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
The Ambassadors, 1533
by Hans Holbein the Younger
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 - but Queenie’s relationship with Horatio as she shares her hidden secrets is touching, filled with warmth and entirely believable.
Despite Queenie’s many trials and tribulations - her own fault at times, although certainly not always - there are plenty of moments that bring a smile, the author’s affection for her main characters in both timelines making the book both feel-good and ultimately uplifting. And, 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 - but that doesn’t provide every answer.
White Nights opens with the whole of
the short ballet, Le Jeune Homme et la Mort,
performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov
This book - and the whole series - primarily features older women, which has been something I’ve particularly enjoyed. But there’s absolutely no reason why it would fail to be enjoyed by adult readers of all ages, when their experience is universal - despair, loneliness, the companionship to be found in others, the joy to be found in romantic entanglements, 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