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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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THE WHISPERING MUSE

Laura Purcell

From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a gripping tale of obsession, superstition and ambition, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian London. Be careful what you wish for... it may just come true.
Be careful what you wish for... it may just come true.

At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse.

It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees.

What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature. On stage, it's as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.

...Something Wicked this way comes

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller living in Colchester, Essex with her husband and pet guinea pigs. She is the author of six novels, among them Gothic novel The Silent Companions, which was a Radio 2 Book Club pick, was selected for the Zoe Ball ITV Book Club and was the winner of the Thumping Good Read Award. Her short story 'The Chillingham Chair' was included in The Haunting Season anthology, which was an instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Recently, she wrote Roanoake Falls, a dramatic podcast for Realm, working with John Carpenter and Sandy King Carpenter.
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Published 2023-02-02 by Raven Books / Bloomsbury

Comments

Gloriously gothic.

Spooky, atmospheric, brilliant.

Laura Purcell's THE WHISPERING MUSE has debuted at #15 on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.

For those who like to scare themselves silly, there's a new book from the queen of gothic chillers.

Deliciously creepy, riveting and full of heart.

Japan: Hayakawa ; Russia: Arkadia ; Spain: Urano

A Sinuous, dark spell of a story that left me reeling.

A sumptuous piece of gothic theatre.

Darkly seductive and actually realised.