Description

The Lace Maker’s Silence
by Vera Blackthorne

In the quiet Yorkshire village of Thornwick, beauty is woven thread by thread. For centuries, the Thornwick Lace Guild has been the pride of the community—renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship and fiercely guarded traditions. But beneath the delicate patterns lies a darkness more intricate than lace itself, one that has claimed generations of women and left a legacy of silence.

When Catherine Fairfax, a brilliant young lace maker, disappears while working on a memorial piece to honor women who vanished during World War II, her great-aunt Agnes fears history is repeating itself. Catherine’s lace was more than art—it was testimony. She had uncovered secrets encoded in centuries-old patterns: names, dates, and the stories of women who came to Thornwick for refuge but never left.

Detective Inspector Rachel Stone knows the case is more than a simple disappearance. She calls in Elena Webb, a therapist who specializes in using traditional crafts to help trauma survivors unlock memories too dangerous or painful to voice. Elena, her husband Marcus, and their research partner Maya arrive in Thornwick expecting resistance, but what they encounter is a community built on complicity. The guild controls the economy, the culture, and the silence of its people.

At the center of it all stands Victoria Thornwick—elegant, authoritative, and ruthless in her devotion to “protecting” her community. To the outside world, she is a guardian of heritage. But to those who know the truth, she is the keeper of a web spun from exploitation, manipulation, and murder.

As Elena works with Agnes to piece together the stories hidden in fragile lace collars and shawls, the horrifying scope of Thornwick’s secrets comes to light. The patterns reveal more than wartime crimes—they expose a modern-day trafficking operation that has continued in silence for over eighty years. Every thread tells the story of a woman lost, a child exploited, a life stolen under the guise of tradition.

Now, Elena must race against time to untangle Thornwick’s deadly web. Catherine’s life depends on it. But the deeper she delves, the more dangerous the investigation becomes. The guild will kill to preserve its legacy, and Elena soon realizes that preserving truth may cost her everything.

Dark, atmospheric, and chillingly original, The Lace Maker’s Silence is a haunting thriller that weaves together history, tradition, and crime into an unforgettable tapestry of suspense. Fans of Kate Morton, Tana French, and historical crime fiction will be gripped by Vera Blackthorne’s tale of secrets encoded in beauty, and of one woman’s determination to ensure the past can no longer dictate the future.

What secrets can lace hide? And how many lives will it take before the silence is broken?