Jo Harkin – författare

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition1483.The English throne is in peril.Peasant boy and pretender John Collan is faced with two options.a) Become kingb) Die tryingWhat could possibly go wrong?**WATERSTONES FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH****THE TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER****NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES****PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I****SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE****SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.________________________________________‘A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue’ Guardian‘Funny, moving, filthy and original’ The Times‘So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller’ Maggie Shipstead‘I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time’ Yael van der Wouden‘The most enjoyable historical novel I’ve read in years’ Spectator‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart’ Sarah Waters‘Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole’ Jenny Colgan‘A rollicking account of a befuddled boy’s pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn’ New York Times‘The real deal – nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave‘Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written’ Daily Mail‘I blazed through full of wonder and admiration’ Emma Stonex

**Selected as a book of summer 2025 by the Guardian, Daily Mail, Sunday Times and i paper**Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition''An absolute delight … Funny, moving, filthy and original … A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year'' The Times''A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue'' Guardian, Book of the day''A vivid, transporting feat of imagination'' Maggie Shipstead''Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart - I loved it'' Sarah Waters''Brilliantly buoyant, clever, funny, original, vivid, witty'' Joanna Quinn''The Pretender has everything: history richly drawn, amazing characterisation, humour, wit, vigour and bravery'' Emma Stonex''Funny and devastating. I''m having a fantastic time reading it'' Yael van der Wouden________________________________________Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away. But history has other plans for John. Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne. Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host''s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead. Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens. ''Wickedly funny… A work of genius, a wellspring of laughter and sorrow, a feat of time travel, and a feast of language'' Karen Russell''Raw, beautiful and true ... I loved it'' Leah Redmond Chang''An absolute thumper … Funny and filthy and brave and brilliant'' Marianne Levy''Superb, exhilarating and heartbreaking'' Linda Porter''I couldn''t put it down'' Tracy Borman

**Selected as a book of summer 2025 by the Guardian, Daily Mail, Sunday Times and i paper**Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition''An absolute delight … Funny, moving, filthy and original … A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year'' The Times''A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue'' Guardian, Book of the day''A vivid, transporting feat of imagination'' Maggie Shipstead''Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart - I loved it'' Sarah Waters''Brilliantly buoyant, clever, funny, original, vivid, witty'' Joanna Quinn''The Pretender has everything: history richly drawn, amazing characterisation, humour, wit, vigour and bravery'' Emma Stonex''Funny and devastating. I''m having a fantastic time reading it'' Yael van der Wouden________________________________________Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away. But history has other plans for John. Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne. Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host''s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead. Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens. ''Wickedly funny… A work of genius, a wellspring of laughter and sorrow, a feat of time travel, and a feast of language'' Karen Russell''Raw, beautiful and true ... I loved it'' Leah Redmond Chang''An absolute thumper … Funny and filthy and brave and brilliant'' Marianne Levy''Superb, exhilarating and heartbreaking'' Linda Porter''I couldn''t put it down'' Tracy Borman

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES****PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I****SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**‘Wickedly funny ... the filthy, clever, immersive picaresque you didn’t know you needed’ Guardian, The best fiction of 2025‘I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time’ Yael van der Wouden‘Funny, moving, filthy and original’ The Times‘So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller’ Maggie Shipstead ‘The most enjoyable historical novel I’ve read in years’ Spectator ________________________________________Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.But history has other plans for John.Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne.Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host’s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead.Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens. **Praise for The Pretender**‘A brainy, heartfelt delight’ Guardian, 50 hottest books to read now‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart’ Sarah Waters ‘Touching and hilarious’ The Times, 80 best books to take on holiday ‘Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole’ Jenny Colgan‘A rollicking account of a befuddled boy’s pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn’ New York Times‘The real deal – nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave‘Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written’ Daily Mail‘I blazed through full of wonder and admiration’ Emma Stonex

'Compelling' GUARDIAN'Incredibly well written . . . I really enjoyed it' MARIAN KEYES'One of the most sophisticated works of science fiction I've read recently' NEW YORK TIMES The promise at Nepenthe is simple: they will erase the memories you cannot live with.After the procedure, psychologist Noor will assess you for two things: your mental wellbeing, and the successful erasure of the memory. But there is no assessment if you choose to delete the memory of the Nepenthe procedure itself. If you do that, you're on your own.And what if one day, out of the blue, your memory is offered back to you - would you want to remember what you've chosen to forget?'Extraordinary' EMMA STONEX 'Riveting' KAREN THOMPSON WALKER 'Utterly captivating' LUCY CLARKE Thought-provoking. I loved it' MARCEL THEROUX