V.L. Valentine – författare

''A riotous delve into the dark medical world of Restoration London'' - S.G. MACLEAN''An infectious read, packed with atmosphere and colourful characters'' - OSCAR DE MURIEL''A gripping whodunnit with a sinister twist'' - JENNIFER RYAN________________________________________WHO WOULD MURDER THE DYING...London, 1665. Hidden within the growing pile of corpses in his churchyard, Rector Symon Patrick discovers a victim of the pestilence unlike any he has seen before: a young woman with a shorn head, covered in burns, and with pieces of twine delicately tied around each wrist and ankle. Desperate to discover the culprit, Symon joins a society of eccentric medical men who have gathered to find a cure for the plague. Someone is performing terrible experiments upon the dying, hiding their bodies amongst the hundreds that fill the death carts.Only Penelope - a new and mysterious addition to Symon''s household - may have the skill to find the killer. Far more than what she appears, she is already on the hunt. But the dark presence that enters the houses of the sick will not stop, and has no mercy...This hugely atmospheric and entertaining historical thriller will transport readers to the palaces and alleyways of seventeenth-century London. Perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Andrew Taylor and C.J. Sansom.________________________________________''A sickening, desperate London, wonderfully evoked. A terrific read!'' - ALIX NATHAN ''A rollicking, roistering tale with humour horror and human decency at its dark heart'' - KATE GRIFFIN ''Brilliantly convincing and thrillingly infectious'' - S.W. PERRY ''A gorgeous, darkly witty novel that transports readers to the London of Charles II'' - MARIAH FREDERICKS ''Dark, haunting and unexpectedly witty'' - SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL

''A dark gothic delight'' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE''Inventive, lavish, twisty... will keep you guessing until the very end'' ALISON LITTLEWOOD, author of MISTLETOEWinter 1954, and in a dilapidated apartment in Brooklyn, Sam Cooper realises that she has nothing left. Her mother is dead, she has no prospects, and she cannot afford the rent. But as she goes through her mother''s things, Sam finds a stack of hidden letters that reveal a family and an inheritance that she never knew she had, three thousand miles away in Yorkshire.Begars Abbey is a crumbling pile, inhabited only by Lady Cooper, Sam''s ailing grandmother, and a handful of servants. Sam cannot understand why her mother kept its very existence a secret, but her newly discovered diaries offer a glimpse of a young girl growing increasingly terrified. As is Sam herself.Built on the foundations of an old convent, Begars moves and sings with the biting wind. Her grandmother cannot speak, and a shadowy woman moves along the corridors at night. There are dark places in the hidden tunnels beneath Begars. And they will not give up their secrets easily...A chilling read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, Begars Abbey is a must-read for fans of Laura Purcell, C.J. Tudor and W.C. Ryan.

A serial killer stalks London during the Great Plague of 1665 in this highly inventive historical thriller.

'A riotous delve into the dark medical world of Restoration London' - S.G. MACLEAN'An infectious read, packed with atmosphere and colourful characters' - OSCAR DE MURIEL'A gripping whodunnit with a sinister twist' - JENNIFER RYAN________________________________________WHO WOULD MURDER THE DYING...London, 1665. Hidden within the growing pile of corpses in his churchyard, Rector Symon Patrick discovers a victim of the pestilence unlike any he has seen before: a young woman with a shorn head, covered in burns, and with pieces of twine delicately tied around each wrist and ankle. Desperate to discover the culprit, Symon joins a society of eccentric medical men who have gathered to find a cure for the plague. Someone is performing terrible experiments upon the dying, hiding their bodies amongst the hundreds that fill the death carts.Only Penelope - a new and mysterious addition to Symon's household - may have the skill to find the killer. Far more than what she appears, she is already on the hunt. But the dark presence that enters the houses of the sick will not stop, and has no mercy...This hugely atmospheric and entertaining historical thriller will transport readers to the palaces and alleyways of seventeenth-century London. Perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Andrew Taylor and C.J. Sansom.________________________________________'A sickening, desperate London, wonderfully evoked. A terrific read!' - ALIX NATHAN'A rollicking, roistering tale with humour horror and human decency at its dark heart' - KATE GRIFFIN'Brilliantly convincing and thrillingly infectious' - S.W. PERRY'A gorgeous, darkly witty novel that transports readers to the London of Charles II' - MARIAH FREDERICKS'Dark, haunting and unexpectedly witty' - SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL

'A dark gothic delight' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE'Inventive, lavish, twisty... will keep you guessing until the very end' ALISON LITTLEWOOD, author of MISTLETOEWinter 1954, and in a dilapidated apartment in Brooklyn, Sam Cooper realises that she has nothing left. Her mother is dead, she has no prospects, and she cannot afford the rent. But as she goes through her mother's things, Sam finds a stack of hidden letters that reveal a family and an inheritance that she never knew she had, three thousand miles away in Yorkshire.Begars Abbey is a crumbling pile, inhabited only by Lady Cooper, Sam's ailing grandmother, and a handful of servants. Sam cannot understand why her mother kept its very existence a secret, but her newly discovered diaries offer a glimpse of a young girl growing increasingly terrified. As is Sam herself.Built on the foundations of an old convent, Begars moves and sings with the biting wind. Her grandmother cannot speak, and a shadowy woman moves along the corridors at night. There are dark places in the hidden tunnels beneath Begars. And they will not give up their secrets easily...A chilling read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, Begars Abbey is a must-read for fans of Laura Purcell, C.J. Tudor and W.C. Ryan.