The New Mrs Clifton

Discover the gorgeously addictive story of love and betrayal in the compelling bestseller from Elizabeth Buchan 
 
'A gripping, immensely satisfying novel with a twist in the tale' Red 
 
'Wrapped in the roots of the sycamore was a skeleton; the remains of a woman, between twenty-five and thirty. She had carried a child . . .' 
 
At the close of the Second World War, Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton returns to London. 
 
On his arm is Krista, the German wife he married secretly in Berlin. 
 
For his two sisters, this broken woman is nothing more than the enemy. For Nella, Gus's loyal fiancée, it is a terrible betrayal. As the three women wonder what hold Krista has over decent, honourable Gus, they begin to ask themselves: 
 
How far will they have to go to permanently get her out of their home, their future, their England? 
 
PRAISE FOR THE NEW MRS CLIFTON 
 
'Buchan brilliantly captures the blighted atmosphere of blitzed London' Daily Mail 
 
'The tension is palpable and the atmosphere claustrophobic. Buchan vividly conveys the mood of a post-war London brought to its knees. A powerful and emotional read' Sunday Express 
 
'I loved this story of post-war adjustment which sets up a mystery on the first page' Cathy Rentzenbrink, Stylist 
 
'So so good. Great writing, great story. I could not put it down' Marian Keyes

At the close of the Second World War, Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton returns to London. On his arm is Krista, the German wife he married secretly in Berlin. For his sisters, this broken woman is nothing more than the enemy . . .

Keeps you guessing throughout and the unsettling ending doesn't disappoint . . . An immensely engaging read that will make you see post-war Britain in a new light

A wonderful book about life in post-war London ... Buchan's believable characters live in a world of bombsites, shortages and speculators that is deftly realised

When their brother brings home a German bride in the wake of the Second World War, two sisters wonder what hold she has over him in the elegantly written The New Mrs Clifton

Impressive . . . nerve-janglingly engrossing . . . Buchan brings the period vividly to life

A truly wonderful writer.  Her books are rich with authentic period detail and her characters are vivid and intensely believable - I love this book

I loved The New Mrs Clifton by Elizabeth Buchan, a story of post-war adjustment which sets up a mystery on the first page

This compelling novel deals with the complex legacy of the war years ... Buchan, who brilliantly captures the blighted atmosphere of blitzed London and bomb-destroyed Berlin, is equally good on the emotional fall-out ... Slowly revealing the hidden secrets and chaos of the characters' inner lives, the novel describes how everyday life is tainted by the knowledge of what went on and the desperate measures that ordinary people had to take to survive the extraordinary circumstances

The tension is palpable and the atmosphere claustrophobic. Buchan vividly conveys the dispirited mood of a post-war London brought to its knees ... Her depiction of the horrors of wartime Berlin is equally compelling. She dissects her characters with precision to show the personal cost of war ... A powerful and emotional read

So so good. Great writing, great story. I could not put it down

Internationally bestselling author, Marian Keyes

Buchan vividly captures weary postwar Britain in this evocative, emotional novel

With such a vivid, thought-provoking evocation of life in ravaged, post-war London, there's plenty to enjoy

Elizabeth Buchan's previous novels include the prizewinning Consider the Lily, the New York Times bestseller Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, and her most recent book The New Mrs Clifton, which was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year in 2017. Elizabeth's short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in a range of magazines. Elizabeth reviews for the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail and is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival. She has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliott literary prizes, has been a judge for the Costa Novel Award, and she sits on the authors' committee for the Reading Agency. She lives in London.

As the Second World War draws to a close, Gus Clifton, feared lost in Germany, surprises his sisters at their family home. But an even greater shock is the woman he brings home, Krista - the German wife whom he has married secretly in Berlin. 
 
Gus's sisters can only see the enemy their brother has brought under their roof. And their friend Nella, Gus's beautiful, loyal fiancée, cannot understand what made Gus change his mind about their marriage. What hold does Krista have over their honourable and upright Gus? And how can the three women get her out of their home, their future, their England?

Daughters

Delve into the heart-warming and captivating story of a mother's love from Elizabeth Buchan 
 
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all mothers want to see their daughters happily settled. 
 
But for Lara, mother to Maudie and stepmother to Jasmine and Eve, realising this ambition has not been easy. 
 
With an ex-husband embarking on a new marriage, and the surprising and late blooming developments in her own love life to contend with, Lara has enough to worry about - especially with Eve's upcoming wedding. 
 
When she begins to fear that Eve is marrying a man who will only make her unhappy, and Maudie reveals something that shocks the entire family, Lara faces the ultimate dilemma. 
 
Does she step in and risk the wrath of her daughters? 
 
Or does she stand by and watch them both make what she fears will be the biggest mistakes of their lives? 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all mothers want to see their daughters happily settled. 
 
But for Lara, mother to Maudie and stepmother to Jasmine and Eve, realizing this ambition has not been easy. 
 
With an ex-husband embarking on a new marriage, and the surprising and late blooming developments in her own love life to contend with, Lara has enough to worry about, especially with Eve's upcoming wedding. 
 
