Italy, 1943. With war raging across the rugged cliffs and turquoise waters of his beloved Sicily, Savio's pen scrawls desperately across the page. His letter must be sent in secret - or his life will be in terrible danger...

England, present day. Paige is devastated when her reclusive but beloved Aunt Florence dies - the only family she's ever known. Inheriting her crumbling cottage, Paige finds an unfinished note. 'I am sorry, Paige. It's time to tell you everything. It all began in Sicily...'

Beside the note is a faded envelope - addressed to a woman called Joy - with an Italian postage stamp from 1943. The letter inside is made up of Roman numerals and snippets of sentences written in Italian. But who is Joy? Was someone sending a coded message? Paige is desperate to piece together the truth. But she soon discovers it will change everything she's ever believed about her aunt, and her family history.

1943. Lady Joy Harrison may have grown up in a manor house, but she's determined to fight for what's right and use her fluent Italian to help the Allies. Breaking code on a long night shift, Joy reads a secret message that makes her whole body shake. A dark-eyed young man she once loved is in terrible danger on the shores of Sicily. Was the message sent by him? And will she ever see him again - or will the war tear them apart for good?

An absolutely heartbreaking and stunning timesplit historical novel about how wartime secrets can stretch across the generations, and the incredible bravery of ordinary people in the darkest of times. Fans of The Nightingale, Fiona Valpy and Lucinda Riley will be captivated.

Read what everyone's saying about Angela Petch:

'Absolutely stunning... Gorgeous... captivating and heart-warming but also devastatingly heartbreaking... I was absolutely hooked from page one until 2.30 a.m. in the morning... YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN ' Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sicilian Secret - pokkari, Englanti, 2024