Kirjahaku

A love letter to Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is a witty novel of manners and gossip, class and family, scandal and romance. 'Romance and scandal abound in this compelling period drama . . . Recommended for all lovers of Regency historical fiction' LAURA SHEPPERSON, author of The Heroines 'Warm and witty, with a wonderful cast of quirky characters whose company I found irresistible' JESSICA BULL, author of Miss Austen Investigates --- A single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife . . . But why would he choose her? Summer 1841. It is marriage season in the county of Wickenshire, and Miss Amelia Ashpoint isn’t sure she can face yet another ball. But now that she has reached the grand age of three-and-twenty, time is (apparently) running out. Her father is anxious to secure her a husband and has set his sights on Mr Montgomery Hurst of Radcliffe Park. Only, Mr Hurst has just announced his engagement to somebody else. To the great consternation of Wickenshire, a community that thrives on gossip, the county’s most eligible bachelor is about to marry not only an unknown stranger – but a widow with three children, odd manners and no ancestry to speak of. Society is appalled and intrigued. Meanwhile, Amelia Ashpoint has no interest in marriage at all. But in this town, it is clear that nobody’s business is their own. And while society has high expectations for Amelia, her heart is drawing her in a very different direction . . . ---‘A glittering comedy with spiky wit, an eye for social critique, and (of course) a terrific sense of irony’ TOM MEAD, author of Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel 'Rich with scandal, romance and social mores . . . a total delight!' ANITA FRANK, author of The Lost Ones and The Good Liars 'A feast of clever wit and lovingly drawn characters, this is an absolute treat for fans of Jane Austen - or anyone looking for top-rate storytelling' HESTER MUSSON 'An absolute dream of a book. A compelling storyline that kept me gripped to the last page, and beyond. I think this book will establish her – deservedly – as one of our best historical fiction writers' ANNE CORLETT PRAISE FOR KATIE LUMSDEN 'Vivid, haunting, surprising' STACEY HALLS 'A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere' EMMA STONEX 'With echoes of Jane Eyre but with a heart of its own . . . Suspenseful and beautifully crafted' SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN 'This book delivers HUGE Jane Eyre vibes, gothic and mysterious Victoriana. I LOVED it' SOPHIE IRWIN

A gripping and atmospheric debut that is at once a chilling gothic mystery and a love letter to Victorian fiction. Nobody ever goes to Hartwood Hall. Folks say it's cursed... It's 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England. But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn't quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis's widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village. Lonely and unsure whom to trust, Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But as Margaret's history threatens to catch up with her, it isn't long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall.

A love letter to Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is a witty novel of manners and gossip, class and family, scandal and romance.'Romance and scandal abound in this compelling period drama . . . Recommended for all lovers of Regency historical fiction' LAURA SHEPPERSON, author of The Heroines'Warm and witty, with a wonderful cast of quirky characters whose company I found irresistible' JESSICA BULL, author of Miss Austen Investigates---1841The trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is not Mrs Montgomery Hurst – as young Miss Amelia Ashpoint well knows.The real trouble is the polite society of Wickenshire, with its inescapable gossip about the arrival of the new Mrs Hurst and – whisper it – her three children from a previous marriage.In Wickenshire, nobody’s business is their own. And in this strange match, the local families sense scandal – and they will do anything to expose it.Meanwhile, Amelia Ashpoint, though handsome, clever and rich, is avoiding talk of marriage at all costs.For while society expects Amelia to marry well, her heart is drawing her in a very different direction . . .---‘A glittering comedy with spiky wit, an eye for social critique, and (of course) a terrific sense of irony’ TOM MEAD, author of Death and the Conjuror'Rich with scandal, romance and social mores . . . a total delight!' ANITA FRANK, author of The Good Liars'A feast of clever wit and lovingly drawn characters, this is an absolute treat for fans of Jane Austen - or anyone looking for top-rate storytelling' HESTER MUSSON'An absolute dream of a book. A compelling storyline that kept me gripped to the last page, and beyond. I think this book will establish her – deservedly – as one of our best historical fiction writers' ANNE CORLETT

*PRE-ORDER NOW - THE DELICIOUSLY DARK VICTORIAN MURDER MYSTERY PERFECT FOR GIFTING THIS CHRISTMAS* PRAISE FOR KATIE LUMSDEN 'Vivid, haunting, surprising' Stacey Halls 'A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite’ Emma Stonex A Christmas party. Two dead bodies. A mystery that no one can solve. It is December 1884, and we have a murder to solve. Inventor and millionaire Sir Russell Morgan has invited his friends and investors to celebrate Christmas at Clifftop House. His esteemed guests are welcomed to his brand-new home, complete with all the latest technological innovations: electric light bulbs, dumb waiters, working lifts. But when a footman is found dead – electrocuted – on the very first night of the party, the festivities are thrown to the wind. The police dismiss Fred’s death, and the inquest declares it an accident, but his friend Millie, the kitchenmaid, is not so sure. Who would have wanted to kill Fred? Did he know a secret about the Morgan family? Or about Sir Russell’s guests? Christmas Day comes, but can the killer be caught before they strike again?