The Rose Arbor

Bowen (“Royal Spyness” series) skillfully crafts a new historical mystery, featuring Liz Houghton, a newspaper reporter in 1968 London, and her flatmate Marisa, a police officer. Little Lucy Fareham vanishes from a park, and the case is assigned to Marisa and her partner Jones. A sighting of Lucy is reported in Weymouth, and Liz tags along with Marisa, hoping to land a career-advancing scoop. Jones is haunted by the unsolved cases of three little girls evacuated from London to Dorset during World War II—two still missing and one found murdered. Liz and Marisa search for Lucy in the deserted village of Tydeham, destroyed by a 1943 military operation. Unexpectedly, Liz dredges up memories of Tydeham from early childhood, leading her to explore the ruined Bennington Manor, where she meets James Bennington and experiences a shocking flashback in the rose arbor. Liz, James, and Marisa uncover more clues to the missing girls—and to Liz’s childhood memories—while racing to find Lucy in time to save her.