Thomson, Lesley, 1958-

The summer of 1976 was the hottest in living memory. Britain sweltered, trees and plants wilted, fire ripped through forests and rivers ran dry. In London's Kew Gardens a ten year old girl was parted from her friends and, dizzied by scorching heat, wandered lost into its secluded undergrowth. 40 ...

1940. At Yew Tree House, recently widowed Adelaide Stride is raising her two daughters alone - but it's not just the threat of German invasion that keeps her up at night. She's surrounded by enemies posing as allies and, while war rages, she grows sure that something terrible is about to happen. ...

1940. At Yew Tree House, recently widowed Adelaide Stride is raising her two daughters alone - but it's not just the threat of German invasion that keeps her up at night. She's surrounded by enemies posing as allies and, while war rages, she grows sure that something terrible is about to happen. ...

Wormwood scrubs playground, 1980. The wind blows across the common, and the girl in her shorts shivers. The playground is isolated, timeless. Far from the prying eyes of grown-ups, she and her friends can play make-believe here. The looming slide is a mountain; the upturned log a pirate ship. But...