The Masters of the House Author:Robert Barnard In the late winter of 1979, Leeds housewife Ellen Heenan dies in childbirth - abandoning a guilt-stricken husband to insanity's grasp and leaving four young children to fend for themselves. Thirteen-year-old Matthew and Annie, age twelve, know what the authorities will do if they learn of Father's debilitating madness. A close-knit family will b... more »e speedily unravelled, its threads scattered carelesly to the winds. So deception is the only recourse-a facade of normalcy that must be carefully constructed to fool prying neighborhood eyes. And resourceful young Matthew and his sister have the situation well in hand - until a freshly slain corpse turns up beneath the kitchen window ...« less
Barnard is a prolific British writer of mysteries. This involves 4 young children trying to prevent the world from knowing they are living on their own. Fascinating.