The Secret Year of Zara Holt

by Kimberley Freeman, Janet Watson Kruse (Narrator)

Melbourne, 1927. The summer flowers smell like Christmas the night Zara Dickins meets Harry Holt. Zara is wearing a dress she has designed and made herself. White organdie over a short black slip, with black embroidery and a crimson taffeta sash. It is party season and the university crowd are celebrating end-of-year exams. Zara loves dancing with the boys and flirting with them, but it's a game to her. Nothing serious. Until Harry.



He plans to be a politician once he finishes law. She, a fashion designer, if she can find a way to break out of the secretarial pool. When he takes her hand, she doesn't want to let him go.



The spark they ignite that night will last 40 years.



Portsea, 1967. When Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming, his wife Zara loses herself in the memories of their volatile relationship. She always believed Harry when he said no matter what happened, he'd never leave. Their bond has stretched to London, Europe, India, America. It has survived anger, loss and heartbreak, media scrutiny, secrets and lies. But now all Zara wants is for Harry to come home.

Audible Audio

Published June 1, 2025

About the author

Pen name of Kim Wilkins.


Kimberley was born in London and her family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Queensland where she currently lives.

Kimberley has written for as long as she can remember and she is proud to write in many genres. She is an award-winning writer in children’s, historical and speculative fiction under her birth name Kim Wilkins. She adopted the pen name Kimberley Freeman for her commercial women’s fiction novels Duet and Gold Dust to honour her maternal grandmother and to try and capture the spirit of the page-turning novels she has always loved to read. Kim has an Honours degree, a Masters degree and a PhD from The University of Queensland where she is also a lecturer. She lives in Brisbane with her young family.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This imaginative interpretation of a real person in history captured my interest. I was fascinated by the author’s ability to weave the threads of a story from her research.

The detail was so personal and at times it felt like an intrusion into the private life of Zara Holt. I do wonder how this imagined account sits with the descendants.

I liked the timeline although towards the end it felt a bit crammed trying to get all the significant events mentioned. The narration was good.

This story made me want to google Zara and read more about her.

[Glenda Briglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Year of Zara Holt is a beautifully imagined blend of fact and fiction that gives voice to a woman history largely left in the margins. Inspired by the life of Zara Holt, wife of Australian PM Harold Holt, this novel focuses less on politics and more on the private cost of public life.
Kimberley Freeman writes with restraint and empathy, creating an intimate portrait of a woman navigating grief, loneliness, and expectation under relentless public scrutiny. The strength of the book lies in its emotional truth rather than dramatic plot twists, and in its respect for history’s unanswered questions.
Thoughtful, elegant, and quietly powerful — this is historical fiction at its best, especially for readers who love stories that reclaim overlooked female perspectives. I loved it!

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

what a trite story. I hope that none of Harold and Zara Holts family read this book. no idea if any of this dump on their personal life is in any way true but it's cruel given there must be living grandchildren. the
writing is very simplistic.

[Yvonne Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved every page