The London House

Caroline Payne's life changes when historian and old college friend Mat Hammond calls with a discovery: during World War II, Caroline's British great-aunt betrayed her family and country to marry her German lover. Determined to uncover the truth and protect her family's reputation, Caroline travels to her family's ancestral home in London. There, Caroline and Mat find diaries and letters belonging to the "Waite sisters"—Caroline's grandmother and great-aunt. The correspondence reveals two popular, witty women who came of age during the interwar years, a time of peace and luxury marked by dances, jazz clubs, and romance. As the letters progress, the tone darkens. One sister eventually moves to Paris to pursue fashion, while rumors of war grow louder. Through these documents, Caroline and Mat investigate whether her great-aunt was truly a traitor and Nazi collaborator, or if a more complex truth lies hidden. Their search uncovers stories of spies, secrets, love, and heartbreak, centered on a fateful evening in 1941. As Caroline works to write the next chapter of her family's story, she must decide whether to pursue her own love while carefully addressing decades-old family wounds. The novel moves between present day and the first half of the twentieth century, and includes discussion questions.