I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Taking place in a small village in England, the reader is swept up in a story of mystery, family history, and astronomy. It makes you wonder if dreams can be passed down through generations.

I found this book to be truly captivating. I was hooked from page one. The main character Jude works for an auction house and that is what leads her to Starbrough Hall to find out about an astrologer's collection of books and journals. While she is researching these items she learns of secrets that might somehow be related to her and this recurring dream that she has had since childhood. It is the same dream that her niece has been having. Throughout the book you follow Jude and her research into the mysterious past of Anthony Wickham and his adoptive daughter Esther with secrets revealing themselves along the way.

Overall the book was excellent. I do have to admit, along with my fellow reviewers, that at times the plot has coincidences that just seemed far-fetched. I find it hard to believe that these "coincidences" happened very often and just were so neat and tidy. I probably could have done without that, but I enjoyed learning more about astrology and reading this book.

Really 2.5 stars. It was contrived and convoluted. Bu the end, I couldn't remember any of the connections. The writing itself was annoying at times, with excruciating detail about writing an email or getting a quote on an item. I really trudged through this one.

Senovė, dabartis, meilės istorija, detektyvas, šeimos santykiai, astronomija, astrologija, žvaigždės ir mistika. Tiek visko aprėpia ši knyga!
Ir viskas taip įdomiai aprašyta. Man, mėgstančiai fantastiką, visa mistika šioje knygoje pasirodė tokia įdomi.
Ir seserų, Džudės ir Klerės, tarpusavio santykiai, sunkūs, bet tuo pačiu tikri, kaip ir tarp visų seserų.
Aišku, skaitydama šia knyga, kažkodėl vis autorę lyginau su L.Riley, gal dėl žvaigždžių istorijos, gal dėl to pasakojimo perpinančio dabartį su praeitim.
Knyga tikrai verta dėmesio.

I had read all of Rachel Hore's books before I picked up this one, so I knew what to expect and I definitely had high expectations from it. I think this book has to be one of my favourites from her. The main story line in the present follows the story of Jude (short for Judith) as she is employed by Richard Wickham, his wife Alexia and his mother Chantel to value the many books, astrology instruments and personal journals collected and written by their ancestor Anthony Wickham. It is here that she learns of Esther Wickham, a relative who seems to have fallen off the family tree, and begins to uncover her story. On top of this, the mysterious folly is guarding it's own secrets, and how is it possible that Jude's niece Summer, the daughter of her sister Claire, is suffering from the same nightmares that Jude herself suffered from as a child? And who is Tamsin, the gypsy girl who befriended Jude and Claire's grandmother when she was a child?
I know all of the above seems a little hard to digest in one go, but the way that the author delivers each one of these plot lines to us makes each and every one of them make sense, even though I personally had no idea how they would fit together. Usually when I read books like these, where there are links to the past and present, I have some 'idea' of what the 'big secret' will be, and i'm usually right, give or take a few facts. I've had this with some books by Rachel too, such as 'A Gathering Storm' (although that was certainly my favourite Rachel Hore book until this one - now i'm not so sure!). I think it is a mark of a skillful writer when they are able to lead you into the story like that, with these big secrets in them, while still be able to maintain the 'big reveal' at the end. One of the impressive things about this book for me was that it never felt like there was a 'big reveal' even though all of the things mentioned in the first paragraph had a solution. It felt like a 'journey of discovery' as I moved through the book with Jude; some things became clearer while opening the doors to other questions. Each individual plot line was dealt with in it's own time, so I never felt like the book was leading towards some 'big reveal.' It felt like I was simply uncovering the answers with Jude, and I really enjoyed that aspect of this book.
The reason for the missing star is because, as mentioned by some other reviewers, the ending almost seems 'too perfect' or 'too coincidental.' Then again, coincidences can happen in life sometimes I guess :D But also some parts of some of the plot lines (not wishing to reveal spoilers here) relied on a very different kind of evidence, evidence which may in fact not be allowed to be called evidence. It would have been nice to have concrete evidence to support those parts of the story. But all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I'm really looking forward to her new book this year; I can tell from her 5 current books that she has been getting better and better with each one that she writes, and I can't wait to see how she develops in the next one.

Jude is an historical researcher for an auction house, but struggling with the loss of her husband nearly three years ago. However, her life is once again thrown into turmoil when she is asked to value and investigate an astrological collection at Starbrough Hall in her native Norfolk. When she returns there, it is less the astrological details that become intriguing but the story of Wickham's adopted daughter Esther, who assisted his research, but then seemingly vanished leaving only an incomplete journal. What is more peculiar still, is that Jude has begun dreaming once again and her young niece, Summer, seems to be having the same dream - a dream that could well reveal the true fate of Esther and her disappearance as well as the diamond seven star necklace that her grandmother has kept hidden for years. As the past and present collide, it becomes ever more urgent for Jude to discover the truth.

'A Place of Secrets' has much in common with the novels of Kate Morton and Kate Mosse in the manner in which it flicks between the past and present and uses the events of the present to shed lights on a mystery from the past that has not been solved for over two hundred years. It is a complex, multi-layered narrative and Hore builds tension throughout so the reader is also desperate to discover how the seemingly unconnected events of the present day could be linked to a mystery from nearly three centuries before. Hore has also brilliantly researched her subject matter and there is a great deal of information about Norfolk, the Romany lifestyle and early astrological investigations that is really fascinating. As a reader, you can hear her dedication and enthusiasm for the subject matter and the area in the descriptive detail of her poetic prose that is superbly interwoven into the narrative.

However, the novel is sadly flawed as well. There is far too much description and dialogue that is often unnecessary and so you feel as if you are wading through tracts of unnecessary (and rather dull) character interaction before reaching the more crucial and interesting parts of the novel. The best bits of the narrative are definitely those involving Esther's journal where Hore has created the innocent voice of Esther and her historical style of writing very effectively. Moreover, her relationship with her adopted father is far more moving than the more stilted modern day ones Hore portrays particularly Jude's relationship with the rather dislikable Claire (whom I struggled with as a character). The plot was cleverly created, but almost too clever for its own good: there are so many coincidences that even Dickens would have blushed. Magically, Jude's family are all involved in the plot in one way or another and everyone ends up getting together and being jolly happy ever after. It just didn't quite ring true. Everyone likes a sense of resolution at the end of a novel, but Hore has contrived to give everyone a perfect ending and tie it all together with a lovely pink bow that is so sweet and simpering, we feel rather let down and mildly glutted. Hore repeatedly refers to fairy tales in the novel, pointing out their rather disturbing true origins and yet does not allow her own novel to live up to these disturbing sources, which is a great shame as it would have made for a better read.

I know Hore has written other novels (this is her fourth) and I certainly admire her research, knowledge and aptitude for creating such a complex plot. Yet, this feels like the work of an inexperienced novelists who requires a sharper editorial hand to steer her. I did enjoy the novel and would certainly look out for her in the future, but unlike with Morton and Mosse, I wouldn't be rushing out to buy her next novel.