Book Review: The Woman in the Green Dress

By Tea Cooper
Thomas Nelson, 2020
330 pages

Amazon Description:

A cursed opal, a gnarled family tree, and a sinister woman in a green dress emerge in the aftermath of World War I.

After a whirlwind romance, London teashop waitress Fleur Richards can’t wait for her new husband, Hugh, to return from the Great War. But when word of his death arrives on Armistice Day, Fleur learns he has left her a sizable family fortune. Refusing to accept the inheritance, she heads to his beloved home country of Australia in search of the relatives who deserve it more.

In spite of her reluctance, she soon finds herself the sole owner of a remote farm and a dilapidated curio shop full of long-forgotten artifacts, remarkable preserved creatures, and a mystery that began more than sixty-five years ago. With the help of Kip, a repatriated soldier dealing with the sobering aftereffects of war, Fleur finds herself unable to resist pulling on the threads of the past. What she finds is a shocking story surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress. . . a story that, nevertheless, offers hope and healing for the future.

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Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of The Woman in the Green Dress so that I could participate in the tour.

In world full of WWII novels it’s always nice to come across one set in the oft neglected timeframe of WWI. Well, technically this one is set just after, and it’s got a dual timeline that reaches back to 1853. It’s also takes place in Australia, which is what really drew me to it initially.

My favorite thing about The Woman in the Green Dress was the gradual unraveling of the history behind the curio shop, culminating in a surprising ending. Actually, I was surprised that I was surprised, because I felt like there were a few plot points that were somewhat predictable, so getting that satisfying ending was great. I love it when all the loose ends come together into a nice bow at the end.

The other thing I liked was the descriptions of the Australian outback and it’s flora and fauna. Australia is near the top of my travel bucket list, so I was paying close attention (and possibly trying out an accent in my head as read).

I loved The Woman in the Green Dress for it’s satisfying mystery and ability to transport me to somewhere I want to visit. What have you been reading lately?