In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .

London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared and her sister Maude is determined to find out what’s happened.

She discovers that Constance has disguised herself as a boy and boarded a ship bound for the Arctic, but when the ship returns without her the truth about her fate is buried by sinister forces.

To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.

It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .

‘Brilliant! Stuffed with adventure’ – Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

‘Victorian gothic at its very very best’ – Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .

London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared.

Maude, her older sister, knows only that Constance abandoned the apothecary they call home, and, disguised as a boy, boarded a ship bound for the Arctic. She never returned. ‘A tragic accident’, the Admiralty called it. But Maude Horton knows something isn’t right.

When she finds Constance’s journal, it becomes clear that the truth is being buried by sinister forces. To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.

It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .

‘Brilliant! Stuffed with adventure’ – Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
‘A gripping adventure story’ – Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters
‘Victorian gothic at its very very best’ – Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

‘Tense and vividly atmospheric, with a determined, independent heroine intent on the truth . . . beautifully written, unflinching and brimming with adventure’ – Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

‘A stunning debut . . . paints a memorable picture of ambition, sacrifice and corruption while exploring personal loss as driving force’ – Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake

Fortune favours the brave in Lizzie Pook’s mesmerising debut novel, Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter

1886, BANNIN BAY, AUSTRALIA.

The Brightwell family has sailed from England to make their new home in Western Australia. Ten-year-old Eliza knows little of what awaits them on these shores beyond shining pearls and shells like soup plates – the things her father has promised will make their fortune.

~~~

Ten years later and Charles Brightwell, now the bay’s most prolific pearler, goes missing from his ship while out at sea. Whispers from the townsfolk suggest mutiny and murder, but headstrong Eliza, convinced there is more to the story, refuses to believe her father is dead, and it falls to her to ask the questions no one else dares consider.

But in a town teeming with corruption, prejudice and blackmail, Eliza soon learns that the truth can cost more than pearls, and she must decide just how much she is willing to pay – and how far she is willing to go – to find it . . .

‘Gritty, lyrical, breath-taking. I couldn’t put it down’ – Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker’s Gift

‘Adventure, feminist heroine, crocodiles and jellyfish, dangerous men, secrets, grief love and hope… It’s not just good, it’s important. Lizzie shines a light on a dark part of British history with grace, skill, sensitivity and honesty. I LOVED IT – Nikki May, author of Wahala