The Singapore Secret

by Clare Willis

A secret letter. A wartime promise. A courageous act of love...

Singapore 1942: With the war drawing ever closer, Dorothy faces a heart-rending choice to leave the country she has come to call home and the people she loves most. As she boards a boat full of evacuees with warplanes advancing across the ocean, a tiny baby is pressed into her arms. In that moment, Dorothy makes a promise that will echo through the years...

England, 2019: When Annabel's grandmother, Dotty, passes away aged one hundred she discovers a bundle of letters and photographs hidden in her desk that document her life in Singapore during the 1930s. But Dotty had always said she never travelled further than their small village in Cornwall. What could have made Dotty conceal this past life? Who is the man standing next to her in a wedding dress who is not Annabel's grandfather?

Determined to uncover the truth, is Annabel prepared for what she will find?

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 26, 2026

Reviews

[linda hole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dual time line . Singapore in the 1930 1940s and present time. Dark family secrets and a love story? Yes please. What i liked most about the book, was that it was strong female characters in both timelines. I liked that we gpt to know more.about the conditions in the Asians camps.during ww2.
What i liked less, for me the present timeline took up too much space in the book. And the family secret was a little bit too predictable. But still a Nice read. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinio

[Mark Whiskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Singapore Secret is a gripping and beautifully written read that blends intrigue, culture, and emotion with ease. The story draws you in from the very first page, offering vivid insights into Singapore while unfolding a compelling and well-paced plot. The characters feel authentic and engaging, making it easy to connect with their journeys. It’s an enjoyable, thought-provoking book that keeps you curious until the end and leaves a lasting impression.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorothy Templeton moves to Singapore with her parents Olivia and Anthony and her dad works for a rubber company. Leaving behind her brother and best friend in England and it’s an adventure of a lifetime. Dorothy spends her days in paradise visiting other English families, shopping, dining out at Raffles Hotel and socialising.

Everyone assures her Singapore is heavily fortified and safe, and the Japanese army are no threat and despite bombing Pearl Harbour and suddenly they get closer and it’s a mad panic to evacuate. Dorothy makes a promise, one she will keep and the only person who knows about it is her husband.

The story has a dual time line, and set in 1938 to 1945 and in present time or 2019 and told from the main characters points of view Dorothy and Annabel and is very easy to follow.

Annabel Penrose is devastated when he grandmother Dotty passes away just after her hundred birthday and she stays at her farm in Cornwall and doesn’t return to London. Annabel’s dad has to have an operation, so she starts going through her grandparents things and finds photographs hidden in a desk. They are of a young woman in Singapore, her grandmother and as far as she knew Dotty never left the village and grew up in Fulham. Annabel can’t understand why Dotty would hide her past from her son, daughter-in-law, grandson and herself?

Determined to uncover the truth, Annabel travels to Singapore and stays with her friend’s cousin and unexpectedly meets up with an old university acquaintance and both help her solve an eighty year old mystery.

I received a copy of The Singapore Secret by Clare Willis from Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Wow what a block buster of a narrative, I was hooked from the first page and until the end.

A story about living in Singapore now, post and during the Second World War, the culture and Chinese people, and full of intrigue and secrets.

I really admired Dorothy’s character, as she showed incredible courage and strength, and Annabel for searching for answers to her grandmothers past and deciding she deserved better and to be loved. A must read for fans of well written dual timeline historical fiction, set in exotic locations I want to visit, and be prepared to be swept away and five stars from me.

[Cari Zuckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When things start to go sour between Annabel Penrose and her long-term boyfriend, she decides to spend the Easter holiday with her beloved grandmother, Dotty, in Cornwall. When she arrives, she finds Dotty has suffered a fall and she is quickly taken to the hospital. When scans reveal Dotty likely couldn’t have children, Annabel is thrown for a loop. Is her father, Noel, not really her grandparents’ son? Dotty passes away before Annabel can inquire about it and while searching Dotty’s desk for funeral plans, she finds mysterious letters that indicate Dotty had a life no one knew about. There are pictures of Dotty, who claimed never to have left the UK, in Singapore as a young woman. With nothing to lose, Annabel decides to travel to Singapore to uncover this lost chapter in Dotty’s history.

So begins a dual-timeline narrative following Annabel’s research and Dotty’s life in WW2 Singapore. As I find I usually do, I enjoyed the historical timeline more than the present-day timeline. It took almost 20% of the book to get to the historical timeline which made for a slow start. Dotty’s story is very interesting and sheds some light on what happened in Singapore during WW2, which I knew nothing about. I could have done without Annabel’s romance, considering she was just days past a breakup- not every story needs to end with someone finding a man.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and thought it was an original story among the vast collection of WW2 narratives.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Singapore, 1942: As the war comes ever closer, Dorothy's life in Singapore is forever changed. She chooses to flee the country she has come to call home. As she is boarding a boat full of evacuees, a bundle is pressed into her arms. As the enemy cuts off all escape routes, Dorothy makes a promise that will echo throughout generations.

