Flora Dunbar is dead, but it isn't over. Looking back over a turbulent lifetime, Flora observes her grieving family and the four men who loved her. She recalls an eccentric childhood lived in the shadow of her gifted musical twin, Rory and the brief happiness she found in a scandalous affair with her nephew, Colin. Now Flora is dead. But how did she die? And who was to blame?

Selected for Amazon UK's "Top Ten BEST OF 2011" in the Indie Author category.A country house mystery... A family drama... A Gothic romantic comedy...REBECCA meets COLD COMFORT FARM in Linda Gillard's complex new novel, HOUSE OF SILENCE.SYNOPSIS"My friends describe me as frighteningly sensible, not at all the sort of woman who would fall for an actor. And his home. And his family."Orphaned by drink, drugs and rock n' roll, Gwen Rowland is invited to spend Christmas at her boyfriend Alfie's family home, Creake Hall - a ramshackle Tudor manor in Norfolk. Soon after she arrives, Gwen senses something isn't quite right. Alfie acts strangely toward his family and is reluctant to talk about the past. His mother, a celebrated children's author, keeps to her room, living in a twilight world, unable to distinguish between past and present, fact and fiction. And then there's the enigma of an old family photograph... When Gwen discovers fragments of forgotten family letters sewn into an old patchwork quilt, she starts to piece together the jigsaw of the past and realises there's more to the family history than she's been told. It seems there are things people don't want her to know. And one of those people is Alfie...~~~Praise for HOUSE OF SILENCE..."Brilliant book." LESLEY COOKMAN (Murder to Music)"A story layered deep in pretence and secrecy, HOUSE OF SILENCE provides readers with the puzzle-solving pleasure of golden age detective fiction, complete with letter fragments from the past and the gothic backdrop of Creake Hall. The writing is sharp and crisp, with an edge of dark humour. Unwinding through the narrative like a chain is the hold that the dead have upon the living. I loved it."ROSY THORNTON (The Tapestry of Love)"HOUSE OF SILENCE is one of those books you'll put everything else on hold for."CORNFLOWER'S BOOK BLOG"This is an author at the top of her form who knows exactly what she's doing. Brilliant. It's an intelligent book for people who like their reading to challenge them."THE BOOKBAG"Gillard's consistently smart writing and fully-fleshed characters are the only recommendation I need to read anything she writes."BOOKHARBINGER BLOG"A totally engaging read, full of warmth and perception." VICTORIA CONNELLY (A Weekend with Mr Darcy)~~~Praise for Linda Gillard's other novels..."The emotional power in these novels makes this reviewer reflect on how Charlotte and Emily Bronte might have written if they were living and writing now." NORTHWORDS NOW "Haunting, lyrical and intriguing." ISLA DEWAR (Keeping up with Magda)"I can heartily recommend Linda Gillard... Excellent." ADELE GERAS (Facing the Light)

~~~ Reviews for CAULDSTANE... "Absolutely modern and gloriously gothic... There's a remote and decrepit Scottish castle, (with a curse attached, of course), a wicked stepmother, a feisty but emotionally vulnerable heroine, more handsome men than you can shake a sword at, and a very dangerous ghost." KATHLEEN JONES, author of Margaret Forster: A Life in Books "The castle is a character in its own right, as evocative as Manderley, and a perfect setting for this gothic tale of love and the struggle between good and evil." I PREFER READING book blog ~~~ Praise for Linda Gillard's other novels... "The emotional power in these novels makes this reviewer reflect on how Charlotte and Emily Bronte might have written if they were living and writing now." NORTHWORDS NOW "STAR GAZING was a joy to read from the first page to the last... Romantic and quirky and beautifully written." ABERDEEN PRESS & JOURNAL "HOUSE OF SILENCE is one of those books you'll put everything else on hold for." CORNFLOWER BOOKS blog EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY - "A love story filled with passion and paint-stripping honesty." HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS ARTS JOURNAL THE GLASS GUARDIAN - "I love the combination of a love story with a ghostly twist to the tale... An old, crumbling house, snow falling all around and a handsome ghost...curling up with this book on a dark night would be perfect!" THE LITTLE READER LIBRARY blog UNTYING THE KNOT - "Another deeply moving and skilfully executed novel... Once again, Gillard had me committed to her characters and caught up in their lives from the first few pages, then weeping for joy at the end." AWESOME INDIES blog