As with all of Mary Stewart's mystery novels, the setting is as important as the protagonists. The story she spins this time is perfectly suited to misty Northumberland. The bluffs and double bluffs find a perfect expression in the Roman border situation, which isn't one anymore, but still is a major divider of mainland Britain. If you haven't yet been there, this book should give you the impetus to do so.
A Canadian waitress was hired by a farmer and con man to impersonate his cousin. At stake was the control of the family farm or estate which he wanted to own outright without interference of his cousin; albeit, said cousin had disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago. This being Mary Stewart, nothing is what it seems to be, and nothing that is made belief is entirely a lie.
The interweaving of truth, semi-truth, semi-lie, and outright lie keeps the reader constantly guessing to the point where even the obvious becomes dubious. The landscape and the history of the area are used to play with the imagination of the protagonists and readers alike. The goal might be a family reunion with only a select few in the know, because for the others it would spell murder.
Never content with just one mystery, there are other skeletons in various closets that need an airing and get it thanks to the author. This principle of stacking mysteries onto each other that may or may not be separate from the main plot is a specialty of her. And whenever readers think they figured it out, there is usually a forceful tug on their sleeves to warrant a second look which results in a different assessment.
The history of what had happened on the neighboring estate before and after the heiress's abrupt departure years back added an odd twist to the impersonation as only the real heiress knows that there was a story before her departure. Trying to convince the neighbor that she, the Canadian waitress, is the heiress while not giving away the fact that she is the heiress in disguise is confusing enough for one story, let alone in the web of lies being played out in the book.
Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree was out of print for many years. It is now available on Amazon for Kindle. While the plotting in the book is masterly, the end of the story is probably the weakest the author ever wrote. It's still good enough to make many a published author jealous. But unlike her other novels, I've only read this one a couple of times, instead of over and over.
Further reading
Mystery On Lake Geneva
Mystery In The South Of France
Mystery In Scotland
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