We want our bakeries to be places people come to meet as well as to buy bread. Knead to Read is one way we’re doing that, by welcoming local book clubs and building a reading community of our own. As part of it, we’re also hosting a series of book launches, where authors discuss their new novels over coffee and something freshly baked.
This October, we welcomed Eve Chase to our Southwark Fire Station Bakery. Over the last decade, Eve has become one of our most-loved storytellers of family mysteries. From Black Rabbit Hall to The Glass House, the Sunday Times bestseller writes atmospheric, twisty novels and has sold over a million copies.
For our new Book of the Month, we’ve chosen her latest novel, The Secret Thread – a family saga about secrets, sisters and obsession. Mimi Mott, celebrated designer and style icon, is auctioning off her estate, intent on telling the true story of her life in objects. Her new assistant, Jo O’Mara, is determined to win Mimi’s trust.
But Jo carries secrets of her own, and time is running out to unpick the past. Who is Mimi, really? A woman who rose from humble beginnings – but at what cost? What happened in that Wiltshire manor house during the summer of 1969? Who died the night of the glittering summer party?
At the centre of The Secret Thread are two sisters whose bond is fractured by a single night. Speaking to our guests in Southwark, as they sipped on warm coffee, Eve explained what drew her to writing about sisterhood: “Siblings offer such a psychological knottiness – love, rivalry, and, critically, the likelihood they experienced the same childhood, event, or family dynamics, in totally different ways. So that leads immediately to two competing narratives and conflict – juicy for a novelist.”
Unpicking which of those narratives can be trusted is part of the puzzle. “We’re all unreliable narrators of our own lives, aren’t we?” Eve said. “My characters are especially so, editing their experiences to make sense of them, and justify their own behaviour; trying to unravel other people’s secrets and longings while refusing to acknowledge their own.”
If you’re fascinated by characters like this and the stories we tell ourselves, you'll feel right at home among our reading community. There are plenty of ways to join: from book launches and author events, to hosting your own book club with us, to discovering our latest Book of the Month. Keep an eye on our Knead to Read page to find out what’s coming next. We hope to welcome you soon
With inspiration fresh in mind, guests left with their own signed copy of The Secret Thread. If you missed out, we're giving 10 readers the chance to win. One lucky winner will take home a signed copy of the book, a £30 GAIL's gift card and a year's RHS membership, with a further nine runners-up each receiving a signed copy and a £30 GAIL's gift card. Just follow this link to enter.
And if you'd like to explore the gardens that inspired Eve's writing, RHS is offering 30% off membership to GAIL’s journal readers until until 31 December 2026.
Words Kate Hollowood
Photography Harriet Clare