Wendy Goult novel mixes probate mystery, wartime secrets and the supernatural

British author Wendy Goult’s The Phoenix Club: Where Past and Present Collide follows a probate investigation at a Norfolk estate that uncovers family betrayal, wartime history and unexplained events. The novel builds on Goult’s later-life move into fiction and her long interest in memory, truth and hidden pasts.

Why it matters: - Wendy Goult’s latest novel uses a rural Norfolk estate to link inheritance disputes, family secrecy and supernatural suspense. - The story centers on how old decisions can shape present-day relationships, property disputes and the search for truth. - The book adds to Goult’s body of work, which focuses on hidden histories, memory and unexplained experiences.

What happened: - The Phoenix Club: Where Past and Present Collide is set at Leewood House, a rural Norfolk estate. - Sir John’s death triggers a probate investigation. - Suzie Paltrow and her probate team arrive to handle the estate. - The investigation uncovers a family history shaped by wartime events, jealousy, greed and revenge. - A supernatural presence adds an extra layer of tension as the team digs deeper into the estate’s past.

The details: - The novel blends a country house mystery with historical intrigue and supernatural suspense. - The central question is not only what happened at Leewood House, but why the truth stayed hidden. - The book suggests that the inheritance includes more than property or money. - The investigation pushes characters to separate official accounts from the fuller story behind them. - Goult’s published work also includes Chain Reaction (2015), Chasing Shadows (2017), A Tangled Web of Time (2019) and the poetry collection Reflections.

Between the lines: - The novel reflects Goult’s long-standing interest in the tension between memory and truth. - Her background in research and practical public-service work appears to shape the book’s attention to records, responsibility and hidden evidence. - Goult has said writing helped fill an “empty void” after the death of her husband, David, in November 2011. - That personal transition helped turn fiction into a sustained creative path rather than a late-life experiment.

What's next: - Goult is positioning The Phoenix Club as the work that best represents her current writing. - Readers interested in historical mysteries and supernatural fiction can expect a story built around buried family conflict and long-delayed revelations. - More information about Wendy and her writing is available here.