Melanie Dobson

Usually, when a novel has dual timelines, I find the historical one more interesting. However, in "Chateau of Secrets", Melanie Dobson created two compelling storylines - Chloe's in the present and Gisela's during WWII. Both stories stood on their own but also complemented each other, and the two protagonists were courageous, determined and resilient. The novel moved smoothly between the past and the present and I loved the lush descriptions of Normandy, France.

Full of mystery, secrets and history, "Chateau of Secrets" was a very satisfying read.… (mehr)

Dual timeline stories… yea or nay?

I’ve read a few, now, and I find that I’m a fan! This novel goes back and forth between WW2 England and contemporary England. A wealthy, elderly man, Daniel Knight, hires an American journalist working in London, Quenby Vaughn, to help him find Brigitte Berthold - the little girl he was separated from as they escaped to London from Nazi Germany during WW2, when they were children. He promised to find her after the war and has been looking for her for decades. He feels investigative journalist Quenby is his last hope. Daniel’s attorney, Lucas, teams up with Quenby, whether she likes it or not, and a little something more than just the missing person case begins to draw them together. I have to admit, at the beginning, Brigitte’s WW2 timeline was more intriguing to me, but then things started to get really interesting in Quenby’s story as she searches for Brigitte and simultaneously investigates a related possible wartime spy story in the British countryside… a story, it seems, someone does not want her to finish. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I will say that I… (mehr)