Mary Larkin - Sworn To Secrecy - Little, Brown Book Group

Sworn To Secrecy

By Mary Larkin

  • Paperback

  • £7.99

* The sequel to BEST LAID PLANS - set in 1970s troubled Belfast.

1971. With the troubles in Belfast at their height, a happy domestic life is something that Tess Maguire yearns for. Yet the political and social unrest are sending ripples of uncertainty through every aspect of her life. Whilst her partnership with her friend Theresa Cunningham in a dressmaking firm is successful, it's beginning to affect her romantic interests. Theresa's boyfriend Bob always seems to be near Tess. Near enough, one night, to declare his true feelings for her... Tess, in confusion, has to confront her own mixed up emotions concerning Bob. And to address her feelings for her own ever-faithful boyfriend Tony. Especially when he asks her to marry him ... Tess's widowed mother Alice marries Dan, her long-standing partner who can now spend the rest of his years with Alice and his beloved grandson Jackie. Jackie is almost an orphan: his father Jack died in a motorcycle accident. His mother Colette may as well be dead - she decamped to Canada shortly after his birth. But then Colette suddenly shows up to reclaim her son and her arrival in Belfast opens old wounds, triggers a bitter custody battle - and unearths secrets that will change everyone's lives for ever.

  • Other details

  • ISBN: 9780751537185
  • Publication date: 15 Jun 2006
  • Page count: 416
Biographical Notes

Mary Larkin was born in Belfast and spent 40 happy years there before moving to Darlington in the North East of England. She is married with three sons.

A real chick-lit indulgence — - WOMAN'S WAY
Belfast's answer to Catherine Cookson — Sunday WORLD
Laced with love gone wrong, more than a wee bit of raw passion and tears and laughter from the Belfast of the 50s — Belfast TELEGRAPH
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Best Laid Plans

Mary Larkin

Belfast, the 1960s. When Tess Maguire and her best friend Agnes Quinn get free tickets to see the Rolling Stones, there is nothing that will stop them from going to the Ulster Hall, not even the disapproval of Tess's mother Alice. And though Alice's concerns about trouble are to prove right, for Tess and Agnes they have a silver lining. As the concert ends in panic and confusion, the girls are helped out by their very own pair of Jumping Jack Flashes - Jack Thompson and Tony Burke. To begin with, Tess is far keener on Jack than Agnes is on Tony. But after six, short, wonderful weeks, Jack suddenly stops contacting her. And when Tess pays his home a visit to find out the reason why, she soon discovers the shocking truth: Colette Burns, with her thick black hair and sultry looks, has captured his heart instead. Then Tess meets Dominic Sullivan, a Belfast boy who left Ireland for America many years earlier. Returning to his home city for a wedding, his good looks and sharp humour could be what Tess has been waiting for. But with Agnes interested in Dominic as well, their best laid plans might just become their worst-case scenario instead...

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Playing With Fire

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Suspicious Minds

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When her mother leaves the family home in Belfast for her lover, Louise McGuigan is left feeling betrayed. It is up to Louise to look after her brother and sister while her father loses himself to alcohol. Returning to work at the local linen factory, she has to endure the cruel gossip about her so-called righteous mother and when Conor O'Rourke, the man of her dreams, continues to drag his heels about their future together, Louise doesn't know how much more she can take.Louise's luck appears to change when she finds alternative employment in a local bookshop, but her family troubles still weigh heavy on her mind. And when she seeks solace in the arms of a man who isn't Conor, things become even more complicated. Can Louise find happiness with the right man or will she be tied to her troubled family for ever?Set in Belfast in the 1920s, Shades of Deceit is a gripping story of heartbreak, loyalty and hope from much-loved bestselling author Mary Larkin.

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