THREE STRANGE ANGELS

A novel for admirers and observers of the world of books and literature, fans of An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and the classic Cakes and Ale and 84, Charing Cross Road. It's a story of publishing as it used to – and ever will – be: a game of chance, and chancers, of charm and chicanery, of the big break, and the one that got away

The sudden death of bestselling novelist Francis Carson sends his literary agent rushing to Hollywood to rescue the reputation – and body – of his star client. Quentin Castle, junior partner at Castle Literary Agency, also hopes to find the manuscript that the author's widow says he was working on when he died. That lost manuscript, and the influence of three women – a redoubtable expert on middle-class British housekeeping; a vivacious California girl; andFrancis Carson's enigmatic widow – will permanently alter the trajectory of Quentin's career, and his life.

Laura Kalpakian is the author of eleven novels and three prize-winning collections of original short fiction. Her work has appeared extensively in the UK and the USA. She has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a residency at Hawthornden Castle, Scotland, and her 2006 novel, American Cookery was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. A native Californian, Laura was educated on both the east and west coasts of the USA, and lives in the Pacific Northwest. You can find out more about Laura at her website at www.laurakalpakian.com