Katerina's Secret

Jun 15, 2025 7:17 PM

Author:Mary Jane Staples

Katerina's Secret

A must read for fans of Cecila Ahern, Fiona Valpy and Lucinda Riley - this is an evocative and exciting romantic adventure from the multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples.

READERS ARE LOVING KATERINA'S SECRET!

"Loved it - you feel like you are part of the storyline" - 5 STARS

"I couldn't put this book down and read it in two days." - 5 STARS

"You will not be disappointed with this book." - 5 STARS.

"As always Mary Jane Staples has written a very good book that takes you back in time." - 5 STARS

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A WARTIME HERO AND A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN...

1928: Edward Somers, passing the winter at the Hôtel de Corniche on the French Riviera, happens upon a nearby villa within which lives the elusive and beautiful Countess Katerina. Despite the fact she does not seem to be allowed visitors, he manages to forge a friendship and the pair grow closer and closer.

But Edward cannot help but wonder: why is she confined to the villa, guarded by a man with a rifle? Who is observing her with a telescope? Why is she so reluctant to be photographed?

A sinister chain of events unfolds: is Katerina's life in danger? Must she always be on the run and forced into hiding? Will she ever be allowed to find the love she craves?

Katerina's Secret was previously published as Shadows in the Afternoon.

Reviews

Watch out Catherine Cookson

—— Northern Echo

A mesmerising patchwork of horror, humour and humanity

—— Independent

A magnificent, poetic, colossal novel... Superbly written... It is, in every sense, a sublime book

—— Irish Times

His most serious and ambitious achievement to date

—— Times Literary Supplement

Pleasurable... Like Steinbeck, de Bernières deserves praise for his imaginative sympathy

—— Independent on Sunday

Shafak will challenge Paulo Coelho's dominance

—— The Independent

An honour killing is at the centre of this stunning novel... Exotic, evocative and utterly gripping

—— The Times

Lushly and memorably magic-realist... This is an extraordinarily skilfully crafted and ambitious narrative

—— The Independent

The book calls to mind The Color Purple in the fierceness of its engagement with male violence and its determination to see its characters to a better place. But Shafak is closer to Isabel Allende in spirit, confidence and charm. Her portrayal of Muslim cultures, both traditional and globalising, is as hopeful as it is politically sophisticated. This alone should gain her the world audience she has long deserved

—— The Guardian

In Honour, Shafak treats an important, absorbing subject in a fast-paced, internationally familiar style that will make it accessible to a wide readership

—— Sunday Times

Fascinating and gripping - a wonderful novel

—— Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister

Vivid storytelling... that explores the darkest aspects of faith and love

—— Sunday Telegraph

Moving, subtle and ultimately hopeful, Honour is further proof that Shafak is the most exciting Turkish novelist to reach western readers in years

—— Irish Times

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