Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread
Published on 12. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-80499-529-7 (ISBN)
Description
INTRODUCING ROSE BURNHAM: DESIGNER, DRESSMAKER . . . DETECTIVE?
'A joy of a read. A superbly researched story of post-WW1 female friendship chock-a-block with characters you'll cheer on to the very last page, I read it cover to cover in a day'
--AJ Pearce, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird
*
South-east London, 1925.
Talented, ambitious designer-dressmaker Rose Burnham knows well both the strains of her profession and the secrets it can yield. Newly established in her own business, she and her sisters are privy to the hushed conversations that unspool behind the fitting room's closed doors.
So when a major client finds herself the victim of a deception, it is Rose she tells. Driven by the shortage of men following the Great War, Miss Holmes had engaged the services of a matrimonial agency, only to be cheated out of her inheritance by a fake suitor.
Rose is determined to bring the swindler to justice. To begin with, playing the detective is a grand adventure, but as pressures mount and an old friend receives a troubling string of poison-pen letters, Rose discovers there is more to investigating - and these investigations - than she'd bargained for.
Rose had the sense of a thread being pulled. One tug and everything could unravel . . .
*
Praise for Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread
'As well as being an exquisite mystery, Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is an ode to the pioneering women who embraced new opportunities in the aftermath of The Great War. I loved it!'
--Jessica Bull, author of Miss Austen Investigates
'A hat box of delights, full of period detail and thoroughly enjoyable.'
--Claire Wilcox, author of Patch Work: A Life Amongst Clothes and Professor in Fashion Curation at the London College of Fashion
'One of those books that transports you, making you forget about real life and full of delightful characters that spring to life. I actually felt like I was there in the story with them. For all fans of historical fiction!' Reader review
'Lynn Knight writes beautifully about fabrics, design, fashion and a new generation of women supporting each other' Reader review
'What great fun this book was! A delightful story [...] with lots of excellent period detail' Reader review
'A joy of a read. A superbly researched story of post-WW1 female friendship chock-a-block with characters you'll cheer on to the very last page, I read it cover to cover in a day'
--AJ Pearce, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird
*
South-east London, 1925.
Talented, ambitious designer-dressmaker Rose Burnham knows well both the strains of her profession and the secrets it can yield. Newly established in her own business, she and her sisters are privy to the hushed conversations that unspool behind the fitting room's closed doors.
So when a major client finds herself the victim of a deception, it is Rose she tells. Driven by the shortage of men following the Great War, Miss Holmes had engaged the services of a matrimonial agency, only to be cheated out of her inheritance by a fake suitor.
Rose is determined to bring the swindler to justice. To begin with, playing the detective is a grand adventure, but as pressures mount and an old friend receives a troubling string of poison-pen letters, Rose discovers there is more to investigating - and these investigations - than she'd bargained for.
Rose had the sense of a thread being pulled. One tug and everything could unravel . . .
*
Praise for Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread
'As well as being an exquisite mystery, Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is an ode to the pioneering women who embraced new opportunities in the aftermath of The Great War. I loved it!'
--Jessica Bull, author of Miss Austen Investigates
'A hat box of delights, full of period detail and thoroughly enjoyable.'
--Claire Wilcox, author of Patch Work: A Life Amongst Clothes and Professor in Fashion Curation at the London College of Fashion
'One of those books that transports you, making you forget about real life and full of delightful characters that spring to life. I actually felt like I was there in the story with them. For all fans of historical fiction!' Reader review
'Lynn Knight writes beautifully about fabrics, design, fashion and a new generation of women supporting each other' Reader review
'What great fun this book was! A delightful story [...] with lots of excellent period detail' Reader review
Reviews / Votes
Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is a joy of a read. A superbly researched story of post-WW1 female friendship chock-a-block with characters you'll cheer on to the very last page, I read it cover to cover in a day * AJ Pearce, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird * The House of Eliott meets Miss Marple in Lynn Knight's superb fiction debut. As well as being an exquisite mystery, Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is an ode to the pioneering women who embraced new opportunities in the aftermath of The Great War. I loved it! * Jessica Bull, author of Miss Austen Investigates * What's more enthralling than women helping women - to reclaim fortunes, achieve justice, or get a worthy business off the ground? Rose Burnham is an admirable protagonist, full of courage, charm, talent, and empathy. I had the best time rooting for her every success. Lynn Knight has written a novel for everyone who's ever cheered on a friend or sister. It's suspenseful, enchanting, and uplifting: a pure delight. * Nina de Gramont, author of THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR * A seamless blend of elegance and drama, stitched together with exquisite skill . . . Phantom Thread meets Miss Marple * Orlando Murrin, author of KNIFE SKILLS FOR BEGINNERS * A hat box of delights, full of period detail and thoroughly enjoyable * Claire Wilcox, author of Patch Work: A Life Amongst Clothes, and Professor in Fashion Curation at the London College of Fashion * I thoroughly enjoyed this charming historical mystery and raced through it. Knight portrays the struggles of 'surplus' women in the 1920s convincingly, and the detailed description of threads, silks, and sewing techniques is, at times, exquisite * Joanna Miller, author of THE EIGHTS * Delightful is the word. Women supporting women in sisterhood and friendship. A glorious glut of period details - how you will long for a cloche hat. A comforting, delicious buttered crumpet of a novel * Natasha Poliszcuk, Content Director of BookBrunch * In Miss Burnham we find all of the charms of a 1920s dressmaking studio with some sleuthing on the side. It is the perfect combination * Kate Strasdin, author of THE DRESS DIARY OF MRS ANNE SYKES *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
256 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80499-529-7 (9781804995297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Lynn Knight
Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread
The cosy and uplifting historical mystery and perfect book club read
E-Book
03/2025
Transworld Digital
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Lynn Knight was born in Derbyshire and lives in London. The women of her family passed on many stories along with beaded bags and buttoned gauntlets, and fostered her interest in the texture and narratives of women's lives. She is the author of the biography Clarice Cliff (2005), a memoir, Lemon Sherbet and Dolly Blue: The Story of an Accidental Family (2011), and The Button Box: The story of women in the 20th century, told through the clothes they wore (2016). Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is her first novel.