Lucinda Riley - Who is the seventh sister?
For years, fans of Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters series have debated who the seventh sister might be, and who Pa Salt really is. Here, Lucinda lets us in on the secrets that will be revealed in the seventh book in the series.
Lucinda Riley’s bestselling series The Seven Sisters is loved by fans around the world, and readers can’t wait to see what secrets are revealed in the seventh book. The series begins as the sisters’ adoptive father – the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt – dies, and they are each given a tantalising clue to their past. Each book tells the story of one of the sisters as they trace their origins all over the world in spellbinding tales of love and loss. But who is Pa Salt? Is he really dead? And who is the missing seventh sister? Here Lucinda reveals the clues that may be hidden in the first six books as we wait eagerly for the seventh instalment.
Discover all the books in The Seven Sisters series.
When I first began writing The Seven Sisters series in 2014, I already knew there would be a hidden plotline running throughout all the sisters’ stories. For years I have carefully been laying the clues, and now that I am writing book seven, all these elements are coming together to a fascinating conclusion.
Inspired by the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades star constellation, the series is based on Greek myth. Each of the sisters is brought from legend to the modern world: Maia the nurturer, Ally the adventurer, Star the dreamer, CeCe the artist, Tiggy the spiritual one and Electra the rebel. But there is a missing seventh sister, Merope . . .
The series begins with the shocking death of ‘Pa Salt’ – an elusive billionaire who has adopted six daughters from all corners of the world. Arriving at Atlantis, their beautiful lakeside home in Geneva, his adoptive daughters are surprised to find that their father has already been buried at sea. More mysteriously, an armillary sphere engraved with their names has been left in the garden, and the seventh band is left empty as if waiting for a seventh sister.
I receive thousands of reader letters a year, asking me to reveal the secrets of the series – where is the missing sister? Is Pa Salt actually alive? Who is Pa Salt and why did he adopt his daughters in the first place?
I love reading their theories and many an eagle-eyed reader has spotted a mythological reference I’ve tucked away in the story, or an anagram – one that the character Theo in The Storm Sister spots is that the sisters’ last name D’Aplièse is actually an anagram for ‘Pleiades’. Can you spot any more?
As the series follows each sister as they delve into their ancestry, readers believe that Pa Salt is a ‘hidden’ character in the books. Many have debated about #whoispasalt, but of course, I can neither confirm nor deny anything! I can only promise that more will be revealed in book seven. And I have recently been on a journey, following in the footsteps of the missing sister . . .
You can find out more about the mysteries of The Seven Sisters series here: lucindariley.co.uk/seven-sisters-series
After consulting with the Riley family, we share a message regarding Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt:
Shortly before the publication of The Missing Sister, Lucinda announced an eighth and final book in The Seven Sisters series, promising to answer the question at the heart of the story: Who is Pa Salt? Before her death, Lucinda was able to write several important passages and detailed notes on the story. She expressed a clear wish that her eldest son, Harry, should complete the series if the worst were to happen.
We can now confirm that Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt will be published around the world in spring 2023, co-written by Harry Whittaker. Lucinda and Harry worked closely together on The Guardian Angels series for children. Harry writes: ‘Mum has passed on the secrets of the series, and I will keep my promise to her in sharing them with her loyal readers. Rest assured that in spring 2023, the whole world will know just who Pa Salt is and why he adopted the sisters.’ We thank those of you who have allowed us the space to grieve, and those who have donated so generously to Mary’s Meals. – Lucinda’s family
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt
by Lucinda Riley
Publishing in spring 2023, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt will draw the multimillion-copy epic series The Seven Sisters to an unforgettable conclusion.