Author:Kate Williams
Dark and compelling, The Pleasures of Men is a gothic thriller which marks Kate Williams as a stunning new voice in historical fiction.
Spitalfields, 1840.
A murderer nicknamed The Man of Crows.
A heroine with a mysterious past and a vivid imagination.
Catherine Sorgeiul lives with her Uncle in a rambling house in London's East End. When a murderer strikes, ripping open the chests of young girls and stuffing hair into their mouths to resemble a crow's beak, Catherine is fascinated, and devours news of his exploits.
As the murders cause panic throughout the city, she comes to believe she can channel the voices of his victims and that they will lead her to The Man himself. But she's already far closer than she realises - and lurking behind the lies she's been told about her past are secrets more deadly and devastating than anything her imagination can conjure.
'Wonderfully imaginative and gripping' Times
'Intense, intelligent and hugely entertaining' Guardian
'Intoxicating and disturbing . . . a soaring talent let loose' Independent on Sunday
'A juicy book, with sumptuous period detail and crammed with intrigue' Sunday Telegraph
'Fans of Sarah Watesr will love this' Good Housekeeping
'A spine-tingling and seductive thriller' Woman & Home
Pitch-perfect . . . This intoxicating and disturbing novel is properly thrilling and extraordinarily well-written
—— Independent on SundayA dark story of murder and obsession
—— ElleAn eerie murder mystery set in the corrupt heart of Victorian London
—— Marie Claire Good Book Club pickPart-bodice-ripper, part-slasher, the book's elaborate plot moves along at a brisk clip with a nod to the likes of Sarah Waters and Peter Ackroyd
—— Daily MailA sure-footed evocation of seamy Victorian London
—— The Sunday TelegraphA sinister picture of a country, and protagonist, on the brink of hysteria
—— PsychologiesAs crowded with sensation as a Victorian parlour with furniture
—— The ScotsmanA spider's web of a plot and a spine-tingling atmosphere of menace and suspense
—— The TimesMesmerising, elegant and compelling
—— The LadyWell-written, tense and with some very nasty images, this isn’t Niven’s first book…, but it is his first thriller, and…a good one.
—— Literary ReviewBrilliantly written, Cold Hands is that rarest of things – a gripping thriller with real depth. An intense, exhilarating adrenaline rush, I found myself staying up all night to finish it in one sitting. Wonderful.
—— S. J. WatsonGripping and disturbing
—— Liz Smith , My WeeklyThe story-telling is little short of brilliant
—— Crime Fiction LoverPerfect plotting, great characterisation, and the kind of payoff that a thriller of this calibre deserves
—— BookgeeksSo many twists and surprises
—— TimesI'm all for hearing different voices in fiction and I got my wish with this book. The story showed just how someone with Asperger's might view the world. Christopher finds a dead dog and sets about trying to find the dog's killer, but the book is much more than a mystery story... I loved the way Christopher tries to bring order to his world by using Maths which he finds far easier to understand than people
—— Malorie Blackman , Books for KeepsSo genuine...It is chillingly heartbreaking and passionately positive in equal measure
—— Julia Eccleshare , Books for KeepsSo what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!
—— National Association for the Teaching of English