The Night of the Flood

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Description

An atmospheric literary thriller set during the devastating North Sea flood of 1953, in which a love triangle turns murderous. Her heart beat hard. There was a crazed beauty to the storm. It was almost miraculous, the way it took away the mess of life, sweeping all in its path... No-one could have foreseen the changes the summer of 1952 would bring. Cramming for her final exams on her family's farm on the Norfolk coast, Verity Frost feels trapped between past and present: the devotion of her childhood friend Arthur, just returned from National Service, and her strange new desire to escape. When Verity meets Jack, a charismatic American pilot, he seems to offer the glamour and adventure she so craves, and Arthur becomes determined to uncover the dirt beneath his rival's glossy sheen. As summer turns to winter, a devastating storm hits the coast, flooding the land and altering everything in its path. In this new, watery landscape, Verity's tangled web of secrets, lies and passion will bring about a crime that will change all their lives forever. Praise for The Night of the Flood: 'Evocative, glorious and tragic' Melanie Golding 'A taut, impressive debut' Neil Hegarty 'Atmospheric and haunting' Emma Stonex 'A compelling story about love and friendship, secrets and betrayal' Anna-Marie Crowhurst

Reviews

Evocative, glorious and tragic all at once... The writing is superb' -- Melanie Golding, author of Little Darlings
The Night of the Flood shows lives and landscapes suspended between past and future, life and death and shows what happens when this fine, terrifying balance fails. A taut, impressive debut -- Neil Hegarty, author of Inch Levels
Simmering secrets, forbidden desires and the long shadows cast by a passionate crime combine in this atmospheric and haunting debut. Norfolk is beautifully conjured and the tension rises as surely as the tide -- Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters
A vivid portrait of Britain in the early '50s and a compelling story about love and friendship, secrets and betrayal -- Anna-Marie Crowhurst, author of The Illumination of Ursula Flight
A gem for lovers of historical fiction * Evening Standard *
A brilliant new book... Writing a book interweaving fiction with disasters in living memory is not easy and has to be written with utmost respect. Zoe has done just that' * Eastern Daily Press *
I read this on a warm Sunday and it was bliss... Brilliant... A very powerful read' * Woman's Way *
The unusual setting, around a North Sea flood in 1953, adds to the appeal of this excellent debut thriller about a murderous love triangle * Independent *
Very atmospheric * Shotsmag. *
A story full of atmosphere and emotional undercurrents, set against a bleak but vividly portrayed landscape... It's quality writing' * Promoting Crime Fiction. *
[A] thrilling tale of crime and passion * My Weekly *
A beautifully written novel... The background of the Cold War and the eerie landscape create the mood for the events which follow' * Bath Life *
An impressive debut, the slowly building social and sexual hysteria contrasting strikingly with the dramatic, frightening telling of the flood and its aftermath * Morning Star *

Author Bio

Zoe Somerville is a writer and English teacher. Having lived all over the world Japan, France, Washington she now lives in Bath with her family. After completing a creative writing MA at Bath Spa, Zoe started writing her debut novel, which is inspired by her home county, Norfolk, and the devastating North Sea flood of the 1950s.