young wife Ambrosine. In the present day, Rosamund becomes the reluctant inheritor of Colonsay, her childhood home. But as the extensive renovation work begins, odd things start happening: a thumping in the empty attic that dislodges plaster from the ceiling of the room below. A lingering scent of honeysuckle. Then the building crew suffer not one but two nasty accidents. And suddenly there is talk of prayers and clairvoyants and messages from the dead.... What terrible secrets lies whin Colonsay? Can Rosamund make peace with the past - and free her own future?
A gripping story of long-ago love and present justice.
A gripping story of long-ago love and present justice.
419 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Lilly Sommers
7 books15 followersKaye Bennett was born on 17 November 1957 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. She spent much of her childhood in New South Wales. She reads a great deal, and although she will read anything - mystery, thrillers and horror - romance is her favorite. She has had a varied career that has included working in the Department of Justice in Brisbane and working as a clerk with the Commonwealth government. To survive a series of mind-numbing jobs, she turned to writing. She then sold a number of short stories to Australian magazines, and when she won a local short story contest, suddenly her name was in the newspaper, and she dreamed of becoming a full-time writer. She has always had an interest in history, and she started writing historical romances as Deborah Miles for Mills & Boon (Harlequin), she also wrote as Lilly Sommers, before writing as Sara Bennett historical romances and as Sara Mackenzie paranormal romances.
Kaye Dobbie lives in an old house in the old gold rush town Bendigo, in the state of Victoria, Australia. She is married to an accountant and they have two children who are growing up all too quickly. The household is ruled by three cats, who all arrived without an invitation and decided to stay, and a dog who believes it's a person. In between writing and driving her children to and fro, she enjoys spending time in her garden. She is particularly fond of her collection of old world roses - they have such wonderful names! She tries to keep the house and garden tidy, but rarely succeeds—she'd rather be writing or reading.
Kaye Dobbie lives in an old house in the old gold rush town Bendigo, in the state of Victoria, Australia. She is married to an accountant and they have two children who are growing up all too quickly. The household is ruled by three cats, who all arrived without an invitation and decided to stay, and a dog who believes it's a person. In between writing and driving her children to and fro, she enjoys spending time in her garden. She is particularly fond of her collection of old world roses - they have such wonderful names! She tries to keep the house and garden tidy, but rarely succeeds—she'd rather be writing or reading.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 18, 2023
L😍VED IT!
A story featuring a ghost 👍🏻
So freaking good.
This was the perfect read for me.
Kudos to the author on her beautiful writing, incredible storytelling and the seamless switching between past and present.
A story featuring a ghost 👍🏻
So freaking good.
This was the perfect read for me.
Kudos to the author on her beautiful writing, incredible storytelling and the seamless switching between past and present.
June 7, 2008
What a book! What a ride! This is one of the best books I've ever read! I actually *was* there!
The story is awesome, the writing is excellent, I have no words to describe it... It's just WOW!!!
The switch between the past and the present is perfectly timed! I just loved it!
The story is awesome, the writing is excellent, I have no words to describe it... It's just WOW!!!
The switch between the past and the present is perfectly timed! I just loved it!
August 1, 2018
Another excellent story by Kaye Dobbie. I just love the way her stories intertwine between past and present. I just couldn't put the book down. Great mystery. I have to keep reading and trying to work out the puzzle of the story. Please keep the stories coming Kaye.
December 12, 2022
While I love the way this book is written, I find it a tad exhausting. It's a bit too draggy for my liking and the ending is rather expected. However, since the language style is beautiful, I don't mind re-reading this whenever I don't feel like going on a new adventure.
May 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this lighthearted book. A summer read for your hols.
January 31, 2026
Absolutely loved this book! What a page turner. so well written, I felt like I was in Colonsay.
February 28, 2016
Footsteps in an Empty Room is an Australian ghost story set alternatively in the past and the present. When Australia was first established as a nation, at the dawn of the 19th century, it was a time of not only opportunities, hopes and ambitions, but also chaos. Politicians and celebrities endeavoured to construct a stage that they believed would showcase them as the brightest and most proactive players, as they do today. However, it was, has been and will continue to be this stage on which seemingly ordinary people leave their marks that are vividly remembered.
Back then, the Cunninghams were the most prominent family on the Bellarine Peninsula in today’s State of Victoria. The big house Colonsay was owned by wily political strategist Cosmo Cunningham and his beautiful young wife Ambrosine. Their son Bertie was quiet, gentle and sensitive, while their daughter Ada was arrogant and abusive, a spoiled brat. Observing their daily interactions was a twelve-year-old servant called Alice.
Fast forward to the end of the 20th century when the Cunninghams were no more, apart from Rosamund, the reluctant inheritor of Colonsay, her childhood home. It is here where odd things happen – a lingering scent of honeysuckle, sounds of footsteps and whispers, loud bangings and booms, visions of violence and blood, physical attacks on renovation workers, exorcists and clairvoyants. These messages from the dead lead Rosamund on a journey to discover her family’s past and confront her own marriage problems.
As the author skilfully guides us back and forth through time and space, we get to witness the misundertandings, failures and tragedies in the lives of three women. However, none of them are hopeless victims as they remain fighters through to the end, taking actions to amend their mistakes and eventually achieving personal growth, success and peace. It is this incredible courage and everlasting faith that is worth celebrating as we read the story today as a piece of historical, horror, romance and/or women’s fiction. The existence of ghosts means there is hope.
The author is highly successful in structuring the story, fluently weaving all sorts of surprises and hints into an already thrilling plot, while subtly commenting on complex issues such as gender, racial and social inequality. Her exercise of patience is flawless, showing no signs of taking risks or being tempted to reveal anything before its time, granting readers a sense of suspense and then deep satisfaction. This reviewer would recommend a careful study of this book by those writers who wish to polish their skills in pacing.
Transparency: Lilly Sommers also writes as Kaye Dobbie. Special thanks to Selwa Anthony Author Management Agency for granting me permission to translate, publish and promote Footsteps in an Empty Room as a Chinese ebook. More details can be viewed here.
Back then, the Cunninghams were the most prominent family on the Bellarine Peninsula in today’s State of Victoria. The big house Colonsay was owned by wily political strategist Cosmo Cunningham and his beautiful young wife Ambrosine. Their son Bertie was quiet, gentle and sensitive, while their daughter Ada was arrogant and abusive, a spoiled brat. Observing their daily interactions was a twelve-year-old servant called Alice.
Fast forward to the end of the 20th century when the Cunninghams were no more, apart from Rosamund, the reluctant inheritor of Colonsay, her childhood home. It is here where odd things happen – a lingering scent of honeysuckle, sounds of footsteps and whispers, loud bangings and booms, visions of violence and blood, physical attacks on renovation workers, exorcists and clairvoyants. These messages from the dead lead Rosamund on a journey to discover her family’s past and confront her own marriage problems.
As the author skilfully guides us back and forth through time and space, we get to witness the misundertandings, failures and tragedies in the lives of three women. However, none of them are hopeless victims as they remain fighters through to the end, taking actions to amend their mistakes and eventually achieving personal growth, success and peace. It is this incredible courage and everlasting faith that is worth celebrating as we read the story today as a piece of historical, horror, romance and/or women’s fiction. The existence of ghosts means there is hope.
The author is highly successful in structuring the story, fluently weaving all sorts of surprises and hints into an already thrilling plot, while subtly commenting on complex issues such as gender, racial and social inequality. Her exercise of patience is flawless, showing no signs of taking risks or being tempted to reveal anything before its time, granting readers a sense of suspense and then deep satisfaction. This reviewer would recommend a careful study of this book by those writers who wish to polish their skills in pacing.
Transparency: Lilly Sommers also writes as Kaye Dobbie. Special thanks to Selwa Anthony Author Management Agency for granting me permission to translate, publish and promote Footsteps in an Empty Room as a Chinese ebook. More details can be viewed here.
September 21, 2014
just not my kind of story. but the story was written and told nicely if you care to read it throughly..i don't care because i don't really like story of betrayals, liars..and furthermore it is a ghost story..and the characters are hearing voices and seeing things..it makes me feel stressed because currently, in my life, i'm currently in psychiatric posting, so i'm listening to patients that are hearing voices and seeing things too..haha..like that is not enough and i have to go and read this kind of story..and i don't feel scared at all reading this story even when i'm reading it in the middle of the night..that shows my soul was not in it.
conclusion; because of the situation i'm currently in, this review of mine is really not reliable..haha..i just write this as a way to express how i feel about the book and also my current life in general. A wrong choice of book for now.
conclusion; because of the situation i'm currently in, this review of mine is really not reliable..haha..i just write this as a way to express how i feel about the book and also my current life in general. A wrong choice of book for now.
May 19, 2013
Meine Meinung ganz kurzgefasst:
Nein. Nein, nein, nein, nein! Einfach nur nein! Ich habe selten ein so schlechtes Buch gelesen. Psychologische Entwicklung der Charakteren, was ist das? Verzicht auf Klischees und Schwarz-Weiß-Malerei? Charakterliche Tiefe und Vielschichtigkeit? Oh, hör' mir mit diesen Fremdwörtern auf, wird sich die Autorin wohl gedacht haben. Spannung? Noch so ein Fremdwort! Also nochmal: nein, nein, nein, nein!!
Nein. Nein, nein, nein, nein! Einfach nur nein! Ich habe selten ein so schlechtes Buch gelesen. Psychologische Entwicklung der Charakteren, was ist das? Verzicht auf Klischees und Schwarz-Weiß-Malerei? Charakterliche Tiefe und Vielschichtigkeit? Oh, hör' mir mit diesen Fremdwörtern auf, wird sich die Autorin wohl gedacht haben. Spannung? Noch so ein Fremdwort! Also nochmal: nein, nein, nein, nein!!
April 22, 2010
mysteriously unexpected story and ending...
Read
July 27, 2011A gripping story of long-ago love.
June 14, 2016
An Australian ghost story. I just revisited this book after a break of 17 years and loved it more this time than last. A very enjoyable read.
May 28, 2016
Quite a good Gothic tale!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews