THE BLACK SILK PURSE Margaret Kaine Allison & Busby £19.99

A superb saga to delight Catherine Cookson fans who’ll take Edwardian workhouse child Ella Hathaway into their hearts as her story unfolds. Saved from ill-treatment, Ella is taken into her grand home by healthy spinster Letitia Fairchild who gives her a job as a scullery maid. her on a visit to her sister in Pennsylvania. But, the pair are soon probing a double murder in the little town that’s ravaged by recession and drugs, and hunting killer who’s leaving bodies and biblical clues behind him. Phew! The only thing Ella has in her possession is a black silk purse, a haunting memory of the tragic mother Ella vows she’ll find out the truth about. With her benefactor’s help, Ella sets out on a quest with unexpected tears and joy lying ahead.