The Witness on the Roof

By: Annie Haynes

Narrated by: Anne Hancock

Running away from an abusive stepmother, a little girl scrambles across London rooftops, a favorite hiding place. She peers through a window and sees a man apparently burglarizing a studio, but quickly realizes that she has witnessed the aftermath of a murder when the man puts a gun in the hand of a body on the floor. When she cries out he glimpses her and she escapes in terror. Very soon after, she is sent to live with her deceased mother’s aristocratic family and her secret is kept from the police.

A decade later, Joan Davenant has become the wife of the dashing Lord Warchester and the incident from her hardscrabble childhood that once terrified her seems unreal, like a bad dream. Then one day both worlds collide when she unexpectedly locks eyes with the man she had glanced through the window. Haunted by this new knowledge that could change her life forever, a heartbroken Joan finds herself compelled to seek out the truth.

©1925 Annie Haynes (P)2021 Anne Hancock

Wonderfully written cozy mystery

This reads like a cozy mystery since it is very clear from the beginning who is good and who is evil, but the story is still highly enjoyable with a satisfying ending. The characters are believable and well fleshed out. The writing is excellent and very authentic for the times, including the extremely patronizing tone towards women. I loved the narrator!