They Are All Missing
But Can Lettie Solve The Mystery?
Publisher’s Description
A map into the past. A long-lost young woman. And a thirty-year family mystery.
The Hunter Valley, 1880—Evie Ludgrove loves to chart the landscape around her home—hardly surprising since she grew up in the shadow of her father’s obsession with the great Australian explorer Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt. So when an advertisement appears in The Bulletin magazine offering a thousand-pound reward for proof of where Leichhardt met his fate, Evie is determined to use her father’s papers to unravel the secret. But when Evie sets out to prove her theory, she vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a mystery that haunts her family for thirty years.
1911—Letitia Rawlings arrives at the family estate in her Ford Model T to inform her great-aunt Olivia of a loss in their family. But Letitia is also escaping her own problems—her brother’s sudden death, her mother’s scheming, and her dissatisfaction with the life planned out for her. So when Letitia discovers a beautifully illustrated map that might hold a clue to the fate of her missing aunt, Evie Ludgrove, she sets out to discover the truth. But all is not as it seems, and Letitia begins to realize that solving the mystery of her family’s past could offer as much peril as redemption.
A gripping historical mystery for fans of Kate Morton and Natasha Lester’s The Paris Seamstress, The Cartographer’s Secret follows a young woman’s quest to heal a family rift as she becomes entangled in one of Australia’s greatest historical puzzles.
- Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 2021
- Historical story with both romance and mystery
- Full-length, stand-alone novel (c. 104,000 words)
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆1/2
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Length: 400 pages
- Publisher: Harper Muse
- Sample Chapters
- Release Date: November 16, 2021
“The Cartographer’s Secret is a galvanizing, immersive adventure following a family’s entanglement with a vanished Australian explorer through the lush Hunter Valley at the turn of the twentieth century, forcing the characters to reckon with the choice found at the crux of passion and loyalty and the power of shared blood that can either destroy or heal.” —Joy Callaway, international bestselling author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society and The Greenbrier Resort
My Thoughts
I’m not sure I’ve read a novel set in Australia before, but I enjoyed learning about it, And I found The Cartographer’s Secret a very enjoyable blend of historical facts woven together with Tea Cooper’s imagination. Both helped me better understand early living and cartographers.
Dual timelines are very popular right now, and this book joins the ranks with a blend of generations and stories. We have Evie’s life in 1880 and Letitia’s story in 1911. As Letitia searches for answers to her Aunt Evie’s disappearance, she unearths secrets of her family’s complex past.
The Cartographer’s Secret has a map at the front for reference, and as might be expected much of the story revolves abound the originator of this drawing. There were several times that I did have to refer to it.
The ending was satisfying enough, though not filled with too many surprises.
My Concerns
I think if it had been a little shorter the first half wouldn’t have felt quite as slow and repetitive, though it was still interesting.
As I mentioned, the ending was satisfying, but I did feel some of it was rushed and included to make it all work out. I wasn’t sure it felt believable, but neither did I question it too much.
Final Thoughts
This is a unique book that I did find informative and interesting. The author’s notes at the back are well worth reading, so don’t miss those.
I would definitely direct anyone interested in historical fiction and maps to read this.
My thanks to TLC tours for gifting me a copy for review. This did not influence my thoughts or rating.
Rating
3.5 Stars
Very good story, just not a favorite.
About The Author
Tea Cooper is an award winning Australian author of historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Naturalist’s Daughter, The Woman in the Green Dress, The Girl in the Painting and The Cartographer’s Secret.
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