This dual time novel appealed to me because it is centred on the abandoned village of Tyneham on Warbarrow Bay in Dorset. In December 1943 all the villagers, including the lord of the manor, had to leave their houses and village to live elsewhere for the duration of the war so that troops could practice for D-day. What they didn’t realise was that they could never return home. Today the ruined village can sometimes be visited, and this is where our 21st century heroine, Melissa meets celebrated historian, Guy Cameron.
Melissa’s relationship with her uncaring boyfriend, Liam is breaking down, so helping Guy to investigate the disappearance of Lady Veronica after she left Tyneham in the 1940s is a welcome distraction. The two learn that Anna, Guy’s grandmother was lady’s maid to Veronica, but she is reluctant to tell them very much of her past. Alongside this thread we enter Lady Veronica’s unhappy life with her unpleasant husband Sir Albert. Both stories include tension and misunderstanding, and you can’t help rooting for both Melissa and Veronica. This first novel by Lorna Cook promises more intriguing books to follow.
Lorna Cook writes dual-timeline stories that blend secrets of the past with the present.
She lives by the sea with her husband, two small daughters and a demanding dog called Socks.
The Forgotten Village can be found on Amazon UK
Lizanne lost in a good book 
We visited this village just last summer, it does have an interesting story to tell.
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Yes, I visited it many years ago.
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Sounds good. We have (had) a village like that which was taken over by the army and later all the houses were destroyed so there’s nothing there now – and yet when I walk there I always feel I’m going to discover something exciting!
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It must be so sad for those whose home village disappeared.
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