House on Vesper Sands

In the winter of 1893, Gideon Bliss seeks shelter in a Soho church and finds Angie Tatton lying before the altar. The snow is falling as a seamstress climbs onto a ledge above Mayfair, and Lord Strythe vanishes into the night. Octavia Hillingdon and Gideon are drawn into the same mystery, each desperate to save Angie and find out the truth about Lord Strythe.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2019
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

The most vivid and compelling portrait of late Victorian London since The Crimson Petal and the White, Sarah Perry's novel is a thrilling blend of Wilkie Collins and Conan Doyle. The Guardian hails it as "huge fun," while the Daily Mail praises it as "has everything you could want in a novel." Set in the winter of 1893, the story follows Gideon Bliss, who seeks shelter in a Soho church and finds Angie Tatton lying before the altar. Angie is at death's door, murmuring about brightness and black air, and those she calls the Spiriters. In the morning, she is gone.

Meanwhile, a seamstress climbs onto a ledge above Mayfair, with a mysterious message stitched into her own skin. As she steadies herself and closes her eyes, the snow falls. Her employer, Lord Strythe, vanishes into the night, watched by Octavia Hillingdon, a restless society columnist who longs to uncover a story of real importance.

She and Gideon will soon be drawn into the same mystery, each desperate to save Angie and find out the truth about Lord Strythe. Their paths will cross as the darkness gathers, and they will lead them at last to what lies hidden at the house on Vesper Sands.

This novel is an absolute banger, according to Liz Nugent, while Jon McGregor calls it an "utter joy." Joanna Cannon praises it as "an utter joy."

Weight: 270g
Dimension: 179 x 140 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474601047