Description

To marry is madness.
To escape is impossible.

‘The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick

In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.

When she turns down a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman, her family have had enough of her independent streak. Against her wishes, they lock her away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum.

Now at the mercy of the sinister Dr Rastrick, she must keep her wits about her if she has any hope of escaping.

This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum.

Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum:

‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times

‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest

‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own

‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden

‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister

Publisher Review

Praise for Noel O'Reilly: 'Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O'Reilly grips like a vice. I was totally invested in Violet's struggle in this chilling Gothic novel' Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden 'Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge' Daily Mail 'Full of secrets, suspicions and rumour' Woman & Home 'Perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot' My Weekly 'A gripping historical tale ... I loved it' Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us 'Noel O'Reilly's lyrical writing brilliantly evokes the struggles of life in such a dramatic setting, as well as the hypocrisy and jealousy of society' Sunday Express 'Compelling' Sunday Times 'With echoes of Du Maurier, this compelling Cornish drama weaves a tangled web of fallen faiths, of sins, seductions and deceits' Essie Fox, author of The Last Days of Leda Grey 'This gothic story of a woman, her place in society and her own mind had me turning the pages late into the night... gripping' Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister