The Loose Thread

by Liz Harris

From award-winning author Liz Harris comes the first in the sweeping epic series Three Sisters, in which each book tells the story of one of the three Hammond girls.

The Loose Thread is Rose’s story.

Early in 1938, with the threat of WW2 little more than a shadow on the horizon, Rose Hammond marries Tom Benest, whom she hardly knows, and leaves London to go to live with Tom on his family’s farm in Jersey. There, she’s welcomed by his parents as she attempts to adjust to her new life, but meets with open hostility from Tom’s sister, Kathleen. 

Less than two years later, the lives of the family are turned upside down when Jersey is cut loose from British protection. The Germans move in and seize control of the island, forcing the islanders into a perilous situation that will test their endurance and resourcefulness.

As the German Occupation tightens its grip on life on the island, Tom and Rose are torn apart in a situation of unimaginable heartbreak, which calls for the greatest of courage, and a powerful determination to survive.

A gripping, heart-breaking story of life in occupied Jersey during WWII from the author of Darjeeling Inheritance and The Road Back. Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy, Santa Montefiore and Kate Furnivall.

What readers are saying about The Road Back by Liz Harris, the award-winning first standalone novel in Distant Places.

A wonderful story of an illicit affair in Ladakh (a territory west of Tibet) in the 1950s. There is some terrific cultural detail in a splendid read. (The Bookseller)

A splendid love story, so beautifully told. Colin Dexter, O.B.E., author of the Inspector Morse novels.

One of the best books I’ve read for a long time’ is how my mother described The Road Back. The Tree House (Amazon review)

You must be very proud of the beautiful story you have written! A truly masterful novel. Kindle Barb (Amazon US review)

It's exciting and tremendously moving, draws you into the narrative and setting, and left me thoroughly satisfied by the story and with a tear in my eye…An excellent read. Welsh Annie (Amazon review)

It is a page turner that contains lovely writing and suspense. Carol McGrath (Amazon review)

Genres: Historical Fiction

362 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2024

About the author

Born in London, Liz Harris graduated from university with a Law degree, and then moved to California, where she led a varied life, from waitressing on Sunset Strip to working as secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company.

Six years later, she returned to London and completed a degree in English, after which she taught secondary school pupils, first in Berkshire, then Cheshire, and then in Oxfordshire.

In addition to the eighteen novels she’s had published, she’s had several short stories in anthologies and magazines.

Liz now lives in Windsor, Berkshire. An active member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Historical Novel Society, her interests are travel, the theatre, reading and cryptic crosswords.

To find out more about Liz, visit her website at: www.lizharrisauthor.com. You can sign up to her monthly newsletter from her website, and as a thank-you gift, you’ll receive a free book, Word Perfect, a romance set in California.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Channel Island

Reading The Loose Thread and learning a bit more about the chanel Islands during WWII drew me to this book. Liz Harris is an author who is new to me. The book is a simple story, told in a simple fashion. Overall, I enjoyed the book and gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The pacing of the book is outline with dates and is helpful when the story jumps. Having said that, the jumping is sometimes well developed. Then, there are other times the story drags with details that are not throughly fleshed out.

The main characters Tom and Rose met, married, and moved all within three months. When Rose meets her new family, the animosity from Kathleen, her sister-in-law, is harsh. Due to the timing of Tom and Rose getting married and the setting focused on WWII channel island historical events. The animosity is not sorted before a twist impacting Kathleen and Rose.

Kathleen's character is intended to be the villain, and she plays the role very well. The telling of her character developed and brought her full circle.

Overall, the book was enjoyable, I am grateful for the opportunity to read the early release. Thank you to Netgalley and Liz Harris for the ARC

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Loose Thread by Liz Harris is an engaging story about Rose, the eldest of 3 sisters. Their parents own haberdashery shops in London and Rose helps run them. Following a short courtship, she marries a farmer from Jersey where most of the story takes place. Life as a farmer’s wife is hard and although made very welcome by her husband’s parents, Rose finds it difficult to get on with Kathleen, her sister-in-law. After war breaks out and the island is occupied Rose’s relationship with Kathleen becomes central to the plot. The story is brought to life by the interesting characters, historical facts and charming descriptions of the landscape which are always a feature of Liz Harris’s novels. I enjoyed this book so much and my only criticism is that it ended too soon! I consoled myself by reading the next in the Trilogy immediately after finishing it and although a series each book can be read as a stand alone.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy very much Liz Harris's books, there's always something to learn in everyone of them. This time, I learned about the German occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII and the deportation of British citizens to concentration camps in Germany. I have to confess that I didn't have a clue about this events, which made reading this book fascinating.
Along with a very good plot and character development, the book immerse you into the story by the description of the locations, especially the scenery of Jersey Island but also of the way of living in the island.
I can't wait for book 2 of this new series from an author I believe is a very good storyteller.

[Charlotte Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!
It was particularly interesting to read about the world time occupation of Jersey by the Germans - this isn’t something you often hear about.
It was also harrowing at times to read about how the Germans treated people but also how we can treat others in the same situation.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Loose Thread

Set in London and Jersey in 1938 and leading into the German occupation of the island of Jersey, this is an interesting and well researched story. It took a turn that I didn't expect and very much surprised me.
The Loose Thread is the first book in a series about three sisters from 1938 to 1948. I loved this story and look forward to reading the other two books.

[Nancy W. O'Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great World War II book.

This book made me aware of additional POW camps that I had never heard of. Following people of Jersey that were sent to the camps was very interesting. Details of their journey and what happened to them after the war was something that held my interest.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the setting in Jersey was interesting regarding the beginning of WWII, the characters were not really compelling and rather predictable in their development. An easy and quick novel .

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

whilst this book, was so well written and enjoyable, the reason it's been marked down to a 4* is because of the extra 20 pages after the book has finished. it is totally unnecessary and annoying

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this. I've read novels about the occupation of Guernsey but never about Jersey, which is only 12 miles off the coast of France. The writing was good and covered the years from 1938 through the end of World War II. The problem for me was I never warmed up to the main characters, the Benest family. They seemed incredibly naive to the danger of invasion by the Germans in the first place and then were generally compliant during the occupation. The eldest son, Tom, even expressed sympathy for some of the German soldiers looking dejected after they'd lost the war, even though his wife had been in a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany for three years! Kathleen Benest flaunted a relationship with a German officer and other than mild disapproval from her parents, that was it. I don't doubt that there were families like the Benests and that many people kept their heads down during the German occupation. I just don't care to read about them...sorry.