England, 2019: After the death of her beloved grandmother Dotty at the age of 100 years, Annabel discovers letters and photographs hidden in her desk which reveal the secret life of a young woman in Singapore. Though Dotty had never travelled further than her beloved village in Cornwall, Annabel determines to solve the mystery of the young woman in the photos and the bridegroom standing beside Dotty in a faded wedding photo. He is clearly not the grandfather Annabel had known and loved. Determined to uncover the truth, is Annabel prepared for what she may find?

How I loved this story. It is a story but it is also a journey and one I have felt it a privilege to have taken by reading this book.

In memory of those who suffered and died during the invasion and occupation of Singapore.

Thank you so much Clare Willis for writing this story and reminding readers of the bravery and sacrifices made in the hope of freedom and a better world. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Singapore Secret by Clare Willis is an emotionally rich WWII historical novel told through a dual timeline, set in Singapore during World War II and England in 2019.

Dorothy (Dotty) moves from England to Singapore with her parents after her father receives a promotion in the rubber industry, just prior to the outbreak of war. Dotty enjoys a privileged colonial life — dinners at Raffles, afternoons spent on the verandah sipping cocktails — and like many living in Singapore at the time, the arrival of war comes as a shock.

In 2019, following Dotty’s death, her granddaughter Annabel uncovers hidden letters and photographs that reveal a surprising past about her grandmother that no one in the family knew. The narrative moves between Annabel’s research into her grandmother’s life and Dotty’s experiences in wartime Singapore, gradually uncovering long-buried truths.

Family secrets, trust, love, and sacrifice are key themes throughout the novel. Having lived in Singapore as a child and visited many times since, I have a particular fondness for historical stories set there, and this book truly resonated with me.

I found The Singapore Secret to be a compelling and engaging weekend read. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.

[Claire Mc Partlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable dual timeline story, set mainly in Cornwall and Singapore.

The main characters are Annabel, and her grandmother Dotty. As far as Annabel knows Dotty has never left her beloved Cornwall and it was only when she dies that she finds out her grandmother had secrets she'd never shared with her family.

Dotty moved to colonial Singapore in 1938 with her parents when the rubber business was in demand and her father got a new job out there. Their lives changed completely with servants and a wonderful lifestyle, for a few years anyway until the war started and then everyone had to flee if they could, or got caught up in Japanese camps if they didn't escape. Dotty ended up in a prisoner of war camp.

The story flips between Annabel visiting Singapore to find out more about her grandmother's hidden life, and Dotty's life and how she ended up married with a son in Cornwall.

Really fascinating story of a time we don't hear about that often.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked by NetGalley to review this really intriguing story with a dual timeline set in the 1930/40s and in the present.

This was such an intriguinly beautifully written story.

Set in the days of Colonial Singapore where Dorothy is with her parents - father working for a rubber company. life is good and privilaged - with socialising and the lavish Raffles hotel. Everyone thinks Singapore will be safe as the war continues at home - Singapore will not fall. Evacuations take place will the family be safe?

Annabel - her grandmother passes away - she has no idea she had been in Singapore.

Then a trip to Singapore to uncover the truth and why her Grandmother never spoke of this or that she had ever been anywhere apart from England.

Well researched and due for publication February 26th 2026.

[Amy Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my normal genre of book but I was lucky enough to receive this as an arc so I jumped in and… I was very pleasantly surprised!

I felt this was written beautifully and gave an inside to the historical elements of the story without being over the top.
I enjoyed how the time jumped between the 1940’s and present day 2019 and each chapter gave an insight into either Dotty’s or Annabel’s lived and their family connections over the years

I’m a sucker for a romance so I love how this was touched on and incorporated into the story. This was a fairly short read too so I would recommend this to anyone!

[Jen Dear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh gosh, I really liked this book. I thought it was slow in the beginning, but it really picked up. I was also intrigued that this was a historical fiction about Singapore and not typical Europe. The ending was perfect. I’d love for a Clara story — we don’t really get to hear what happened to her, her family, or Matthew.

My number one critique? The dialogue gets cheesy in the begging. I read this as an ARC so I hope they do a few more revisions so it doesn’t read like a cue card for a play.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracker of a story. Dual timeline this takes you back to Singapore before and during the second world war. Fascinating story which I really enjoyed. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.