The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery

Ah! Such a fabulous tale of the lying and deceitful acts that takes place among the honored, titled and wealthy! They are all such honorable men ...and women. The good and the bad actions done in our lives all considered, we are all just people.

I found it amazing that all the research was done through old documents and letters. This is something that will not happen again because nobody writes letters or puts their thoughts down on paper. It's also still hard to believe the hold that aristocracy had over everything. The more you read about it and watch programs like Downton Abbey the more you understand history and the few people that had control over it. I have been to Belvoir Castle and lived near it. I gave a copy to my bridesmaid, who also lived near there and now lives in Seattle

This is rather interesting book which lots of twists and turns as you follow the 'doings' of a early 20th century Duke, Duchess, and their children during WWI.. It's quite anti climatic and leaves the reader with a feeling of 'so what'?

I was fascinated by the tagline on the cover. The characters were intriguing and I found the portrayal of the duke compelling. I figured out the mystery about halfway through and the rest was rather too detailed to hold my interest for long.

It was an interesting book. However, it was very drawn out and I read about the first sentence of every paragraph. A lot of researching and trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle. It could have been half as long as it was.

It started slow and I pondered giving up. But the interesting contextual history of World War I, and the privileged classes, propelled me on and I was glad I stuck with it. I kept forgetting it was a true story, and not fiction.

The book left me depressed and sad. The author uncovers nothing more than a personal failure... a failure that was so devastating the Duke allowed himself to die rather than leave a stone unturned that might have uncovered the failure. It's not high drama, it's not titillating, it's just sad and only the hype of the publishers make it anything at all, and I think far less of the author for advertising it than the Duke for his failure.

It's not even a good read.

Really interesting and highly recommend. Takes you into a castle with a room that has been closed off. Inside are records and letters with noted gaps. The author pieces these gaps together as best she can.

The Secret Rooms was well written and presented an intriguing story. I was disappointed with some of the repetitive aspects, recapping the same details that had been covered in other parts of the book, but all in all it was a good book. I'm still wondering if we'll ever know the full story of the first mystery!

Very well written and gives the reader a excellent picture of what the times were like for the rich in the early 1900's. Intriguing, and descriptive of strategies of some of the battles of WWI as well as the life of a Duke. A good read.

Started off great, but quickly descended into a stale run-down of British military nobility. I never thought anyone could gloss over the horrendous experiences of trench warfare, but the author somehow managed to turn it into dry snobbery that had me skipping over large sections.

In the end, the author makes more of a generation of tedious and over-privileged lives than they deserved credit for.

A compelling view of the selfishness of the upper class in the early 20th century which matured following the horrors of WWI when lords and commoners were fighting for the same goals. An interesting read

he title is misleading. There is nothing about a haunted castle in the book at all. It is the story, told in a slow, uninteresting prose about why a man chose to try to erase certain portions of his life. The story has much irrelevant and unnecessary detail and moves at a glacial pace. Towards the end, when there appears to be more substance and you have the sense that the reasons for the man's actions might be revealed, the author ends the book.
Do not waste your time!

A very interesting subject..... and all true, which makes it an even better read. I enjoyed the author's bringing us along with her in looking for the letters, it helped round the book out.. I recommend this book.

The book starts out with a fascinating look at one morning in the life and death of the Duke and with it an intriguing mystery surrounding three periods in his life that seem to be blanks. I was hooked and settled in for the fun solving the mystery.

And then is started to drag....and drag.....and drag. Where reproducing two letters from his mother was sufficient to make a point the author chose instead to include what seemed like dozens. Ditto for other individuals.

The "solution" to the mysteries left me feeling that I'd spent way too much time getting there. And I realized that I didn't like any of the spoiled, arrogant, entitled members of one of the all time dysfunctional families I'd ever encountered.

I will say that the book did provide a fascinating glimpse of the lives of the noble families at the beginning of the 20th century..

The author focused too much on the WWI missing time in the family's history, and repeated quite a bit of information. Frankly, I was expecting more details about the other parts of the subject's life.

This book was well researched, obviously, but a little difficult to keep track of the various sources of material. It was a wonderful insight into that period of history, however, as are most memoirs, biographies, etc. which is why I prefer them to most novels.

Really enjoyed Catherine's research and sharing the story of the haunted castle. I have not read a great deal about World War I and Britain's role in it. Found it very interesting. You felt like you were behind the scenes and being let in on a secret that no one else knew. I cannot imagine someone keeping all of those letters and categorizing them!

Very interesting look into the lives of British aristocracy. At times so gripping, I couldn't put it down. The author put in a great deal of effort into researching this book to solve a mystery and tell a story.

This well researched work is enjoyable to read, with a few drawbacks perhaps to the reader. This reader has comments similar to many others here, in that this book, (due to the pronounced "secret" regarding the son), focuses heavily on WWI details which can become laborious. Initially, the author writes about her experience in the castle and the haunting on the stairs (as referred to by staff). This is not referred to again, or explained to the reader in any broader depth. A pity that the castle itself isn't further discussed in more expansive degrees. Nonetheless it is a fascinating read on aristocracy, power and toxic parents.

Interesting and a true eye opener. The author with her meticulous sleuthing brought to light information a Duke died still desperate to keep it hidden. The pressures of royal life turn the privileged life sour. I gladly appreciate my average, but much simpler life.

This book has an interesting premise. I was interested in the research factor of finding out why there were gaps in the Duke's personal history, but it took so much so long to find out so little, and we really don't get much more than a glimpse into the lives of these people.