The History Room

by Eliza Graham

After her soldier husband is seriously injured and her marriage begins to fall apart, Meredith Cordingley returns to teach at Letchford, the grand Cotswold private school run by her father, who outwardly appears to be a typically English headmaster. The setting provides Meredith with a tranquil refuge from her own heartache until one September afternoon, when a shocking discovery is made in the history room. The police are called, but all is not what it seems.

Meredith is determined to discover the culprit and becomes convinced that a manipulative member of staff is controlling the sinister goings-on at her beloved Letchford, and exerting a calculating influence on a vulnerable and troubled young student, but on her journey to untangle the truth Meredith risks her father’s reputation, as well as her own. As the mystery unravels Meredith comes to discover that there is more than one person at Letchford School hiding a past filled with complicated secrets.

What follows is a gripping mystery, a tale of war, grief, love and second chances.

Genres: Fiction

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2013

About the author

Eliza Graham is an Oxfordshire-based UK author whose adult novels reflect her fascination with how historical events affect families..

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, possibly slightly dated concept novel, that nevertheless pulls the reader directly into a mystery, indeed to be honest two loosely interconnected mysteries, with a sharply written set if characters, all of whom are slightly flawed and so more human than many in apparently simply novels. I enjoyed the sense of bewilderment in Merry, the main narrator/central character, who has scurried back to the home she enjoyed as a girl following a disaster happening to her soldier husband. Then things start to happen......

[DeAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book began with an eery feel that built slowly as the story unfolded. It didn’t quite reach Ruth Ware level creepiness but it was close. This was a well-written mystery(I wouldn’t consider it a thriller) that was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages and ended up being quite unpredictable and unexpected.
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3/5 ⭐️- I liked it 👍🏼

[Kaye Frost-smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling Read!

I'm impressed with this author, keeps the story moving along, no dead spots. Her characters are very credible, in this volume that underlying feeling of deceit and intrigue. A thoroughly great read well worth seeking out more of this authors work.

[Masha · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but not very credible story of two mysteries coming to light simultaneously.

[Lydia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the way everything tied up nicely at the end!

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leider sind meine Erwartungen an das Buch nicht ganz erfüllt worden, denn ich hatte mir einen spannenden Roman um ein Familiengeheimnis gewünscht. Die Geschichte beginnt zwar, als Meredith und ihre Schwester Clara noch kleine Kinder waren, spielt dann aber vorwiegend in der Gegenwart. Doch irgendwie schien mir die ganze Geschichte zu konstruiert und vorhersehbar, die Fäden liefen am Ende zwar zusammen, aber irgendwie unrund.
Dabei liest sich das Buch sehr leicht und flüssig, der Schreibstil ist angenehm und beschreibend. Gerade auch die Schilderungen des Landsitzes Letchford haben mir gefallen. Das Buch wird vorwiegend aus der Sicht Merediths geschrieben, im letzten Drittel des Buches wechseln die Sichtweisen dann – mal ist es die von Emily, mal die des Vaters Charles. Die Kapitelüberschrift verrät jedoch immer, um wen es gerade geht, so dass hier keine Verwirrung auftritt.
Meredith ist eine junge, durchaus sympathische Frau, die mir aber irgendwie unentschlossen scheint und ein bisschen ratlos durchs Leben zieht. Grundsätzlich ist sie neugierig und will das Geheimnis lösen, manchmal jedoch hält sie sich so im Hintergrund, dass ich das nicht verstehen kann und ich mich frage, warum sie die Dinge nicht in die Hand nimmt. Ihre Schwester Clara dagegen ist eine Frau der Tat, die sagt, was sie denkt, und macht, was sie für richtig hält. Charles, der Vater, wirkt wie ein distinguierter älterer Herr, an den man nicht gut herankommt und der sich durch Korrektheit und Tugend auszeichnet. Erst im letzten Drittel des Buches finde ich ihn zunehmend sympathisch, man erfährt von seiner Vergangenheit und seinem Schicksal. Die übrigen Charaktere sind im Großen und Ganzen gut gezeichnet, manchmal neigt die Autorin jedoch dazu, sie entweder als nur gut oder nur schlecht darzustellen.
Es tauchen im Roman viele verschiedene Handlungsstränge auf und leider ist bei mir der Eindruck entstanden, dass manche Ereignisse ins Leere laufen und nicht aufgelöst werden. Doch am Ende laufen dann doch alle Fäden zusammen, wenn auch etwas konstruiert und holprig.
Das letzte Drittel ist wirklich spannend und man bekommt Einblick in die Vergangenheit des Vaters, sein Schicksal, seine Motive und sein Handeln. Dann wird auch das Geheimnis des Bildes gelöst, was zwar leicht zu durchschauen war, doch der Spannung keinen Abbruch getan hat.
Vielleicht hatte ich einfach etwas anderes erwartet und auch wenn die Geschichte sehr vorhersehbar war, hat es Spaß gemacht, sie zu lesen. Gerade das letzte Drittel war sehr spannend und hat einiges wieder wett gemacht. Von meiner Seite daher 3,5 Sterne.