And when she begins to fear that Eve is marrying a man who will only make her unhappy, and Maudie reveals something that shocks the entire family, Lara faces the ultimate dilemma. Does she step in and risk the wrath of her daughters? Or does she stand by and watch them both make what she fears will be the biggest mistakes of their lives?

Separate Beds

Fall in love with the poignant and compelling novel about rediscovering true love from Elizabeth Buchan, bestselling author of The New Mrs Clifton 
 
Annie and Tom seem to have everything - a lovely home, rewarding jobs and three healthy grown-up children. 
 
But beneath the surface lies a secret guilt which ensures that whilst they live under the same roof, they sleep in separate beds. Then Tom comes home one evening and drops a bombshell that threatens to destroy everything they have left. 
 
If Tom and Annie are to weather this storm together they must first face the past that lies between them. Yet will doing so only push them further apart? 
 
Separate Beds is the heartwarming and captivating novel about the little acts of kindness that can reunite a family and rekindle a marriage. 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

Annie and Tom's marriage is having a mid-life crisis 
 
They seem to have everything - a lovely home, rewarding jobs and three healthy grown-up children - but, beneath the surface, all is not well. Their marriage holds a secret guilt which ensures that whilst they live under the same roof, they sleep in separate beds. 
 
Then Tom comes home one evening and drops a bombshell that threatens to destroy everything they have left. Will he and Annie be able to leave the past behind and weather this storm together? Or will it push them further apart? 
 
Annie is about to discover that out of disaster springs the faint rays of hope. As their family rallies together, for the first time in years, their home is filled with people, conversation, tears - and laughter. And, little by little, Annie and Tom start to open up to one another about the terrible, painful truth they have lived with all these years. 
 
Soon a new, unexpected future starts to take shape as Annie and Tom are offered a second chance at happiness. But will they take it?

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

A reissue and a stunning new look for Elizabeth Buchan's bestselling novel. Since it was first published, REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN has sold 125,000 copies in paperback.

A must-read for every woman who’s ever been underestimated - especially those of a certain age 
 
-- 
 
Rose Lloyd was the last to suspect that Nathan, her husband of over twenty years, was having an affair, and that he was planning to leave her. 
 
But the greatest shock was yet to come: his mistress was Rose's colleague and friend, Minty. 
 
Left alone in their once-happy family home, where she and Nathan had brought up their children, Rose started thinking - about the man she'd married, and how well she really knew him. About the carefree yet studious girl she had been before she met him. 
 
Twenty years ago she had to make the choice between two very different lives. 
 
Could she now recapture what she nearly chose back then, a life where she put herself first? 
 
Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman is the compelling and heart-warming novel from bestselling author Elizabeth Buchan. 
 
-- 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

Rose Lloyd was the last to suspect that Nathan, her husband of over twenty years, was having an affair, and that he was planning to leave her. But the greatest shock was yet to come; for his mistress was Rose's colleague and friend, Minty. Left alone in their once-happy family home, where she and Nathan had brought up their children. Rose started thinking - about the man she'd married, and how well she really knew him. About the carefree yet studious girl she had been before she met him. Twenty years ago she had to make the choice between two very different lives. Could she now recapture what she nearly chose back then, a life where she put herself first?

The Second Wife

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman and The Good Wife have each sold over 150,000 copies to date

Lose yourself in the tantalising bestselling novel about fighting for what's yours from Elizabeth Buchan 
 
What happens when the mistress gets her man? 
 
Against the odds, that's what happened to Minty. She stole her best friend Rose's husband Nathan and made him her own. 
 
But now that she's got what she wanted - marriage, kids, a family home - she's discovering a few things she didn't bargain on: the cold shoulder from Nathan's other family, her husband's middle age and growing distance . . . 
 
And accepting that first wives don't just go away. 
 
What's more, age brings one or two other problems for Minty. 
 
Problems that will lead her back to the one person she really doesn't want to face . . . 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

What happens when the mistress gets her man? 
 
Against the odds, that's what happened to Minty. She stole her best friend Rose's husband Nathan and made him her own. But now that she's got what she wanted - marriage, kids, a family home - she's discovering a few things she didn't bargain on: the cold shoulder from Nathan's other family, her husband's middle age and growing distance...and accepting that first wives don't just go away. 
 
What's more, age brings one or two other problems for Minty. Problems that will lead her back to the one person she really doesn't want to face...

That Certain Age

The Good Wife has sold 135,000 copies to date.

Discover the witty and wonderful story of two unlikely women whose lives are woven together, from the bestselling author of The New Mrs Clifton 
 
Barbara and Siena - two women living fifty years apart. 
 
Both constrained by choice; one has too little and one has too much. 
 
Siena, a 21st century woman, has so far managed to avoid the tick of the biological clock. Without children she can control her own wonderful, ordered life. Only thing is, her husband Charlie longs for a baby . . . 
 
In 1959, Barbara has been married to Ryder, an airline pilot, for twenty-four years. Her life happily revolves around her house and family. But when she meets the young and brilliant Alexander, he shows her that she has a mind and a life of her own . . . 
 
