The Distant Hours

From the New York Times bestselling author of Homecoming comes a haunting tale of long-buried secrets and the twists of fate that can alter lives forever.

This enthralling romantic thriller pays homage to the classics of gothic fiction, spinning a rich and intricate web of mystery, suspense, and lost love.

It starts with a letter, lost for half a century and unexpectedly delivered to Edie’s mother on a Sunday afternoon. The letter leads Edie to Milderhurst Castle, where the eccentric Blythe spinsters live and where, she discovers, her mother was billeted during World War II. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives caring for their younger sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiancé jilted her in 1941. Inside the decaying castle, Edie searches for her mother’s past but soon learns there are other secrets hidden in its walls. The truth of what happened in “the distant hours” has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

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Published Jul 12, 2011

576 pages

Average rating: 7.46

28 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

elle g
Sep 10, 2025
7/10 stars
good writing. interesting storyline. cliffhangers. bit of romance. tragic. not too tidy. thought provoking. would recommend
joharrison
Nov 25, 2024
10/10 stars
Really enjoyed this!!
Jennpowell1215
Dec 28, 2022
6/10 stars
I love Kate Morton's books but this one was not my favorite. The story itself was interesting but I couldn't get past the fact that it was very slow in the beginning. And then it seemed as if Morton rushed through the last 75 pages just to wrap the book up so it didn't turn into a 1,000-page novel, thankfully but still a disappointment.

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