The House at Riverton

Kate Morton's debut novel is Gothic historical fiction at its most atmospheric: 98-year-old Grace Bradley, prompted by a documentary filmmaker, gradually unspools the secret she has kept for seven decades about a young poet's death at a 1924 society party — and in doing so reveals the hidden truth of her own life. The Edwardian and roaring twenties setting is richly rendered, the dual-timeline structure builds suspense with real skill, and Morton's handling of class, gender, and the weight of loyalty is the work of a novelist with serious instincts. The honest caveat is that the early chapters can feel slow before the central mystery takes hold, and the resolution leans on a secret some readers will find melodramatic. A New York Times bestseller and winner of the Richard and Judy Summer Read, it established Morton as a major voice in literary historical fiction for good reason.