A dark secret. A second chance. A thirty-year-old mother of two and wife of a prominent Brooklyn ship broker registers at the Queen Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, using a false name. Two weeks later she is buried in the local cemetery. Or is she ? Without family or friends, health or hope, Sadie Walford arrives already contemplating a drastic next step. But she hasn't counted on the likes of Eleanor, the hotel's no-nonsense bookkeeper, or Maggie, the annoyingly helpful head maid, who both have other ideas. A chance encounter with a thief sets events in motion, and Sadie will be forced to choose: What is she willing to do, and who is she willing to give up, to conceal her past, preserve her freedom, and claim the life she desires? Inspired by actual events, this epistolary tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope unfolds through journal entries, letters, recollections and accounts. Set in Halifax, Manhattan, and on Long Island during the Gilded Age, Mrs. Walford is a story of found family, love delayed, and the power of friendship in turbulent times. Enter the world of Mrs. Walford: From a raucous boarding house in Flushing, New York, to the upscale Queen Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia... - From the heavenly windows department of Louis Comfort Tiffany's glass and decorating company in Manhattan, to a doctor's private practice in a quiet Brooklyn brownstone... - From the moving of the Brighton Beach Hotel on Coney Island, to the dedication of the statue of Liberty Enlightening the World ... - From the bustling green market and waterfront of Halifax, to the tranquil shores of Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island...you won't want to leave. Meet the storytellers: Discreet, unruffled ELEANOR, who keeps the Queen Hotel's books, and one or two of its secrets - Forthright MAGGIE, who's undaunted by her difficult beginnings and unfazed by the peculiarities of the hotel's guests - Enigmatic SARAH, who's buoyed by her employment as an artisan, and burdened by her past - Chatty young MATILDA from the African Nova Scotian farming community of Preston, and her tiny observant Mi'kmaw friend HANAH from across the harbour in Turtle Grove, who together notice everything that goes on at the green market - Thrill-seeking JENNIE, who's never seen a pocket, or a mirror reflection, that she didn't like - And perceptive, empathetic FRED, who's seeking atonement the only way she knows how If you liked the friendships and atmosphere of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and A Gentleman in Moscow, you'll love Mrs. Walford. "Drawing on a real-life story about a suicide at Halifax's Queen Hotel in 1887, Mrs. Walford take seeds of truth and makes them flourish into a tale of secrets, addiction, and, eventually, redemption. With exceptional historical detail and unique character perspectives, Tyedmers takes us on a fulsome journey of heartbreak, healing, and ultimately, hope." DONNA JONES ALWARD, bestselling author of When the World Fell Silent and Ship of Dreams "Must read. A masterpiece of historical fiction and an absorbing mystery, brilliantly written, with fascinating insights into an art to add flavour...Mrs Walford is clearly the work of a skilled writer with deep subject knowledge and a passion for diligent research. It's an amazing story, superbly written. It will delight lovers of historical fiction, but also lovers of great women's fiction, mysteries, family sagas... and, really, anyone who just loves a great story written by an author with impressive ability. I will look for more by Brenda Tyedmers. Mrs Walford was a rare reading treat." LORRAINE COBCROFT, Reedsy Discovery "Tyedmers tells her fictitious reimagining of this true-life story from various points of view and through reflections, letters and telegrams that give the reader a well-rounded view of events and of Sadie Walford, who is caught up in a life she never imagined. Mrs. Walford takes us from a busy boarding house in Flushing, New York to the upscale Queen Hotel in Halifax and from Louis Comfort Tiffany's famous glass company in Manhattan to a doctor's private practice in Brooklyn. Tyedmers weaves together a complex, personal story with the history of Halifax, New York and Brooklyn to create a splendidly uplifting tale." BRETTON LONEY, Goodreads "Brenda Tyedmers' Mrs. Walford is a haunting, beautifully written Gilded Age tale of reinvention, resilience, and redemption. Told through an elegant epistolary format letters, journals, and personal accounts it captures the emotional complexity of a woman caught between the wreckage of her past and the fragile hope of a new beginning." EVELYN JEAN, Goodreads "This book set mostly in the 1880's and 1890's will take you from Halifax to Brooklyn, the Tiffany workshops and beyond as the story of Mrs. Walford unfolds from a range of recollections and journal entries. This unique format will pull you in with the wide range of characters, locations and shifting story lines, it is how they all come toge