The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall

Ed Hartlepool has been living in self-imposed exile for five years, but with a settlement regarding his inheritance looming, he must return to his ancestral seat, Hartlepool Hall. On his return, he discovers that his father has left him, along with the house, a seven million pound tax bill, two massive overdrafts, an 80-year-old butler and a vast country estate that is creaking at the seams. Not only that, but there is a strange woman in residence - Lady Alice - who seems to have made herself very much at home.

With the debts mounting, it seems that Ed's only recourse is to turn to his friend Annabel's new boyfriend, a property developer who plans to turn Hartlepool Hall into luxury flats and a golf course. But can Ed save his inheritance without such a drastic move? And is Lady Alice really the person she claims to be?

“A black comedy of manners and a poignant social commentary.”

It's a novel that should enhance his reputation for excellent, ingenious writing METRO
More intriguing is the skein of darkness that, in common with much of Torday's fiction, runs discretely through the story - one sequence is sufficiently macabre as to recall the work of a young McEwan LITERARY REVIEW
It grabs you right from page one and is another great read from the author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN ESSENTIALS
A novel that's quirky, funny, moving and peopled with superbly drawn characters CHOICE
A deliciously dark comedy about class, snobbery and a vanishing way of life GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
This is a novel about decay and destruction, but bracingly unsentimental and surprisingly moving GUARDIAN
Gloriously enjoyable DAILY MAIL
THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE

Paul Torday was born in 1946 and read English Literature at Oxford. He spent the next 30 years working in industry, after which he scaled back his business responsibilities to fulfil a long-harboured ambition - to write. He burst on to the literary scene in 2006 with SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate bestseller. He lives close to the River North Tyne.

Ed Hartlepool has been living in self-imposed exile for five years, but with a settlement regarding his inheritance looming, he must return to his ancestral seat, Hartlepool Hall. On his return, he discovers that his father has left him, along with the house, a seven million pound tax bill, two massive overdrafts, an 80-year-old butler and a vast country estate that is creaking at the seams. Not only that, but there is a strange woman in residence - Lady Alice - who seems to have made herself very much at home.With the debts mounting, it seems that Ed's only recourse is to turn to his friend Annabel's new boyfriend, a property developer who plans to turn Hartlepool Hall into luxury flats and a golf course. But can Ed save his inheritance without such a drastic move? And is Lady Alice really the person she claims to be?

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.