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Paperback / ISBN-13: 9781472276346

Price: £9.99

ON SALE: 2nd February 2023

Genre: Fiction & Related Items / Historical Fiction

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‘An intelligent, utterly-of-the-moment thriller’ EMMA STONEX
‘Compelling, atmospheric. It’s BRILLIANT’ MARIAN KEYES
Sumptuously written. One of the most compelling literary debuts of the yearGLAMOUR

ONE WOMAN KNOWS THE TRUTH.
CAN YOU TRUST HER TO TELL IT?

Laura flies to her parents’ homeland for the defence case of her life. Facing trial is Marija Popa, ‘the Black Widow’; a constant at her husband’s side until the day his people rose up and executed him. Beautiful and beguiling, Marija insists she knew nothing of her husband’s dark affairs.

For Laura, the case has a personal meaning. Her mother has never spoken of the horrors she witnessed under the old regime, and remains a shadow of the woman she used to be. As Laura prepares for the trial, she realises that to find the truth, she must enter the web of the dictator’s wife. But what secrets lie within?

A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS’ CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2022
THE NEW EUROPEAN’S BEST FICTION PICK OF THE YEAR 2022

———-

‘Richly imagined’ THE TIMES
‘A remarkable new talent’ ANTHONY HOROWITZ
‘Magnificent’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘A gripping and moving debut’ HARLAN COBEN
‘Fascinating, atmospheric, utterly gripping’ LIZ HYDER
‘Spellbinding’ JANE SHEMILT
‘Darkly compelling’ STYLIST
‘Thrilling and remarkably assured’ NEW EUROPEAN
The ending left me breathless LARA PRESCOTT
Atmospheric, claustrophobic and so elegantly written’ ELLERY LLOYD
‘Engrossing, evocative, chillingly claustrophobic’ KAREN HAMILTON
‘A darkly atmospheric, rich, compulsive and page-turning read’ KATE HAMER
‘Excellent, immersive’ HARRIET TYCE

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Reviews

A gripping, intelligent, utterly-of-the-moment thriller
EMMA STONEX, bestselling author of The Lamplighters
A gripping and moving debut from a talent to watch
HARLAN COBEN
One of the most original debuts I have read
DAISY GOODWIN
This book is magnificent
CHARLOTTE PHILBY, bestselling author of A Double Life
A captivating story of women's power, love and secrets. As timely and profound as it is unforgettable. The ending left me breathless
LARA PRESCOTT, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept
A fascinating exploration of absolute power, female agency and the complexities of complicity. Atmospheric, claustrophobic and so elegantly written
ELLERY LLOYD
Excellent. Horrifying and immersive with strong characterisation and atmosphere
HARRIET TYCE
A thrilling novel
OLIVIA VINALL
A remarkable new talent
ANTHONY HOROWITZ, bestselling author of A Line to Kill
A darkly atmospheric, rich, compulsive and page-turning read
KATE HAMER