Emma's Secret (Emma Harte Series #4) » (Reprint)

Barbara Taylor Bradford started her writing career in the 1960s as a journalist who felt destined to become "a hard-bitten reporter in a dirty trenchcoat." However, her breakout bestseller, A Woman of Substance (1979), sparked her prolific career as the author of thrilling novels of romance and intrigue.

Barbara Taylor Bradford captivated millions of readers with her saga of the indomitable Emma Harte. Now her unforgettable story continues in this novel of the sacrifice and secrets that shadow her extraordinary heritage...

A Legacy For Three Women...

Paula O'Neil has inherited her grandmother Emma Harte's dream for success-a magnificent business empire in London shared by Paula's daughters, Linnet and Tessa. Yet their future is far less secure than any woman imagines. For beneath the dazzling surface, flares a rivalry and discontent that leave them vulnerable to the dreams of others.

A Mystery For One Stranger...

Into the fray arrives enigmatic American fashion designer Evan Hughes seeking employment. But her interest in the Harte dynasty is a personal one. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Harte lineage, Evan's arrival begins to unravel a mystery that hides in the family's shadows, and that waits to be revealed in Emma's long-lost diaries.

A Secret That Could Define Or Destroy Them All...

Now as the past unfolds, so emerges an extraordinary tale of money and power, passion and revenge, and survival and triumph at any price-one that will irrevocably change the lives and loves of four women and shake an empire to its very foundation.

"An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death, and passion."

—The New York Times on A Woman of Substance

"Barbara Taylor Bradford is the storyteller of substance."

—The Times (London)

Publishers Weekly

It has been nearly 25 years since Bradford made her name with the female rags-to-riches saga A Woman of Substance, the first in a trilogy of novels that concluded with 1988's To Be the Best. Gambling that there is still life to be squeezed out of the story of indomitable super-survivor Emma Harte and her descendants, Bradford returns to the chase with this present-day sequel. The novel opens in 2001 at Pennistone Royal, Emma's magnificent country estate in Yorkshire, now occupied by her granddaughter Paula's family. Paula heads the Knightsbridge store, flagship of the nationwide Harte chain, and her grown daughters, Linnet and Tessa, work there. A young American, Evan Hughes, with an uncanny Harte family resemblance, appears one day seeking a job. She's hired at once, since Linnet needs help with an upcoming fashion spectacular, a retrospective featuring Emma's couture wardrobe. Linnet's cousin Gideon, who works for the Harte newspapers, is smitten with Evan, and soon the mystery of her background is of concern, especially when it's discovered that Evan's grandmother had a close relationship with Emma. The overwhelming amount of descriptive detail clothing, interior decor, food and drink slows down the narrative, but such Victorian props as a decorative locked box, a key taped behind a photograph and long-lost diaries provide mild suspense. The saga was already losing steam with To Be the Best, and this fourth installment is further diluted. Lacking the dynamic impact of the original, it will be best appreciated by those with an irresistible desire to follow the further adventures of the Harte clan. (Jan. 6) Forecast: A substantial 25th-anniversary marketing campaign will help rope in old fans, though some may find the series has lost its luster. True stalwarts, however, will be pleased to hear that another entry is in the works. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.