'Absorbing' Sunday Times

'Acutely observed and beautifully written' Daily Mail

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, SET AGAINST CHARLES DICKENS' HOME FOR FALLEN WOMEN

The house she was promised, is the first clean page in a new book for girls like her . . .

1847, Shepherds Bush. Charles Dickens' home for fallen women is about to open its doors. Part refuge, part reformatory, the house and its location are top secret. Among it first inmates are Martha, arrived from a shelter for prostitutes, and Josephine, a convicted thief. But faced with the chance to redeem themselves, how badly do they want it?

Across town, in her Piccadilly mansion, Dickens' friend, the millionaire Angela Burdett Coutts, receives news that turns her orderly world upside down. Her stalker has been freed from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

'A writer of great originality' Kate Mosse

'Compelling' Good Housekeeping

'Meticulously researched and compelling' Red

'Exquisitely written . . . full of heart and hope' Fabulous

'This novel is the very definition of unputdownable' Louise Hare

'Undoubtedly Halls' best novel yet ' Elizabeth Macneal

*Sunday Times bestseller 19.04.25*

*Winner of the Women's Prize Futures Award 2022- https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/editors-choice-book-reviews/a41610537/stacey-halls-winner-futures-award/*