Nonsuch Lure cover

Nonsuch Lure

by Mary M. Luke

Andrew Moffatt, a young and successful architect from New York, is convinced that nothing more than professional curiosity provoked by the discovery in Williamsburg of a seventeenth century journal belonging to a young man called Julian Cushing, which prompts him to spend his holiday in London. Like Julian 250 years earlier, Andrew feels a strange compulsion to visit the ruins of the Palace of Nonsuch in Surrey, built by Henry VIII so that 'there would be non such in the land'. He is deeply intrigued when a chance takes him to Cuddington House in the Strand, where Julian Cushing stayed in 1699. There, a descendant of the Cuddington family shows him the portrait of Chloe Cuddington, a Tudor beauty whose father's land was taken by Henry VIII for his palace; and Andrew finds himself captivated by a woman who has been dead for more than 400 years. Not until he visits Nonsuch and stands on the site of the inner courtyard does he discover the existence of the Lure and of its guardian - a force as elusive as it is malign. Through hypnosis, Andrew learns that he has fought with the same sinister force twice before; yet no evil can keep him from seeking the legendary Nonsuch Lure, and finding not only tragedy but a love which has spanned four centuries.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?