Description

The Secret History meets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel . . . the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards lays bare shocking secrets within a close-knit circle of researchers at New York’s famed Met Cloisters museum.

‘Beguiling and atmospheric, an entrancing and gripping tale.’ KATE MOSSE

‘Glamour, power, seduction, ambition – The Cloisters has it all. I adored this deliciously gothic, beautifully written novel.’ LOUISE O’NEILL, author of Idol

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Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval and Renaissance collections.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum’s curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling.

Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick’s more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future . . .

Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly-told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power.

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‘Dark and enigmatic . . . The Cloisters captured me from the off. . . a story of academic obsession, Renaissance magic and the ruthless pursuit of power. Captivating in every sense.’ SARAH PEARSE, author of The Sanatorium

‘Elegant and atmospheric and suffused with brooding menace.’ LUCY CLARKE, author of The Castaways

‘Sultry and sinister . . . teems with sexual tension, the secrets of divination, and scholarly obsessiveness . . . jaw-dropping.’ SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary

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Early readers are obsessed with The Cloisters

‘The Cloisters does for tarot what The Secret History did for Greek class’

‘I loved this tale of tarot and obsession’

‘If you like museums, art, mystery, and dark academia The Cloisters will be a satisfying read for you’

‘A dash of history, a pinch of gothic, and enough surprises to keep me guessing.’

‘This is academia gone to the dark side and then some!’

‘Beautifully written, with fabulous descriptions and a gorgeous gothic setting, it’s a gripping read. I loved it!’

Publisher Review

Elegant and atmospheric and suffused with brooding menace, The Cloisters transports us to the dark corridors of museum life, embroiling the reader in a twisting mystery, while also intelligently exploring the nature of fate versus freewill. -- LUCY CLARKE, author of The Castaways Glamour, power, seduction, ambition - The Cloisters has it all. I adored this deliciously gothic, beautifully written novel. -- LOUISE O'NEILL, author of Idol The dark and enigmatic world of The Cloisters captured me from the off . . . a story of academic obsession, Renaissance magic and the ruthless pursuit of power. Captivating in every sense. -- SARAH PEARSE, author of The Sanatorium Sultry and sinister . . . Hays' debut teems with sexual tension, the secrets of divination, and scholarly obsessiveness . . . jaw-dropping. -- SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary 'Dark and compelling . . . richly atmospheric and full of historic detail, it draws the reader into its world of the archive and the occult. As its central mystery unfolds amid the stifling heat of a New York Summer it soon becomes clear that nobody in it is quite who they first appear.' -- SALLY HINCHCLIFFE, author of Hare House Like the moment before a thunderstorm on a summer afternoon, The Cloisters is sultry, lush, and trembling with menace. * JULIA MAY JONAS, author of Vladimir * The Cloisters blew me away. A one sitting read. Absolutely stunning, brilliant twists and gorgeous sensual writing. Adored it. -- HEATHER DARWENT, author of The Things We Do to Our Friends A tour de force by an important new voice . . . a rich tapestry that speaks to issues of privilege, power, and ambition-and, more than anything, the darkness lurking just inside ivory towers . . . incredibly compelling, The Cloisters grabbed me in a way that no book has done since The Secret History. -- RACHEL KAPELKE-DALE, author of The Ballerinas