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The Pleasures of Men

Kate Williams author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd

Published:5th Jul '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Pleasures of Men cover

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 & Home

Pitch-perfect . . . This intoxicating and disturbing novel is properly thrilling and extraordinarily well-written * Independent on Sunday *
A dark story of murder and obsession * Elle *
An eerie murder mystery set in the corrupt heart of Victorian London * Marie Claire Good Book Club pick *
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 * Daily Mail *
A sure-footed evocation of seamy Victorian London * The Sunday Telegraph *
A sinister picture of a country, and protagonist, on the brink of hysteria * Psychologies *
As crowded with sensation as a Victorian parlour with furniture * The Scotsman *
A spider's web of a plot and a spine-tingling atmosphere of menace and suspense * The Times *
Mesmerising, elegant and compelling * The Lady *

ISBN: 9780241954546

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 25mm

Weight: 288g

416 pages