Claire’s Last Secret: A historical mystery featuring Lord Byron

Claire’s Last Secret is a novel based on the true story of Claire Clairmont, the step-sister of Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein). The chapters, split between present-day 1873, where Claire lives with her niece, Paulina, and the fateful summer of 1816 with Mary, Percy Shelley (Mary’s significant other), Lord Byron (Claire’s love), and Byron’s doctor, John Polidori. The seventy-five-year-old Claire, in 1873, is given an anonymous note with a life-changing message about her deceased daughter, Allegra, when a man comes inquiring about purchasing letters from Claire which were written by Shelley and Byron. This new information will cause her to reexamine her life currently, and what she thought she knew from the past.

The writing in this novel is excellent, and it made for a quick read. A mystery with murder, betrayal, friendship, and the will to survive are all encompassed in the writing of this story. The author gives just enough information from each time period to make the reader anxious to continue onward towards the hopeful answer to Claire’s concern about her daughter. Those whose interests lie in Young Adult novels, as well as advanced reading, will enjoy!