The Mischief Makers

She wrote her stories in his shadow. Now Daphne's past is catching up with her...

In a beautiful house in the wilds of Cornwall, Daphne du Maurier is on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Tangled in a self-destructive love affair that threatens to unravel her marriage, she is also distracted by worry for the family friend whose shadow looms over her childhood: J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan.

Daphne tries to escape into writing her new book, but the line between fiction and reality blurs dangerously when her own characters start manifesting before her eyes - in particular a woman called Rebecca who looks suspiciously like her husband's alluring ex-girlfriend.

Daphne must confront the dark truth that lurks beneath the fantasy of Peter Pan and the secret life that has plagued her since she found fame. Unless she can solve these mysteries and reckon with who she truly is as an artist, her next great work may be lost to history . . .


PRAISE FOR ELISABETH GIFFORD:

'Gorgeously written and devastating' Kate Riordan

'One of the best novels I've read' Gill Paul

'Desperately romantic' Katie Fforde

'Compelling' Sarah Maine

'Gorgeous, melancholy' The Times

'A glorious novel. You won't be able to put it down for a minute' Suellen Dainty

'An undeniably haunting love story' Sunday Times

'A moving story, beautifully told' Tim Pears