Other editions of book Madam Will You talk?

Charity Selborne, a lovely war widow, and her irreverent artist friend, Louise Cray, arrive in the South of France expecting a conventional holiday. The vistas of Provence delight them, and Charity soon meets David, a young man of 13 who is having trouble with his dog. He introduces himself and Charity is charmed—until she senses a terrible maturity behind his grave eyes and shortly hears the rumors about his father. From this point on, the tension mounts steadily until it reaches the breaking point, while the thirsty summer heat, the noise of cicadas, and the dust of country roads all contribute to the superb realism of Mary Stewart’s very first novel. Combining her keen wit, zest for adventure, and eye for the details that make her characters interesting and memorable, Mary Stewart leads the reader on a swift, breathless chase that turns this quiet story into a masterpiece of romantic suspense.

Charity Selborne is vacationing with her friend and former colleague Louise, in the south of France. Before her marriage to Johnny Selbourne, an RAF pilot shot down in France, she and Louise had taught at the same school. Now Charity is a widow. When Charity arrives at her plush resort hotel and meets fourteen-year-old David Shelley, she steps into the middle of a dangerous game of murder, revenge and betrayal. David is at the hotel with his mother and stepfather -- but his father, who has been accused of murder, is pursuing his son across France. Charity now faces bigger challenges than she'd ever imagined; to save David and his family, and, if she can stay alive, to learn to love again.

The original queen of the page-turner Mary Stewart leads her readers on a thrilling journey through a dangerous and deadly Provence in this tale perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym.'Mary Stewart is magic'New York Times'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century'Independent'The terrible thirsty heat of the Provençal summer, the noise of the cicadas, the dust of the country buses . . .an excellent tale of mystery'The TimesIt sounds idyllic: a leisurely drive through the sun-drenched landscape of Provence. But Charity's dream holiday turns into a nightmare when she becomes embroiled in a sinister plot to kidnap a young boy. She soon finds herself in a deadly pursuit and must uncover who to trust . . . and who to fall for.Whenever I look back now on the strange and terrifying events of that holiday in Southern France, I remember the minutes I spent gazing at the golden arches of the Roman aqueduct over the Gardon... the last brief lull before the thunder.'A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven.I'd rather read her than most other authors.' Harriet Evans'She built the bridge between classic literature and modern popular fiction.She did it first and she did it best.'Herald