The Secret Life of Violet Grant

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked City: a story of love and intrigue that travels from Kennedy-era Manhattan to World War I Europe…

Fresh from college, irrepressible Vivian Schuyler defies her wealthy Fifth Avenue family to work at cut-throat Metropolitan magazine. But this is 1964, and the editor dismisses her…until a parcel lands on Vivian’s Greenwich Village doorstep that starts a journey into the life of an aunt she never knew, who might give her just the story she’s been waiting for.

In 1912, Violet Schuyler Grant moved to Europe to study physics, and made a disastrous marriage to a philandering fellow scientist. As the continent edges closer to the brink of war, a charismatic British army captain enters her life, drawing her into an audacious gamble that could lead to happiness…or disaster.

Fifty years later, Violet’s ultimate fate remains shrouded in mystery. But the more obsessively Vivian investigates her disappearing aunt, the more she realizes all they have in common – and that Violet’s secret life is about to collide with hers.

Reviews

Praise for Beatriz Williams:

‘Beguiling, fast-paced and romantic’ HEAT

‘Gripping’ HELLO

‘A world filled with elegance, charm, and bygone manners … No-one does it better than Beatriz' Jane Green

‘Summer of 1938: A scandalous love triangle and a famous hurricane converge… a perfect storm.’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘Definitely worth squeezing into your hand luggage’ RED

‘A fantastic summer read’ HELLO

‘Delightful and rewarding from an author to watch’ WE LOVE THIS BOOK

‘Williams' historical masterpiece is an all-encompassing, period-perfect read.’ RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

‘[A] fast-paced love story…the scorching sun illuminates a friend’s betrayal and reignites a romance’ O, The Oprah Magazine

‘A candidate for this year's best beach read – the period story of a derailed love affair seen through a sequence of summers’ Kirkus Book Reviews

About the author

A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz Williams spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons, before her career as a writer took off. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore.