1900, Alice’s elopement with a married man fails and she is taken abroad by her aunt in order to avoid scandal. She goes to Crete and is fascinated by a local dig. Present day, Eloise is recently widowed and travels to Crete to enjoy her freedom. She finds Alice’s diary and is astonished to discover a connection…
The Forgotten Palace is a dual timeline novel with strong mythological themes.
Alice and Eloise are both feisty women who have been wronged in the past. The truth of their experiences is gradually revealed over the course of the book and our sympathies are allied with them. Both women find themselves judged by friends, family and society, whilst the men involved are not held responsible for their actions. I would have found it easier to follow the switches between timelines if this had been stated at the start of the chapters.
Greek mythology plays a pivotal role in the plot for both timelines. There are also scattered chapters that offer snippets of the myth from a more personal perspective than the other recounts included in the book. I would have liked Ariadne’s story to have been more overt and balanced in line with the other women.
The author has clearly researched the culture, history and geography of Crete to underpin the plot. However, for me it was the emotional elements of the book which worked best as this forged a connection with the characters.
The Forgotten Palace is an interesting and detailed timeslip novel.
The Forgotten Palace
In an underground labyrinth a lost soul wanders, waiting for revenge, waiting for love…
London 1900
Alice Webster has made the worst decision of her life. When her Aunt Agatha offers her the chance to go on a Grand Tour she jumps at the opportunity to get away from the glare of scandal. Heading off to see the world as the century turns, Alice begins to believe her broken heart can be healed, and a chance encounter on a train bound for Paris changes everything. When their journey takes them to a Cretan house thick with history, and the world-famous dig at Knossos, stories from the past begin to echo through Alice’s life.
London Present Day
Eloise De’Ath is meant to be a grieving widow. But if people knew the truth about her late husband, they’d understand why she can’t even pretend. Needing to escape, Eloise heads to Crete and the house her father-in-law Quinn left her, and slowly Quinn’s home begins to reveal its mysteries. In his office Eloise discovers his life’s work: the study of the Victorian excavation to find the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Fascinated by the diaries of a young woman from the dig, Eloise is drawn into Alice’s tale of lost love and her growing obsession with Ariadne, the princess of the labyrinth.
Three women divided by time but connected by the long-hidden secrets of the past. As their stories join in a golden thread, a terrible injustice might finally be undone…
Alexandra Walsh is the bestselling author of dual timeline historical mysteries, previously published by Sapere. Her books range from the fifteenth century to the Victorian era and are inspired by the hidden voices of women that have been lost over the centuries.
