Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Blindsided by betrayal in pre-WWII England, a woman charts a daring new course in this captivating tale of resilience, friendship, and new love by the bestselling author of The Rose Arbor and The Venice Sketchbook.
Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.
With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.
Ellie’s second act in life is just beginning—and becoming an adventure she never expected.
When her husband of 30 years announces he wants a divorce, Ellie’s meticulously planned life is turned upside down.
With two unlikely companions, she sets off for France. Author Rhys Bowen serves up a fascinating tale highlighting friendship and a second chance at love against a backdrop of World War II in Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure.
From the beginning, Ellie’s character stands out as resilient. She’s practically catered to her husband’s every whim, only to be cast aside for a newer model. However, her sense of humor is well-crafted and on point.
Seeing France through the eyes of the three women offers an interesting contrast. While Dora is looking at it as the end of a chapter, both Ellie and Mavis are seeking new beginnings.
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure delivers a heartfelt story about a woman’s efforts to finally live her own life.
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including The Victory Garden, The Tuscan Child, and the World War II-based In Farleigh Field, the winner of the Left Coast Crime Award for Best Historical Mystery Novel and the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel. Bowen’s work has won twenty honors to date, including multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Her books have been translated into many languages, and she has fans around the world, including seventeen thousand Facebook followers. A transplanted Brit, Bowen divides her time between California and Arizona.
