The Rose Arbor: A Novel

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 13,992 ratings

Price: 29.66

Last update: 12-23-2024


About this item

An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the best-selling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: Her best friend Marisa is a police officer who is assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?


Top reviews from the United States

  • Happyhoney
    5.0 out of 5 stars One smart driven reporter
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
    Along with a conglomeration of such interesting and complex characters that I could not stop reading. The storyline is equally complex with unexpected twists and turns. Wonderful book. Great writer
  • Tiberius
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2024
    This is an interesting novel that bounces back and forth a bit between WWII and the 1960s. It is well-written, perhaps a hair too coincidental, but definitely interesting, perhaps especially to someone who only remembers the 60s through a child's eyes, WWII, not at all, but whose childhood still has some ties to that time, through family and adult friends of family. It's interesting, how our parents' past experiences form us, how we remember little things from early childhood and as adults, can see how we were influenced by a war that ended many years before our own births. The novel isn't perfect but I'm very glad to have read it.
  • Cathy Akers Jordan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Historical Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2024
    Rhys Bowen's latest standalone mystery spans time and space with story elements set in 1943 Tyneham (a village in Dorset) and 1968 London. Reporter Liz Houghton struggles to solve the mystery of a missing child in 1968 that might be connected to missing children who disappeared in 1943. Led by information from her policewoman roommate, Liz begins exploring Dorset for clues about Little Lucy that lead her to suspect the missing child might be held in the ruins of Tyneham, a village requisitioned and destroyed by the Army in 1943. What unfolds are parallel tales of villagers displaced from homes their families had lived in for generations, children displaced by the war, and displaced children lost in the wartime shuffle from city to country. During her investigation, Liz meets the son of the displaced Lord of the village manor and together they explore surprising yet believable clues that tie Liz to Tyneham.

    The Tyneham-during-the-War part of this story really intrigued me. I've heard of noble families whose manor houses were requisitioned but I'd never really thought about ordinary people displaced by the war or how terrifying relocation must've been for children being sent away from the Blitz. They were put on a train by their parents and traveled without supervision. Many simply wore a name tag for identification, like Paddington Bear. At each stop, some children were claimed by local families and given shelter. Those who weren't taken in stayed on the train until the next stop. Imagine being a child in that situation, wondering who would take you in, what life with those strangers might be like, and not knowing if you'd ever see your parents again. Then there are the children who disappeared along the way. What happened to them? Bowen does a masterful job contrasting three disappearances.

    Like Bowen's other books, the complex characters are realistic and interesting as they deal with unexpected challenges in their lives. The story is complete but leaves the reader hoping it’s the beginning of a new series so one can see what happens to the characters after the resolution of the mystery. The 1968 setting is interesting because from a 2024 perspective, it is a historical mystery. Even if the reader can't remember 1968, the descriptions of fashions and society leave the reader wanting to spend more time in 1968 England with those characters. It would be fun to watch Liz live through women's liberation the other huge cultural changes that were just starting in 1968. One can only hope that THIS will be the standalone that becomes the first in a new series.
  • Karen Gosselin-Baldwin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
    Historical mystery that keeps you engaged, wanting to know the truth, missing children, wartime tragedies and one woman who is unrelenting in solving the puzzles that somehow relate to a current kidnapping. Could barely put down, very well done. Satisfying ending!
  • Vijaya
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good quick read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2024
    I liked the book - but too many coincidences and unbelievable at times. I would characterize this as light entertainment
  • Sue
    4.0 out of 5 stars this story keeps you reading until the end.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2024
    This is a good story based on some historical fact. The main character, and her search is compelling. The time the story is set in is far enough in the past to entertain younger readers and to bring back memories for older ones. Very nice.
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The rose arbor
    Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024
    Was A very good read with lots of twist and turns lots of mystery I thought that it was great and you just never know until you get to the end what's really going on but it was a very good read Thank you thanks
  • cindy e
    5.0 out of 5 stars well done!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
    I enjoyed this story of interesting history, well-drawn characters, mystery, suspense and a bit of romance. It is a very well- written book.

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