A DESPERATE FORTUNE

Divided by centuries two women are united in a quest to discover the limits of trust and are forever changed by a clash of love and fate A gripping timeslip romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The King s Messenger For nearly 300 years the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread its secrets safe from prying eyes Now amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once famous historian to crack the journal s cipher But when she arrives in Paris Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides the journal s reclusive owner her charming Parisian neighbour and Mary whose journal doesn t hold the secrets Sara expects As Mary s tale grows more and more dire Sara too must carefully choose which turning to take to find the road that will lead her safely home Praise for Susanna Kearsley I ve loved every one of Susanna s books She has bedrock research and a butterfly s delicate touch with characters historical fiction that pulls you in and won t let go Diana Gabaldon Kearsley has a poetic sensibility and a sense of mystery she could write the modern Rebecca The Bookseller Evocative and romantic Nicola Cornick Sometimes an author catches lightning in a bottle and Susanna Kearsley does just