I loved Rachel Burton’s The Strawberry House, which I read earlier this year, so I was looking forward to reading her new book, Nightingale Hall. Like the previous novel, this one features a house at the heart of the story.

The book begins in 1969 with a party being held at Nightingale Hall, home of the baronet Sir Charles Nightingale, to celebrate the moon landing. During the evening, Sir Charles unveils a special painting, Moonlight on Nightingale, which he had commissioned from the artist Lex Cooper for the occasion.

In 2019, art gallery assistant Rosie Lopez has recently lost her beloved grandmother, Lauren, who had been closer to her than her own mother. Beginning to sort through Lauren’s possessions in her London flat, she finds a postcard tucked inside a book. The postcard depicts a painting of a full moon rising above a large stately home. When Rosie shows it to her mother and to Claire, the manager of the art gallery, they claim never to have seen either the postcard or the painting before, but Rosie is sure they’re lying. Convinced that there must be some connection between the painting and her own family, Rosie decides to find out more.

This is a dual timeline novel, moving between Rosie in the present day and Lauren in the 1960s. Although the more interesting parts of the story happen in the 1960s sections, I found I was more invested in Rosie’s chapters, maybe because she narrates hers in the first person whereas Lauren doesn’t. I also found Rosie a very easy character to like and had a lot of sympathy for her as she tries to deal with the loss of her grandmother despite the lack of support she receives from her mother, something Rosie doesn’t quite understand. Luckily, Rosie has several good friends who help her through her grief and it was nice to see her move forward with her life, gaining the confidence to work on her own art and develop her stationery business.

The two timelines weave together very well and I enjoyed seeing the characters in both periods celebrating the moon landings 50 years apart. However, the mystery element of the book is slightly disappointing and the secrets Rosie uncovers regarding Nightingale Hall, the painting and Lex Cooper are not very shocking or surprising. I also expected the Hall itself to play a bigger part in the story. The focus is much more on relationships, romance and the various ways in which decisions made in the past can affect the future.

Of the two Rachel Burton books I read, I definitely preferred The Strawberry House as I found the plot more interesting and the setting stronger, but this one was enjoyable enough, if not entirely satisfying. I need to find time to try some of her earlier novels, which also sound interesting.

Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.