Magpie Lane By Lucy Atkins

‘Magpie Lane’ is the latest book by Lucy Atkins.

When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.As Dee looks back over her time in the Master’s Lodging – an eerie and ancient house – a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother. But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent?

If you’re a lover of creepy thrillers with even creepier locations, I would wholeheartedly recommend this latest offering from Lucy. Intense and filled with suspense and drama from the first page. The book about a missing mute little girl is quite the page turner.

The story is seen through the narrative of Dee, a Scottish nanny who has been employed to look after the daughter of the new master of Oxford College. Felicity is a strange little girl, still grieving her mother’s death, she speaks to no one, only to Dee much to the despair of her father Nick and new friend Mariah. The story is written in the past and present tense leading up to Felicity’s disappearance and Dee’s questioning with the police.

Dee is an interesting character, having nannied for years, she’s used to children and seems to be able to bring Felicity out of the shadows. Her but Felicity is a fascinating little girl. Reclusive with a fascination for all things morbid, she’s finds solace in Dee’s companionship.

Set in the picturesque surroundings of Oxford, ‘Magpie Lane’ is a story that is vividly written and really captures the ancient history of the college and its surrounding. Creepy from the first page, Lucy has written a story about an unusual friendship between a little girl and her nanny. Atmospheric and haunting, with intense characters and an intriguing storyline about hidden secrets that really pulled the reader in.

You can buy ‘Magpie Lane’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.