{"product_id":"secret-rooms-a-true-gothic-mystery","title":"Secret Rooms A True Gothic Mystery","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA castle filled with intrigue, a plotting duchess and a mysterious death in Catherine Bailey''s \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Rooms.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eAt 6 am on 21 April 1940 John the 9th Duke of Rutland, and one of Britain''s wealthiest men, ended his days, virtually alone, lying on a makeshift bed in a dank cramped suite of rooms in the servants'' quarters of his own home, Belvoir Castle, in Leicestershire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor weeks, as his health deteriorated, his family, his servants - even the King''s doctor - pleaded with him to come out, but he refused.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter his death, his son and heir, Charles, the 10th Duke of Rutland, ordered that the rooms be locked up and they remained untouched for sixty years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat lay behind this extraordinary set of circumstances? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the first time, in \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eSecret Rooms\u003c\/i\u003e, Catherine Bailey unravels a complex and compelling tale of love, honour and betrayal, played out in the grand salons of Britain''s stately homes at the turn of the twentieth century, and on the battlefields of the Western Front. At its core is a secret so dark that it consumed the life of the man who fought to his death to keep it hidden. This extraordinary mystery from the author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Diamonds\u003c\/i\u003e, perfect for lovers of Downton Abbey, \u003ci\u003eBrideshead Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Suspicions of Mr Whicher\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Rooms\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Reads like the best kind of mystery story. It is a\u003cb\u003e tale of mistresses and heirlooms, cowardice and connivance, and a deeply dysfunctional family\u003c\/b\u003e...gripping''  \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eAstonishing...jaw-dropping\u003c\/b\u003e...It would spoil the book if I revealed the whole works, suffice it to say...what a family''  \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''An \u003cb\u003eextraordinary detective operation\u003c\/b\u003e''  John Julius Norwich\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57316537532798,"sku":"NW9780141035673","price":10.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780141035673.jpg?v=1778712261","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/secret-rooms-a-true-gothic-mystery","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}