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‘Barkworth is excruciatingly good’ OBSERVER
‘An extraordinary story of female power and rage’ KATIE BISHOP
‘Breathtaking’ ERIN KELLY

SOMETIMES YOU MUST CHOOSE TO PLAY WITH FIRE…

On a remote university campus in the north of England, famed for the wild waters that surround it, two cousins arrive for the new term.

Zara wants to be at the centre of everything Leysham has to offer.
Serena, an ex-champion swimmer, struggles to find her place.

When they meet Jane, a beguiling and ambitious postgrad obsessed with historic local witch trials, both are drawn in by her desire to expose Leysham’s dark legacy – a centuries-old culture of violence among the privileged elite.

As protests flare across the campus, a simmering rivalry takes hold between the cousins. But when cracks start to appear in Jane’s stories, everything spirals out of control…

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‘I can’t remember the last time I read a book that described so perfectly the powers held within and used against women’s bodies’ KATE VAN DER BORGH

A provocative and suspenseful campus novel about obsession, influence and the power of young women – for fans of The Four, Weyward and Promising Young Woman.

Praise for Hazel Barkworth:

‘Stylish and sensual’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave

‘Utterly immersive’ Clare Mackintosh

‘A sultry, stifling debut exploring power, consent and womanhood’ Cosmopolitan

‘Barkworth has a pin-sharp eye for detail . . . it’s propulsive, though-provoking and atmospheric’ Daily Mail