Note to readers: In the UK, this book is published under the title The Love Letter. “Plenty of twists, flashbacks, and a dash of romance keep the suspense high. For anyone looking for a dose of palace intrigue or upper-crust scandal, Riley’s latest novel delivers on both counts.” –Booklist “Chock full of shocking…this gripping novel is sure to keep Riley’s fans and new readers alike turning … to keep Riley’s fans and new readers alike turning pages.” —Publishers Weekly
“Fans of mystery, royal family intrigue, and even romance will enjoy this novel.” —Columbia Missourian
In this suspenseful and heart-pounding novel from New York Times bestselling author Lucinda Riley, an ambitious young journalist unravels a dangerous mystery that threatens to devastate the British monarchy.
Keeping secrets is a dangerous game.
When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his generation, passes away at the age of ninety-five, he leaves behind not just a heartbroken family but also a secret so shocking, it could rock the English establishment to its core.
Joanna Haslam, an up-and-coming reporter, is assigned to cover the legendary actor’s funeral, attended by glitzy celebrities of every background. But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter James Harrison has left behind–the contents of which many have been desperate to keep concealed for over seventy years. As she peels back the veil of lies that has shrouded the secret, she realizes that she’s close to uncovering something deadly serious–and the royal family may be implicated. Before long, someone is on her tracks, attempting to prevent her from discovering the truth. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does.
Full of salacious scandal, shocking twists, and captivating romance, and written in Lucinda Riley’s signature “vividly drawn and lushly atmospheric” (RT Book Reviews) prose, The Royal Secret is “a full-throttle escapist adventure” (Lancashire Evening Post).
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I am admittedly a slow reader and for me this is a long read (at about 500 pages), but I must admit it was a great story that kept me turning pages from start to finish. Ms Riley created a world full of atmosphere, action and adventure that just keeps coming at you. The characters are palatable as is the story line, almost as if Ms Riley used some personal experiences to create the story.
I certainly hope this won’t be my last Lucinda Riley story.
I’m a huge fan, I read every Lucinda Riley and this is a wonderfully full bodied tale of royals and actors and characters that steal your heart.
Sensational!
An old love letter is passed on to a journalist, and so begins a major investigation into a huge cover-up involving MI5 and royalty. Long held secrets are unearthed, and lives are lost in an attempt to keep the contents and the meaning of the letter from ever reaching the public.
A top notch fictitious story which is a real page-turner.
Enjoyable fiction read about the Royal Family.
I gave this four stars because it was such a page turner, but I would feel better about that rating if the book had ended about 50 pages earlier than it did.
Lucinda Riley is a gifted story-teller. I’m one of her fans and I’ve read MANY of her novels. This one, according to her preface, was originally published in England in 2000 under the title THE LOVE LETTER, and initially fell flat. Riley explains that it was probably because Britain’s Royal Family was held in such low esteem at that moment, just a few years after Princess Diana’s death. I think it’s more likely this story would not sit well with royalty fans at any time. Because the royal family, its massive supporting bureaucracy (what the Duke of Edinburgh refers to as “the firm”), and the British secret service do not come off well in this book.
It’s a mystery which begins with the death of a prominent British actor, Sir James Harrison, who dies with an old secret on his lips. His grandchildren — Marcus, a producer and Zoe, an actress — eventually become caught up in trying to figure out that secret. They are somewhat pushed into this inquiry by a hungry, young journalist, Joanna Haslam. I won’t share much more about the plot because, if you decide to read this, you’ll want to experience all the pleasures of the many, MANY surprises along the way. Because it turns out that lots of other people have secrets too. Zoe. Joanna’s childhood friend Simon. Along with many more peripheral characters. And then, of course, there’s the one promised by the book’s title.
For me, this feels more like a promising writer’s early work. It’s remarkably suspenseful and you will likely inhale it as a “good read.” So Riley certainly understands what it takes to hold a reader’s attention. But it’s almost as if she was experimenting, trying to see how many plot twists you can put into one 500-page novel. By the end, she took it, in my view, way too far into the realm of OVERLY imaginative and even a bit ridiculous.
Still, it’s a complex plot with lots of romance and you won’t be able to anticipate what happens. And, in truth, I was completely captivated, up until the last 50 pages. Even then, I had to keep reading to see how everything would resolve.
I’ve been wanting to read Lucinda Riley for a while now after seeing my blogger friends praise her Seven Sisters series, and I am so glad that I took the plunge. Lucinda is magician with words!
Joanna is a journalist with a demanding job and fresh out of a failed relationship when she is assigned to cover the funeral for a famous actor. While at the funeral she meets an elderly woman who sends her a letter which begins a series of events that could absolutely ruin the Royal family. Joanna’s investigating is fraught with danger as she gets closer to finding the truth. A secret that the Royal family will do anything to hide.
I. Was. Riveted! It’s almost 600 pages long but I was so invested that the pages flew by! It’s a great feat for an author to keep the suspense going for that long. I was totally surprised at the end and never figured out the mystery.
I highly recommend The Royal Secret! It had a fabulous plot line, wonderful characters, and the writing is phenomenal. I will definitely be picking up Riley’s Seven Sisters series soon!
Thanks to Atria Books for my review copy.
Sigh. I was SO EXCITED for this book, like super excited. The book was good, but I hated it at the same time.
First of all, this book is LONG. I mean it’s like 500+ which didn’t bother me at first, but once I got about 60% done with it-I was over all the clichés and romantic ups and downs.
Secondly, the characters made me want to throw my kindle out the window. Well technically not the characters, but the authors choices? Without giving anything away, there were two characters that should be together (like half the book practically threw them together, there’s sexual chemistry, they get along, they’re practically a couple already), but noooo Riley puts them with different people that don’t match up and you know is a bad idea.
I haven’t been this mad at an author since Allegiant- like you really like the book, the story, the characters etc. then the author does that.
This is totally a personal opinion, I bet others would love it- I was just mad that who I shipped wasn’t shipped lol.