Publication Date: December 3, 2024
This beautifully written, immersive, and unique crime story is a tête-bêche novel—two intertwined stories printed back-to-back. Open the book and the first novella begins. It ends in the middle of the book. Flip the book over, head to tail, and read the second story in the opposite direction. At the book’s core are two separate mysteries running across two different timelines, which are inextricably, forever linked.
1880s, Essex, England: Idealistic young doctor Simeon Lee is called from London to treat his ailing relative Parson Oliver Hawes, who lives in Turnglass House on a bleak island off the coast. Hawes believes he’s being poisoned by his sister-in-law, Florence, who was declared mad years ago after killing the parson’s brother in a jealous rage. Hawes keeps her locked in a glass-walled apartment in the Turnglass library; the secret to how she came to be there is found in his tête-bêche journal, where one side tells a very different story from the other.
1930s, Hollywood: Celebrated author Oliver Tooke, the governor’s son, is found dead by apparent suicide. His aspiring actor friend Ken Kourian isn’t so sure Oliver took his own life. He finds a link between Oliver’s death and the mysterious kidnapping of Oliver’s brother when they were children. He also discovers the secret incarceration of Oliver’s mother, Florence, in an asylum. To get to the truth, Ken must decipher clues hidden in Oliver’s final book, a tête-bêche novel called The Turnglass—which is about a young doctor named Simeon Lee . . .
When the creative juices flow, writers often find themselves held captive by inspiration. Author Gareth Rubin delivers a unique experience for readers with The Turnglass.
Readers of the print version will find this immersive crime story is a tête-bêche novel. That means there are two intertwined tales printed back-to-back. In other words, flip the book over, head to tail, and read the second story.
The two mysteries run across different timelines, but they are linked together. The first one, set in Essex, England, features a physician who travels to treat a sick relative. An intriguing aspect of this story features the relative’s mad sister-in-law, who is locked in a glass-walled enclosure in the library. A secret is contained within the pages of the relative’s tête-bêche journal.
Meanwhile, the second story is set in Los Angeles in 1939 and features an investigation into an author’s death. Once again, a tête-bêche novel holds clues offering insight into the author’s past.
As an old-fashioned murder mystery, this story may not appeal to all readers. However, it’s important to acknowledge the author’s skill in delivering parallel stories in an insightful way.
The Turnglass offers readers an opportunity to immerse themselves in two distinct stories with a mysterious connection.
Gareth Rubin writes about social affairs, travel, and the arts for British newspapers. In 2013, he directed a documentary about therapeutic art at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London (Bedlam). His books include The Great Cat Massacre, which details how the course of British history has been changed by people making mistakes; Liberation Square, a thriller set in Soviet-occupied London; and The Winter Agent, a thriller set in Paris in 1944. He lives in London.
