Mere weeks after moving into her unique one-bedroom apartment on a bluff overlooking Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Adelia is confronted by an old man who reveals a mystery for which he can remember only two details.  He wants to know what has been done to find a valuable locket lost in the building sometime in the distant past.

      In Memories Will Always Linger, Elizabeth Tidwell brings a fresh style to mystery and historical writing.  Using primarily dialogue, she weaves a tale of one of Virginia's more famous post-Civil War families, the Langhornes, with the people and events of the building on the bluff.  Cameo characters of the tale include presidents, diplomats' daughters, a dictator's son and movie stars interacting with everyday students and staff of a prominent girls' prep school, a corrections department academy and a few ghosts.

     Each chapter is rich with the history of a crucial time in the site's existence and how the area's inhabitants are affected.  Separate introductions for each chapter chronicle Adelia's encounters with the old man or the changes in perspective as her fascination and time investment deepen.  So organized, there are two surprise endings.  Even the author was shocked by the locket's final resting place.