Queen High: Chilling historical thriller from the acclaimed author of WIDOWLAND

(Paperback)

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A GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH AND FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

BRITAIN, WITH THE WRONG QUEEN.

1955. Britain remains a Protectorate of Germany. The assassination of the Leader on British soil provoked violent retribution and intensified repression of British citizens, particularly women. Now, more than ever, the Protectorate is a place of surveillance and isolation - a land of spies.

The royal family has been usurped, and the widowed Queen Wallis reigns in their place. Yet some citizens hold out hope that Elizabeth may one day return.

Rose Ransom marvels that she's even alive. A mere woman, her role in the Leader's death has been miraculously overlooked. Her work now focuses on the outlawed subject of Poetry, a form of writing that transmits subversive meanings. Therefore all Poetry is banned and Rose is appointed a Poet Hunter.

President Eisenhower is to make a state visit to Britain and Rose is tasked with visiting Queen Wallis to brief her. She finds Wallis in a state of paranoia, desperate to return to her American homeland. She claims she has a secret document so explosive that it will blow the Protectorate apart - should she dare to reveal it.

PRAISE FOR QUEEN HIGH

'Begins with a bang' CLARE CHAMBERS

'Full of twists' RED

'A gripping thriller' BEL MOONEY

'Exciting and provocative' OBSERVER

'Thrilling, subversive' JANE HARRIS

'A triumph' AMANDA CRAIG

'Enthralling' THE SUNDAY TIMES

'Ingenious' SABINE DURRANT

Reviews

It begins with a bang and doesn't let up. There were so many telling references to the current political climate it was frightening. C.J. Carey has created a detailed and convincing alternative universe and a gutsy heroine you really care about * Clare Chambers *
Brilliantly imagined and thoroughly chilling, this is a counterfactual tour de force * Guardian *
This is a chilling , compelling read, full of twists and ''what if'' moments * Red *
Exciting and provocative dystopian fiction * Observer *
A triumph! So often, sequels disappoint, but Queen High is not just as compelling, sinister, satirical and original as Widowland, it's actually better in that it shows us how we might find a way out of tyranny and barbarism * Amanda Craig *
Oh, be careful, people! Brilliant C.J. Carey hasn't just written a gripping thriller but holds a satirical mirror up to modern life. And at the heart of Queen High is a serious, passionate belief in the power of women and of books to effect change * Bel Mooney *
Carey has built on the world of Widowland just brilliantly. The parallels with contemporary events (how character and history effect attitudes to "rules"; the sense of a political order making it up as it goes along; the role of women) are just ingenious. Wallace too, what a character! I hope it flies off the shelves - it deserves to' * Sabine Durrant *
Another triumph from C.J. Carey in this follow-up to the brilliant Widowland. Thrilling, subversive, page-turning, deeply feminist, and beautifully written * Jane Harris *
This follow-up is as enthralling as its predecessor * The Sunday Times *
Rose's double life unravels as Carey coldly and cleverly controls the release of who knows what, reflecting the ruthless surveillance techniques of a totalitarian regime where no one trusts anyone * Daily Mail *
A brilliant, vividly imagined spine-chilling dystopian thriller * Irish Independent *
Words continue to have power both on and off the page as Carey expands her alternate history to good effect * Sci Fi Bulletin *
Fascinating novel of alternative history and a suspenseful story * SHOTS Magazine *
History as it might have been, wonderfully-sketched characters, crime and conspiracies: a perfect thriller and I can't wait for the next volume' * Crime Time *
Irresistible mix of fact, fiction and feminism * Lancashire Evening Post *

Author Bio

C. J. Carey is a novelist, journalist and broadcaster. She has worked at the Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and the BBC, among others. She also writes novels under the name Jane Thynne and lives in London. Widowland is the first novel she has written as C. J. Carey.