Laura Carlin

The year is 1831. Down the murky alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and no one is willing to speak out on behalf of the city's vulnerable poor as they disappear from the streets. Out of these shadows comes Hester White, a bright young woman who is desperate to escape the slums by any means possible. When Hester is thrust into the world of the aristocratic Brock family, she leaps at the chance to improve her station in life under the tutelage of the fiercely intelligent and mysterious Rebekah Brock. But whispers from her past slowly begin to poison her new life and both she and Rebekah are lured into the most sinister of investigations. Hester and Rebekah find themselves crossing every boundary they've ever known in pursuit of truth, redemption and passion. But their trust in each other will be tested as a web of deceit begins to unspool, dragging them into the blackest heart of a city where something more depraved than either of them could ever imagine is lurking . . .

The Wicked Cometh

Requiem for a Knave

Nicola Davies

On a mean street in a mean city, a thief tries to snatch an old woman's bag. But she finds she can't have it without promising something in return - to plant them all. When it turns out the bag is full of acorns, the young thief embarks on a journey that changes her own life and the lives of others for generations to come.

The Promise

Ted Hughes

A clanking iron giant topples from a cliff and lies smashed on the rocks below. Then his various parts begin to stir and reach out for one another. The Iron Man is ready to walk again, and he is very hungry.

The Iron Man

At first the farmers try to rid themselves of the giant Iron Man until they find he will eat their scrap metal, and he becomes even more useful when he saves the world from being destroyed by an alien creature. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.

From the author of The Wicked Cometh comes a dark, page-turning tale of passion and romance in the darkest of places. . . 'Carlin can tell a good story' Observer 'A book of great beauty and lyricism' On Magazine After the death of his mother, young Alwin of Whittaker leaves the only home he has ever known to seek answers about his unknown father through a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. On the journey, Alwin falls in with a band of violent and marauding soldiers and is witness to their terrible crimes. When Alwin later joins up with a group of pilgrims, he must hide his identity . . . but he is not the only one with secrets to keep. Rosamund, a young woman travelling the same path, has much to conceal too. The journey to discovering who he really is will lead Alwin into great danger and great passion. These are dark times, and through them, Alwin must shine a light. Will the revelations to come destroy everything that came before? 'Effortlessly transports the reader to fourteenth-century rural Derbyshire and the plight of young Alwin. With the deft touch of a master storyteller, Laura Carlin recreates the dangerous world Alwin must navigate as they flee the comforts of home for an entirely new life' Sophie Ward, author of Love and other Thought Experiments READERS' PRAISE FOR REQUIEM FOR A KNAVE: 'Hugely engaging' 'A gem of an historical novel with beautiful atmospheric writing' 'I loved Laura's first book and this is another fun, dark historical novel full of twists and turns. Atmospheric and passionate' 'Laura Carlin charmed and bewitched me with her Victorian era debut The Wicked Cometh and here again I am willingly sucked into the dark medieval world of pilgrims, lords and villains' 'Beautifully written with strongly portrayed characters, A very good read' 'The author gives us fully rounded, engaging characters, a compelling story and beautiful, lyrical prose. I loved this even more than The Wicked Cometh' 'A lyrical and engaging novel, with beautiful writing and a gripping storyline'

The new novel by the author of The Wicked Cometh

Meet Barbara Hepworth

A beautiful picture book for children 4+ taking the reader on a journey through Laura Carlin’s own colorful and imaginative visual world.

Laura Carlin

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