IN THE COMPANY OF SECRETS
by Judith Miller
Olivia Mott is desperate to escape from the home she’s employed at. She thought it’d be a dream come true, working as a chef’s assistant, but instead, the chef thinks she’s a hired play toy for him. Olivia is forced to flee, but doesn’t know where she’ll go or what she’ll do for employment. Lady Charlotte is the daughter of the family that employs Olivia, and devises a plan that would take Charlotte and Olivia to America.
Charlotte writes a falsified letter of reference for Olivia, helping Olivia gain employment at Pullman’s elegant Hotel Florence. Unfortunately, Olivia is forced to sign a statement saying that if any thing is untrue, she’ll be fired immediately and forced to pay back any wages. Olivia signs, but writes down all the lies she’s told so she’ll be able to keep them straight.
Olivia hates all the lies she’s forced to tell – but deception seems to be a part of every day life. Will Olivia gain the courage to tell the truth? Or will her lies cost her everything?
IN THE COMPANY OF SECRETS is book 1 of Ms. Miller’s Postcards from Pullman series. I wanted to read this book, and it lived up to my expectations. Olivia, though lying at her former mistress’s will, is a wonderful heroine, and I hoped she would succeed. I even hoped for the best for Charlotte, who had her own side-story happening in this book.
The story is well-written, interesting, and gripping. Even though the pace in this story is slower than most I’ve read recently, the excellent characterization keeps the pages turning. Some yummy sounding recipes are included at the rear of this book. I hope to try some of them out soon. $13.99. 382 pages.
Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
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