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
'Fans of Sarah Watesr will love this' Good Housekeeping
'A spine-tingling and seductive thriller' Woman & Home
A wonderfully ripe, imaginative and gripping
—— The TimesIntense, intelligent and hugely entertaining
—— The GuardianFans of Sarah Waters will love this
—— Good HousekeepingSpine-tingling and seductive
—— Woman&HomePitch-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 pickCompulsively readable
—— Sunday TimesPart-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 LadyThis spine-tingling novel… will certainly keep your nerves jangling
—— Woman's WeeklyAn excellent ghost story...magnificently eerie...compulsive reading
—— Evening StandardShe writes with great power, authentically chilling
—— Daily TelegraphOne of the most popular British ghost stories of modern times
—— Observer