The Mischief Makers

In a beautiful house in the wilds of Cornwall, Daphne du Maurier is on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Tangled in a self-destructive love affair that threatens to unravel her marriage to a British army major, she is also increasingly worried about the man who inspired her writing career, whose shadow looms over her childhood: J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan.



Daphne tries to escape into writing her new book, but the line between fiction and reality blurs dangerously when her own characters start manifesting before her eyes - in particular a woman called Rebecca who looks suspiciously like her husband's alluring ex-girlfriend.



Daphne must confront the dark truth that lurks beneath the fantasy of Peter Pan and the secret life that has plagued her since she found fame. Unless she can solve these mysteries and reckon with who she truly is as an artist, her next great work may be lost to history . . .



A haunting and emotional tale woven across multiple timelines, The Mischief Makers explores the complex forces shaping a woman's heart, from duty to desire, and the contradictions at the heart of creating art.

PRAISE FOR ELISABETH GIFFORD:

'Gorgeously written and devastating' Kate Riordan



'One of the best novels I've read' Gill Paul



'Desperately romantic' Katie Fforde



'Compelling' Sarah Maine





'Gorgeous, melancholy' The Times





'A glorious novel. You won't be able to put it down for a minute' Suellen Dainty





'An undeniably haunting love story' Sunday Times

'A moving story, beautifully told' Tim Pear



Elisabeth Gifford grew up in a vicarage in the industrial Midlands. She studied French literature and world religions at Leeds University. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway College. She is married with three children, and lives in Kingston upon Thames.