A Knock at the Door by Peter Rowlands

What do you do when a bedraggled woman arrives on your doorstep during a storm, claiming she’s lost her memory? Rory Cavenham lets her into his house to dry off and soon discovers she believes it’s 1972. Is Rebecca making it up, or is she genuine?

This is the question at the heart of this mystery as Rory makes it his personal mission to find the answer. Though logic says he should go to the police, he wants to help her regain her memory and find out who she is, even though there seem to be people with their own secret agenda in pursuit.

While Rory makes connections and progress, his life with Rebecca takes a few unexpected turns as his feelings for her grow and affect his judgement. Rebecca too has regained fragments of memory and is starting to adapt to life in the present.

It’s a hugely enjoyable ride, filled with mystery, intrigue and plenty of tension and drama as Rory and Rebecca get closer to the truth. The characters are believable and engaging, and Rory proves to be an adept sleuth, using his knowledge, contacts and skills to create leads and gain information and stay one step ahead of the people in pursuit.

The story also explores some intriguing theories to explain Rebecca’s condition before Rory fits the pieces together to solve the mystery.

While there is no indication of any future mysteries involving Rory and Rebecca, the characters deserve another outing and another mystery to solve.

If you like a complex and original mystery, engaging characters and a little romance, look no further.

Description

A brain-teasing mystery that grabs you right from the start – and then delivers

A bedraggled woman turns up on Rory Cavenham’s doorstep in the middle of a storm, convinced that the year is 1972, but claiming to have lost her memory.

Despite his own troubled past, Rory is drawn to her; but she’s fearful of authority and frightened of mysterious pursuers, and insists on keeping a low profile as she adjusts to modern life.

Determined to help her, Rory finds links to two strong but compromised women, but the truth behind their interlocking stories remains elusive. Meanwhile, the pursuers turn out to be all too real, and the pace builds as the story lunges towards its remarkable and redemptive climax.

Fast-moving and engrossing, A Knock at the Door defies easy categorisation. It is part mystery thriller, part detective story, and part romance. It even hovers on the edge of science fiction, though it always keeps both feet firmly on the ground.