The intimate, inner lives of two women are intertwined as they struggle to find resolution - between the families they love and their own desires. 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

With gentle but penetrating wit and insight, Elizabeth Buchan tells the story of 
two women whose lives are separated by fifty years, but linked in a variety 
of subtle and surprising ways as they try to make sense of the conflicting 
demands of liberation and duty, freedom and necessity, and the labyrinthine 
pursuit of happiness...

The Good Wife

High profile national press advertising on publication.

Step into a very public marriage, in the compulsive novel from the bestselling author of Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman 
 
Fanny Savage was once dutiful, clever, vulnerable and dreamy. 
 
Now married to Will, a successful politician with big ambitions, her life is a whirlwind of public engagements and loyalty to the party, a position that requires her to look good and remain silent. 
 
But she's no fool. She's well aware that the world outside her home is one that seethes with despair, danger and division. And she's beginning to understand how fragile happiness can be. 
 
Is she coping with the transition from eager bride to politician's wife? 
 
Has she been the Good Wife? 
 
Does being good always mean being truthful? 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

From the author of the bestselling phenomenon REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN comes a compulsive novel about the fascinating tangle of marriage. 
 
Fanny Savage was once dutiful, clever, vulnerable and dreamy. Now married to Will, a successful politician with big ambitions, her life is a whirlwind of public engagements and loyalty to the party, a position that requires her to look good and remain silent. But she's no fool. She's well aware that the world outside her home is one that seethes with despair and danger, division and lack of faith, and how fragile happiness can be. She wonders if she's been happy coping with the transition from eager bride to politician's wife? Has she been the Good Wife? Does being good mean being truthful?

Secrets of the Heart

Get tangled up in love in the delightful and compelling romance from bestselling author Elizabeth Buchan 
 
Agnes Campion is 30 when she inherits Flagge House from her uncle. 
 
Whilst struggling with its upkeep, Agnes is also busy looking after her elderly aunts, juggling her work, and nursing a bruised heart. So she certainly doesn't bank on falling for handsome property developer Julian, whose job is everything she despises, and who has a mistress of his own. 
 
Nor does Agnes imagine that stoical Andrew, whose organic farm is being wrenched away from him by a planning application, will fall for her too. 
 
Slowly, surely, a love quartet is developing . . . 
 
But relationships are messy things, and only two people can find happiness at the end of it all. 
 
Secrets of the Heart is the captivating and electrifying novel from bestselling author Elizabeth Buchan. 
 
Praise for Elizabeth Buchan: 
 
'Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated' Independent 
 
'Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author' Times 
 
'Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour' Mail on Sunday 
 
'Buchan is a cut above the rest' Sunday Mirror

Agnes Campion is 30 when she inherits Flagge House from her uncle. Struggling with its upkeep whilst looking after her elderly aunts, juggling her work, and nursing a bruised heart, she doesn't bank on falling for handsome property developer Julian,whose job is everything she despises. But Julian has commitments of his own: Kitty, his long term mistress, won't give him up without a fight: seemingly fragile, she's really as tough as nails. Nor does Agnes imagine that stoical Andrew, whose organic farm is being wrenched away from him by a planning application, will fall for her too. Slowly, surely, a love quartet is developing, but relationships are messy things, and only two people can find happiness at the end of it all ...

Elizabeth Buchan

Gripping, fascinating . . . Kay is prepared to sacrifice marriage, home, children and her life for the cause

This is such a good novel, full of incident and history and the minutiae of life as a spy

She who dares wins in Buchan's gripping doorstopper about the Nazi occupation in Denmark

A gripping story of courage and conscience. Highly recommended

Gripping, beautifully written and peopled with characters you believe in

A gripping story about a family divided by war time loyalties

Denmark, 1940. 
For British-born Kay Eberstern, safely enveloped in the comfort of her husband Bror's country estate, war is a distant reality - until the Nazis invade her adopted country. 
With Bror determined to preserve the legacy of his family home, even if it means collaborating with the enemy, Kay is forced to decide where her loyalties truly lie. Drawn into a covert world of intelligence, resistance and sacrifice - and into a relationship with 'Felix', an enigmatic SOE agent - she learns that nothing is simple in wartime, and no one is above suspicion. 
Even those you love most.

Elizabeth Buchan

Praise for I Can't Begin to Tell You

Gripping, fascinating . . . Kay is prepared to sacrifice marriage, home, children and her life for the cause

Impressive . . . nerve-janglingly engrossing . . . Buchan brings the period vividly to life

This is such a good novel, full of incident and history and the minutiae of life as a spy

Gripping, fascinating . . . Kay is prepared to sacrifice marriage, home, children and her life for the cause

Impressive . . . nerve-janglingly engrossing . . . Buchan brings the period vividly to life

This is such a good novel, full of incident and history and the minutiae of life as a spy

Gripping, fascinating . . . Kay is prepared to sacrifice marriage, home, children and her life for the cause

Impressive . . . nerve-janglingly engrossing . . . Buchan brings the period vividly to life

This is such a good novel, full of incident and history and the minutiae of life as a spy

Books by Elizabeth Buchan

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter