A Haunting at Holkham by Anne Glenconner
Readers who know Glenconner’s work from her autobiography Lady in Waiting will soon realise that this thriller is a clever combo of fact and fiction, that the author – who was lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret – bases this novel on time she lived in the Norfolk family home as a 11-year-old during World War 2. She returned home at the age of 18 in 1950 to uncover the truth behind her grandfather’s mysterious death.
Having not read her previous work, I approached the work as a straightforward thriller based in the two time periods, 1943 and 1950, moving from one to the other in subsequent chapters..
Lady Anne Glenconner
As I examined the ground floor and upstairs plans of the vast pile that is Holkham Hall in Norfolk I could see there was plenty of room for the army who occupied two wings from the start of the war, when a German invasion from the coast was feared. The Home Guard was housed in the temple, the Royal Engineers in the old kitchen and stable yard and Italian prisoners –of- war in huts in the park. With Anne’s parents away in Egypt, Anne lived with her grandfather, who she loved dearly, in a section of Holkham hall.
Her life became hellish after an abusive governess arrived to educate her. Relieved only by her village friend Johnnie who brought her comics to share and encouraged her to take a photograph of the hall’s resident ghost Lady Mary who was well known to the servants for pushing, and sometimes whispering, when they were trying to serve meals.
Anne Glenconner – Lady in Waiting at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953
When Anne’s grandfather the Earl of Leicester died after a fall down the stairs, a fake copy of the famous Coke diamond necklace was found in his pocket,. Why a fake had been made and why he had it on him were two facts that were to occupy Anne in 1950.
Holkham Hall – Norfolk
Events moved quickly, horrifying facts were revealed, and during the weekend when Holkham Hall became one of the first destinations for British aristocrats to attend a a post-war ball, progress had seen the recovery of the original necklace, and the identification of the criminals. A satisfactory conclusion indeed to an unusual crime novel that will be relished by royalists, among others.
Myrna Robins
A Haunting at Holkham by Anne Glenconner. Published by Hodder & Stoughton, London, 2021
Distributed in South Africa by Jonathan Ball Publishers – CLICK HERE
