Kate Williams

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The Pleasures of Men

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Pitch-perfect . . . This intoxicating and disturbing novel is properly thrilling and extraordinarily well-written

An eerie murder mystery set in the corrupt heart of Victorian London

Part-bodice-ripper, part-slasher, the book's elaborate plot moves along at a brisk clip with a nod to the likes of Sarah Waters and Peter Ackroyd

A sure-footed evocation of seamy Victorian London

A sinister picture of a country, and protagonist, on the brink of hysteria

As crowded with sensation as a Victorian parlour with furniture

A spider's web of a plot and a spine-tingling atmosphere of menace and suspense

Spitalfields, 1840. 
 
Catherine Sorgeiul lives with her Uncle in a rambling house in London's East End. When a murderer strikes, ripping open the chests of young girls and stuffing hair into their mouths to resemble a beak, Catherine is both horrified and fascinated. 
 
As the murders continue to panic the city, however, she gradually realizes she is snared in a deadly trap, where nothing is as it first appears -- for lurking behind the lies Catherine has been told are secrets more deadly and devastating than anything her imagination can conjure.

Dark and compelling, The Pleasures of Men is a gothic thriller which marks Kate Williams as a stunning new voice in historical fiction. 
 
Spitalfields, 1840. 
A murderer nicknamed The Man of Crows. 
A heroine with a mysterious past and a vivid imagination. 
 
Catherine Sorgeiul lives with her Uncle in a rambling house in London's East End. When a murderer strikes, ripping open the chests of young girls and stuffing hair into their mouths to resemble a crow's beak, Catherine is fascinated, and devours news of his exploits. 
 
As the murders cause panic throughout the city, she comes to believe she can channel the voices of his victims and that they will lead her to The Man himself. But she's already far closer than she realises - and lurking behind the lies she's been told about her past are secrets more deadly and devastating than anything her imagination can conjure. 
 
'Wonderfully imaginative and gripping' Times 
 
'Intense, intelligent and hugely entertaining' Guardian 
 
'Intoxicating and disturbing . . . a soaring talent let loose' Independent on Sunday 
 
'A juicy book, with sumptuous period detail and crammed with intrigue' Sunday Telegraph 
 
'Fans of Sarah Watesr will love this' Good Housekeeping 
 
'A spine-tingling and seductive thriller' Woman &amp; Home

Kate studied at Oxford and London and is the author of two non-fiction books: England's Mistress: the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton and Becoming Queen. She lives in London. 
The Pleasures of Men is her first novel.

The Pleasures of Men

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Pitch-perfect . . . This intoxicating and disturbing novel is properly thrilling and extraordinarily well-written

A dark story of murder and obsession

An eerie murder mystery set in the corrupt heart of Victorian London

Part-bodice-ripper, part-slasher, the book's elaborate plot moves along at a brisk clip with a nod to the likes of Sarah Waters and Peter Ackroyd

A sure-footed evocation of seamy Victorian London

A sinister picture of a country, and protagonist, on the brink of hysteria

As crowded with sensation as a Victorian parlour with furniture

A spider's web of a plot and a spine-tingling atmosphere of menace and suspense

Mesmerising, elegant and compelling

About Kate Williams

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