An extraordinary modern novel in the Victorian tradition, Charles Palliser has created something extraordinary—a plot within a plot within a plot of family secrets, mysterious clues, low-born birth, high-reaching immorality, and, always, always the fog-enshrouded, enigmatic character of 19th century—London itself.“So compulsively absorbing that reality disappears . . . One is swept along by those enduring emotions that defy modern art and a random universe: hunger ...

From the author of the international bestseller The Quincunx.Set in Eastern Europe during the Second World War. When his nation is invaded and occupied by a brutal enemy, a well-intentioned man persuades his wife that they should give temporary shelter to a young girl who is at school with their daughter. He has no idea that the girl belongs to a community against whom the invader intends to commit genocide. Days stretch into weeks and then months while th...

'Rewarding, inventive and enjoyably perplexing' Sunday TimesA colleague writes an obituary for a fellow scientist and Nobel Prize winner, somewhat relishing his death; a train in the Scottish Highlands takes the wrong track during a snowstorm, resulting in a death, possibly murder; a publisher's reader reports on a hospital romance novel that bizarrely ends with a gory, Ripper-style murder. Ten apparently separate stories are ingeniously drawn together to ...

A gothic tale of deception, murder and mystery set in Victorian England.On a bleak, wintry morning in Victorian England, Dr Ned Courtine arrives in the sleepy cathedral town of Thurchester for a reunion with his former university friend, Austin Fickling. Over 20 years have passed since they last saw each other, and Fickling appears anxious and gaunt, ravaged by a strange, existential guilt. In order to deflect Courtine's questions from himself, Fickling recounts th...

As a teenager ‘Tich’ Palliser became ‘hooked on this flying game’ and aspired to take to the skies. The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve provided the opportunity and a few months before the Second World War broke out the Yorkshire-born novice was called-up to learn and develop his skills as a combat fighter pilot. In August 1940 the young sergeant aviator, at the controls of a Hawker Hurricane, entered the ferocious aerial melees of the Battle of Britain, fighting for his life, and his co...

Desperate times and darker mysteries abound in this extraordinary historical thrillerWith their savings rapidly running out, and the world turning against them, John and his mother are pursued by bailiffs and forced to move. Taking refuge with the Isbister family, they flee upon discovering a shocking dark side to their hosts.But then their luck seems to change when they discover the hospitable Miss Quilliam. And a way out of debt and disas...

An unnamed menace, an ancient document… five families torn apart. An unputdownable and bestselling historical mysteryJohn Mellamphy's life is under threat. In the remote countryside, his mother, Mary, has been burgled in mysterious circumstances. Then her protector, Mr Fortisquince, is suddenly murdered in London.Mysterious forces are at work looking for an old document, the key to an enormous fortune. Already having experi...

A classic Victorian mystery full of intrigue, deadly plots and devastating twists and turnsFalsely imprisoned in an asylum, John escapes from their clutches with the help of the kindly Digweed family. Starting a new life in hiding with them may feel safer, but they survive by scavenging the sewers of London.Summoning his strength, and on discovering the existence of a second will that could be his salvation, John must go undercover in the guise of a servant...

Thieves, mansions and murders… no one can be trusted in this classic historical mysteryThe tangled threads of family conspiracy and dark intentions will not let John Mellamphy rest. Seeking help from Henry Bellringer, a relation of a school friend, he instead finds himself in a nest of thieves.Reading his mother's journal, with tantalising details of his parentage, his grandfather's murder and his deadly legacy, John finally discovers a ter...

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year. "A literary Dr. Frankenstein, [Palliser] has stitched together parts of Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe. The result is deliciously wicked." —Ron Charles, Washington PostCharles Palliser's work has been hailed as "so compulsively absorbing that reality disappears" ( New York Times). Since his extraordinary debut, The Quincunx, his works have sold over one million copies worldwide....

The first book in the No. 1 Times bestselling series‘This is terrific stuff’ Daily Telegraph‘A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era’ Financial Times‘A masterclass in how to weave a well-researched history into a complex plot’ The TimesOver 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold!A CITY IN FLAMESLondon, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes ever...

'One of the most brilliantly inventive writers of this, or any, country' Independent'Deliciously creepy'SUNDAY TIMES'Irresistible'MAIL ON SUNDAY'Manically ingenious'GUARDIANThe chilling seventh novel from the critically acclaimed author of Cloud AtlasTurn down Slade Alley - narrow, dank and easy to...