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book hard going. Despite the shock at the beginning, it didn't grip me and I had to struggle to get to page 100 without giving up. Once the scene shifted to Bohemia, I regained interest, but there are factual inaccuracies:
The Prague Spring of 1968 is referred to on one occasion as the Velvet Revolution, which took place in 1989.

Hana, the Czech mother of Jan, gave birth to him in 1968 or 1969 at the latest. She died in 1980, but not before giving birth to a girl, Sofia, who says her brother was already 12 when she was born. this is just possible, but then why does Sofia have any memories of growing up with her mother? If you accept this chronology, it sounds as if Hana died in childbirth, but apparently she died of cancer.

In a mystery novel, these oversights are glaring.

On a more positive note, the Epilogue was genuinely chilling.

I am, by coincidence, listening on audio file to Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, and this is also a novel set in an English public school, where an apparently wronged character from a previous generation is plotting revenge on the school. I have no doubts that this is a far superior novel. The quality of the writing stands out. I wish I could say the same of The History Room's writing style.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Eliza Graham's earlier books, I was really looking forward to reading this one. It did not disappoint: in fact I would say I enjoyed it even more than Restitution, Playing with the Moon and Jubilee.

Though, as other reviewers have pointed out, it is on the predictable side, this did not detract from the story. Meredith and her family are very likeable and believable; I felt involved with them from the beginning and was really rooting for them towards the end. The baddy in the story is an interesting character (though you can spot the baddy a mile off) and the author is successful in building suspense around this character and their misdeeds (I am trying not to give too much away here...).

A very enjoyable, easy read with a satisfying ending. Well done again Eliza Graham - I am looking forward to reading more of your books.

[Deborah Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel where nearly everyone has a secret past, and their past impacts on the present to create a plot that gradually unfolds for the reader. The plot begins with a prank at a private school, which shocks the pupils and staff. In trying to find the culprit, Meredith Cordingley, a teacher at the school, must delve into the motives of her pupils and into her family's past. In doing so she discovers her father, the headmaster, is not the man she thought he was, and that the repercussions of war still haunt him. Not only must she contend with family secrets, but Emily, a teaching assistant at the school has an axe to grind, and will stop at nothing to get revenge for events of the past. Chilling and mysterious, this is a book I can highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was OK. Not the most gripping book I have ever read and got through it in one day as well as making sunday lunch and baking scones! Again a bit too predictable - you can see the 'villan' as it is so obviously and I ended up just getting annoyed as the main character couldn't see it. Oh well - passed on quiet Sunday

[Rachel Nowakowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was nicely done. A light, easy to read novel that had a few strands of storyline that interlinked nicely and ended up with a satisfying conclusion. The original 'scare' at the start of the book turned into a very nice conundrum running thoughout the whole of the story and ended on a slightly disturbing note!

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as I really enjoyed The One I was by Eliza Graham. I found this book by the same author more predictable, with less twists and was a little disappointed. It still had an easy reading style with complex three dimensional characters but the storyline was more simplistic and not as enjoyable. I did like the very last twist at the end of the book, the only surprise.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - loved it altho story was predictable. Beautifully written

[Cas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started OK, skimmed the second half as I got quite bored - one for the charity shop not a keeper on the bookshelf.

[Toria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the style that this book was written in, but the ending was far too predictable and the sense of a 'big secret' was a little forced.

[Carol Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some well-drawn characters and good descriptions but the plot was rather thin with some inconsistencies and inaccuracies.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok. Pleasant enough but a little predictable in the end

[Under Milkwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aah yeah, maybe a three. Diverting at best

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed out on five because of the predictability.

[Karen Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming soon on karenmartinreads.blogspot.co.uk

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.