The Goddess and the Thief

(Paperback)

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'A fabulous foray into a shadowy Victorian world' WOMAN&HOME

A beguiling novel of Victorian theft and obsession from the bestselling author of THE SOMNAMBULIST.

Uprooted from her home in India, Alice is raised by her aunt, a spiritualist medium in Windsor. When the mysterious Mr Tilsbury enters their lives, Alice is drawn into a plot to steal the priceless Koh-i-Noor diamond, claimed by the British Empire at the end of the Anglo-Sikh wars.

Said to be both blessed and cursed, the sacred Indian stone exerts its power over all who encounter it: a handsome deposed maharajah determined to claim his rightful throne, a man hell-bent on discovering the secrets of eternity, and a widowed queen who hopes the jewel can draw her husband's spirit back. In the midst of all this madness, Alice must discover a way to regain control of her life and fate...

'An obvious comparison is with early Sarah Waters' GUARDIAN

Reviews

Dark secrets, hidden pasts and childhood mysteries are the focus in this sensual melodrama ... an entertaining slice of Victoriana, rich in historical detail - MARIE CLAIRE on The Goddess and the Thief

Beguiling, imaginative and original - HELLO magazine on The Goddess and the Thief

The plot of this novel is intricate and beautifully turned, and echoes Frances Hodgson Burnett and George MacDonald Fraser - THE TIMES on The Goddess and the Thief

Delights in the underworld and exotica of Victorian Britain ... Memorable and unusual - SUNDAY TIMES on The Goddess and the Thief

With just as many twists and turns as Wilkie Collins at his unpredictable best, Fox's take on the Victorian mystery novel will transport you to a world of intrigue and superstition ... A gem of a read - THE LADY on The Goddess and the Thief

An obvious comparison is with early Sarah Waters. The glee with which Fox approaches her material is infectious. All Victorian life is here. Intriguing - GUARDIAN on Elijah's Mermaid

Fox's vivid, sensual prose is - fittingly - as seductive as a siren's song, drawing you into a shadowy Victorian world of obsession and guilt ... An intoxicating follow-up to 2011's acclaimed THE SOMNAMBULIST. Recommended to fans of Sarah Waters - HEAT magazine on Elijah's Mermaid

A fabulous foray into a shadowy Victorian world - WOMAN & HOME on Elijah's Mermaid

Author Bio

Essie Fox divides her time between Windsor and Bow in the East End of London. Her debut novel, The Somnambulist, was selected for the Channel 4 Book Club and was shortlisted in the New Writer of the Year category of the 2012 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS. She is the author of The Virtual Victorian: www.virtualvictorian.blogspot.com