Noel O'Reilly was a student on the New Writing South Advanced writing course. He has worked as a journalist and editor at the international business media company RBI, and is now a freelance writer. This is his first novel. He lives in Brighton with his wife and children.
`Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge, this portrait of 19th-century Cornwall is a cracker.' Daily Mail `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 and Church.' Sunday Express `Compelling' Sunday Times `full of secrets, suspicions and rumour' Woman & Home `With perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot, and Mary, this is fiction of a literary standard that can't fail to please the reader.' MyWeekly `With echoes of Du Maurier, this compelling Cornish drama weaves a tangled web of fallen faiths, of sins, seductions and deceits.' Essie Fox `A gripping historical tale. Laced with Cornwall and menace in equal measure. I loved it.' Liz Fenwick `Intense and immersive. It totally swept me away.' Nicola Cornick