Book Summary and Reviews of Homecoming by Kate Morton

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Cathryn Conroy

A Compelling and Complicated Mystery, but Not as Good as Kate Morton's Previous Novels
I was weirdly disappointed in this book, the seventh novel written by Australian Kate Morton. Don't get me wrong. This is a good book—and parts of it are really good—but it's not a great book and not up to the same quality as Morton's previous novels.

This is a murder mystery written in two timelines: December 1959 when the murders occurred and 2018 when a descendant of the victims starts her own investigation. And while this dual timeline typically works well in a skilled author's hands, I found this one to be awkward. The transitions between the two timelines were rough and sometimes jarring.

It's early December 2018. Jessica Turner-Bridges, a 40-year-old single woman, is a struggling magazine journalist in London. She is suddenly called home to Sydney, Australia with news that her beloved grandmother, Nora, is dying. Nora raised Jess after Jess's mother (and Nora's only child), Polly, decided to move to Brisbane and leave Jess behind. Nora and Jess love and adore one another. When Jess arrives, she finds Nora unconscious in the intensive care unit, but she is muttering nonsensical things about a man trying to take away her child. Jess's journalistic instincts are ignited, as she tries to uncover Nora's deep, dark secret she has kept all her life.

Meanwhile, when the story transitions to December 1959, we meet the wealthy Turner family of Adelaide Hills, Australia who are living in a mansion they have named Halcyon. (Adelaide Hills is on the other side of the country from Sydney.) Thomas Turner, who is Nora's beloved older brother, married an Englishwoman named Isabel. The two moved to Halcyon and had four children, the youngest of whom is an infant. Thomas is away on business seemingly all the time. Isabel is lonely and overwhelmed with childcare responsibilities. Nora, who is heavily pregnant and due within weeks with her first baby, retreats to Halcyon and the care of her sister-in-law for her delivery.

On Christmas Eve, Isabel organizes a picnic (remember, it's summer in December in Australia) for her family in an idyllic spot near a swimming hole. Hours later they are all found dead, lying on the picnic blankets as if they were only sleeping. There is no evidence of violence, gunshots, or bruising. But all of them are dead—except for the baby, who appears to be missing. It is feared that wild dogs have dragged her away.

Who killed the Turner family? And by what means? The solution the police came to in 1959 may not be the right one, and Jess is hopeful she can figure out what really happened. She may find new clues known only by the Summers family. It was Percy Summers who found the bodies, and the traumatic effect this has had on him, his wife Meg, and their sons, Kurt and Marcus, is formidable.

While this is a compelling and complicated mystery, the sudden stops-and-starts between 1959 and 2018 can feel discordant, almost giving the reader literary whiplash. Also, it's pretty easy for the observant reader to figure out many of the mysterious, unanswered questions. Part of me gives kudos to Kate Morton for giving so many hints, but it also makes it less of a page-turner.

Still, it's worth it to keep reading—even though the story can be slow and drag on at times—because the ending is good with two twists and turns I never saw coming.

As with all of Kate Morton's books, this is more than a mystery. At its heart, this novel is a story about belonging. Where is home? And what keeps us grounded as family?

Shetreadssoftly

highly recommended historical fiction and family mystery
Homecoming by Kate Morton is a highly recommended historical fiction and family mystery.

In Adelaide Hills on Christmas Eve in 1959 the Turner Family Tragedy occurs. The shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations, is never solved. The town of Tambilla becomes the setting of one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.

In 2018 journalist Jess Turner leaves London and travels back to Darling House in Sydney, Australia, after her grandmother, Nora, injures herself in a bad fall and is in the hospital. Nora raised Jess when her mother (Polly) couldn't. Nora learns that her grandmother fell while trying to retrieve a true crime book, As If They Were Asleep by Daniel Miller, chronicling the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. When Jess looks at the book she starts looking into the decades old murders and the secrets surrounding them.

Homecoming is beautifully written with exquisite descriptions, layered writing, and great character development. The narrative is told through multiple points-of-view. The first part of the novel is mainly told through the perspective of Jess and Percy while the second half adds additional points-of-view, including excerpts from the book by Daniel Miller. It is a complicated web of secrets and a puzzle to be solved.

Admittedly, the pacing is very slow on this one and the middle of the novel requires endurance and patience. The ending will be worth it, but the struggle through the middle may stay with readers. Fans of Morton will love this novel while those new to her writing might need some encouragement to stick it out to the end. The ending is so satisfying and pulls all the complicated plot threads of the mystery. 4.5 rounded down

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