Dark Secret — Elizabeth Atkins Bowman

In the irresistible tradition of Eileen Goudge, Dark Secret is a compelling page-turner that tests the family bond between two very different sisters--and exposes a lifetime of deception.Karen Bradley has not seen her sister in years, not since Sharlene ran off to New York to escape the poverty and shame she felt living as a mixed race child in the slums of Detroit. Karen, a devoted daughter, is horrified to learn that her mother is dying of a rare illness -- and only Sharlene can save her.Now calling herself "Camille" -- and passing as a white woman orphaned as a child -- Sharlene has remade her life -- and her past. Engaged to a rich and powerful Southern aristocrat who adores her, "Camille" has everything she wanted: money, prestige and a law career. All her hopes for the future -- and the wedding that will seal her new life -- depend on her hidden past remaining hidden. But will the price of her new life be her mother's early death? Or will Karen expose her sister's Dark Secret?