The Shopkeeper's Heartbreak: A gripping family drama of secrets and survival from Evelyn Hood

Can Lessie Hamilton remain strong in the face of misfortune?

Greenock, Scotland, 1900

Widowed Lessie Hamilton lives with her young son and her brother Davie. To make ends meet, Lessie works in the local grocery shop supporting Davie as he works on the docks and attends night school, hoping to become an engineer, much to the scorn of their reformed alcoholic father.

With her mother’s drinking spiralling, putting their vulnerable younger sister Thomasina at risk, brother Joseph frequently in trouble with the police and sister Edith thinking herself above them all – Lessie has much to contend with.

Things begin to look brighter as Lessie receives an inheritance, marries again and has the opportunity to take over the grocery shop. Meanwhile her neighbour Anna McCauley, who has had a colourful life ‘entertaining’ some high-profile male customer becomes the kept mistress to a wealthy sugar refinery owner.

But her old ties to Anna, keep pulling Lessie and Davie back to their less prosperous pasts.
And when multiple tragedies strike, Lessie’s mettle is tested in ways she could never have imagined.

Storytelling at its best, Evelyn Hood is the original bestselling Scottish saga writer 💫

Read the sequal to this book - The Shopkeeper's War NOW

Previously published in paperback as This Time Next Year

PRAISE FOR EVELYN HOOD

'Compelling from the start, heartfelt and beautifully written.' - Rosie Clarke

‘Evelyn Hood’s characters step off the page and into your heart.’ - Sheila Riley

‘This is addictive and heartfelt storytelling, with colourful characters you'll never want to say goodbye to.’ - Jane Lark

''Loved the strong, relatable characters. A lively, refreshing read.' - Kate Eastham

'Wonderfully descriptive, with memorable characters and a true sense of place.' - Tracy Baines

'Faultless historical detail and emotionally complex characters makethese engrossing and intelligent Evelyn Hood's sagas deeply satisfying' - Maisie Thomas

‘Evocative, beautifully rich, brilliantly detailed and meticulously researched - this story transported me and kept me up way past my bedtime - a triumph of a story. I very highly recommend Evelyn Hood’ – Renita D’Silva

'Scotland's Catherine Cookson' - Scots Magazine

‘Hood is immaculate in her historical detail’ - Scottish Herald

'Quite simply, I couldn't put it down. A rich and rewarding read' - Emma Blair

'Evelyn Hood has been called Scotland's Catherine Cookson. Unfair. She has her own distinctive voice' - Scots Magazine

‘Touching, romantic and unforgettable’ - Reader Review

‘Love all her books’ - Reader Review

‘Evelyn Hood produces the best of stories’ - Reader Review

‘I cannot put her books down’ - Reader Review

‘Love everything Evelyn Hood writes’ - Reader Review

‘Evelyn Hood is a fantastic writer, bringing the past to life and drawing you right into the story’ - Reader Review