Time's Testimony - Reviews
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“An aging former actress and writer, a mysterious death, and a friendly ghost combine in this compelling and moving tale. It grabs the reader in the beginning and doesn’t let up till the clever denouement which will take you by surprise. Time’s Testimony is brilliantly written by Linda Gillard, as always. I loved the Shakespearean quotes, the focus on older women, and it was so lovely to meet Horatio again – my favourite ghost.”
MAGGIE CHRISTENSEN, author of The Good Sister and A Mother's Story
"I cannot praise Linda Gillard as a storyteller highly enough. What I love most is how this book weaves together different times and storylines that are so intricate yet you don’t realise until you’ve finished. Everything has a purpose and by the end you are left with a mixture of satisfaction and wondering how you missed something.
As always, the Wyngrave women (and men) are so believable and feel so much more than characters in a book. Some of the old favourites such as Horatio and Sylvia are back, and Queenie’s story is finally revealed. And it was worth the wait.
The dialogue is just right. The pacing and time jumps are real page turners (Linda should be offered millions by Eastenders to be a scriptwriter for her mini cliff-hangers alone) and it’s a story that brings the trilogy to a poignant and bittersweet close.
If you want an author who can give you characters you can love, hate, and love to hate, Linda is the one. If you want an author who is active on social media giving you insights into her inspiration and processes, get following. I started with A LIFETIME BURNING and HOUSE OF SILENCE and haven’t looked back. Buy this book. Read it. Then read it again so you can truly appreciate her craft."
A 5-star Goodreads review by SUSAN PATRICK
Having so enjoyed the first two books in The Wyngrave Women series - Time’s Prisoner and Time’s Tyranny - I really couldn’t have been more delighted when I heard that Linda Gillard had written a third.
This book is a sequel, as Jane and Jesper, along with the other strong characters who’ve become the kind of friends who feel more like family, set about solving a mystery of a possible historic murder. But, rather cleverly, it’s also a prequel, exploring the fascinating life of Queenie Brooke-Bennet - the former owner of Wyngrave Hall, who featured only briefly in the first book in the series, but whose history had always intrigued me.
And my goodness, what a life! Some of her actions are totally reprehensible, and she’s often quite difficult to like - but through the course of her story, the key moments (and significant regrets) recounted to her ghostly and only remaining companion before her death, she became someone I understood rather better and really grew to love.
The narrative moves smoothly between past and present, with the same focus on the importance of friendship seen in the earlier books - usually reassuringly supportive, but sometimes unforgivably betrayed. And then there’s that rather more unusual friendship. Queenie’s relationship with Horatio as she shares her hidden secrets is touching, filled with warmth and entirely believable.
There are plenty of moments that bring a smile and the author’s affection for her main characters in both timelines makes the book both feel-good and ultimately uplifting.
In the present day timeline, I really enjoyed the way the mystery developed and was finally, and rather ingeniously, resolved. Jesper’s skills as an art restorer come in useful and I was fascinated by the well-researched detail.
This book - and the whole series - primarily features older women, which has been something I’ve particularly enjoyed. But Time's Testimony will be enjoyed by adult readers of all ages since the characters' experience is universal - despair, loneliness, the companionship of others, the joy to be found in romantic entanglements and the quest for peace of mind.
Linda Gillard has long been a personal favourite with her compelling storytelling and wonderful characterisation - and this was a book I really loved.
ANNE WILLIAMS, Romantic Novelists' Association Media Star of the Year 2019 & 2022