{"product_id":"the-corset-9781408889527","title":"The Corset","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaura is a masterful writer, her deliciously gothic stories so skilfully woven that you can''t get them out of your head even if you wanted to'' Stacey Halls, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Familiars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e''\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is a contender for my Book of the Year. Beautifully written, intricately plotted, a masterpiece'' Sarah Hilary\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eIs prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain?\u003c\/b\u003eDorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder. When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she finds herself drawn to Ruth, a teenage seamstress  and self-confessed murderess  who nurses a dark and uncanny secret. A secret that is leading her straight to the gallows. As Ruth reveals her disturbing past to Dorothea, the fates of these two women entwine, and with every revelation, a new layer of doubt is cast...      Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?\u003cb\u003e*Laura Purcell''s spine-chilling new\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compelling slice of early Victorian gothic \u003c\/b\u003e… Vivid and well researched, this book is an evocative portrait of a society that punishes women who dare to contravene social norms … as well as a splendid mystery with suitably melodramatic flourishes * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Silent Companions\u003c\/i\u003e was a\u003cb\u003e chillingly note-perfect take on Victorian gothic and [Purcell] makes a brilliant return to the genre\u003c\/b\u003e with this much-anticipated tale ... \u003cb\u003eHeart-pounding\u003c\/b\u003e … A classic Victorian tale of murder most foul, twisted with a curious supernatural thread * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003eLaura is a masterful writer, her deliciously gothic stories so skilfully woven that you can't get them out of your head even if you wanted to -- Stacey Halls, author of Sunday Times bestseller, The Familiars\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003e[sent] chills shooting down my spine\u003c\/b\u003e ... Nods to the classic gothic novel and Sarah Waters’s \u003ci\u003eAffinity\u003c\/i\u003e * Red *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis gothic chiller casts an addictive spell\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Mirror *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntricate, atmospheric and chilling \u003c\/b\u003e– with a wonderfully dark premise at its heart * Woman \u0026amp; Home *\u003cbr\u003e[A] thrilling, chilling Gothic tale … \u003cb\u003e[A] deliciously dark mystery\u003c\/b\u003e * Psychologies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChilling\u003c\/b\u003e ... All but the most cynical will \u003cb\u003efind it hard to stop turning the pages\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Silent Companions\u003c\/i\u003e was\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003ea gothic masterpiece and \u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e follows with confidence\u003c\/b\u003e ... 16-year-old Ruth is on trial for murder but finds herself on the receiving end of Dorothea Truelove’s charitable ministrations ... their joint narrative twists and turns, leading readers to \u003cb\u003ethe most haunting of endings\u003c\/b\u003e * Emerald Street *\u003cbr\u003eDeliciously creepy and atmospheric with a gripping plot, this book will disturb your sleep. And I didn't see THAT ending coming -- Sarah J. Harris, author of 'The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder'\u003cbr\u003ePurcell’s tale brilliantly captures the restricted lives of Victorian women, while pitting magical thinking against scientific rationale * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea contender for my Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e. Ruth and Dorothea will live in my mind for a long time. \u003cb\u003eBeautifully written, intricately plotted, a masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e -- Sarah Hilary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShe’s done it again.\u003c\/b\u003e More macabre magnificence from Laura Purcell - intricately stitched together like one of seamstress Ruth’s terrifying creations. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e will have you crushed within its vice. Brilliant\u003c\/b\u003e’ -- Anna Mazzola\u003cbr\u003eAn intriguing premise deftly executed, \u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is genuinely thrilling -- Elizabeth Haynes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA romping read with a deliciously dark conceit\u003c\/b\u003e at its centre. Reminded me of \u003ci\u003eAlias Grace\u003c\/i\u003e. A worthy successor to \u003ci\u003eThe Silent Companions\u003c\/i\u003e -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave\u003cbr\u003eWith the skill of a born story teller Laura Purcell has crafted a tale as intricate and flawless as Ruth's stitches. By turns horrifying and humorous, \u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is a darkly compelling, unsettling and fascinating book, where pseudo-science meets needlework in the most chilling and unexpected ways ... \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is the very best kind of gothic fiction. Reminiscent of Sarah Waters and Margaret Atwood, but uniquely and unmistakably Laura Purcell\u003c\/b\u003e -- ES Thomson\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Corset\u003c\/i\u003e is a sharp-edged, emotionally freighted mystery, rooted in the pitch-black darkness of Victorian poverty. An intriguing, page-turning gothic tale of murder and the supernatural -- Sophia Tobin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Silent Companions\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e'A \u003cb\u003esinister \u003c\/b\u003eslice of Victorian gothic … \u003cb\u003eCreepy and page-turning\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA perfect read for a winter night \u003c\/b\u003e… An intriguing, nuanced and genuinely eerie slice of Victorian gothic * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eThis \u003cb\u003eintriguingly plotted \u003c\/b\u003enovel is the full-blown gothic, maintaining throughout an \u003cb\u003eunsettling claustrophobic\u003c\/b\u003e atmosphere mixed with some unusual historical detail * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eThe nights are drawing in, low mists hang over the ground… What you really need is something to terrify the bejeezus out of you. And \u003cb\u003eLaura Purcell has nailed it \u003c\/b\u003ewith a story that conjures up Susan Hill’s \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Woman in Black\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, Henry James’s \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Turn of The Screw\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand a little bit of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRebecca\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eby Daphne du Maurier * Emerald Street *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIrresistibly creepy\u003c\/b\u003e, this romps along, Purcell turning her screws with skill. It’s \u003cb\u003ewhat crumpets and dismal afternoons were made for\u003c\/b\u003e * Glamour *\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47836877685079,"sku":"9781408889527","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408889527.jpg?v=1710384550","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-corset-9781408889527","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}