Description

When well-to-do Hester learns of her sister Mercy’s death at a Nottinghamshire workhouse, she travels to Southwell to find out how her sister ended up at such a place.

Haunted by her sister’s ghost, Hester sets out to uncover the truth, when the official story reported by the workhouse master proves to be untrue. Mercy was pregnant – both her and the baby are said to be dead of cholera, but the workhouse hasn’t had an outbreak for years.

Hester discovers a strange trend in the workhouse of children going missing. One woman tells her about the Pale Lady, a ghostly figure that steals babies in the night. Is this lady a myth or is something more sinister afoot at the Southwell poorhouse?

As Hester investigates, she uncovers a conspiracy, one that someone is determined to keep a secret, no matter the cost…

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‘A creepy, evocative mystery’ Heat

‘An historical novel dripping with menace’ Shari Lapena

‘If you like gothic mystery, buckle up! This atmospheric read has it all’ Woman magazine

Publisher Review

A creepy, evocative mystery * Heat * An historical novel dripping with menace, featuring a sympathetic heroine, seances, and family secrets-there's so much to love about The Quickening! * Shari Lapena, author of The End of Her * If you like gothic mystery, buckle up! This atmospheric read has it all * Woman magazine * Utterly brilliant... full of secrets and deliciously creepy, I raced through it * Lisa Hall, author of The Perfect Couple * A spooky treat, which had me turning the pages faster and faster * Cass Green, author of In a Cottage in a Wood * A powerful, spine-tingling, beautifully written gothic mystery full of real, complex characters, smart, dark twists and utterly immersive historical detail * Hayley Webster * It's twisty and atmospheric, seriously creepy, and has an inspiring central character I was rooting for * Cressida McLaughlin *