June 14

The Secret Keeper (2012)
By Kate Morton

This enthralling story is set in 3 different time frames: during WW2 (especially the London blitz), in the present (2012), and very briefly in 1961, where the story opens upon 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson, hiding in a tree, during her brother's birthday celebration.  Laurel is horrified to see her mother, wielding a knife meant for a birthday cake, stab a stranger who shows up at the driveway to her family's farmhouse.  Police assume Dorothy has killed the man in self-defense and life goes on in its peaceful way for Laurel, her parents, and 4 siblings at their country home.

Fast forward 50 years; Laurel's mother is dying and Laurel, now an actress at the apex of her career, struggles to make sense of the long-ago incident.  Most of the remaining story consists of flashbacks to 1940s London and the relationship between Laurel's mother, a young photographer, and another woman.  The story consists of many twists and turns, as well as some surprises along the way.  Although a bit long at 480 pp, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.  Not only is this a story about the tragedies of wartime, but a well-written and engrossing mystery story as well.