Madame Imelda Burova, the Madame Burova of the title, is retiring after working as a palmist, clairvoyant and tarot reader in the family booth for over fifty years since taking over from her mother, Shunty-Mae. So many people have visited her booth in that time and now she looks at two brown envelopes which hold secrets and she knows it's time for her to open them and keep a promise made many years ago even though the thought fills her with dread. And so this wonderful story by Ruth Hogan starts. The author goes on to introduce some other characters and readers familiar with Ruth Hogan's books will know it's going to be an interesting read as they discover how these people fit together and their link to Madame Burova. This is an unusual subject and will undoubtedly have readers thinking about all the secrets palmists must be privy to and perhaps wondering if they have revealed any of their secrets when visiting a clairvoyant.