Halls's terrific third novel is chock full of secrets, deceptions and troubled family histories, with the brooding, blasted landscape of West Yorkshire as the perfect backdrop to this utterly compelling tale. Menacing and marvellously written, this is a hugely accomplished Edwardian chiller.
Daily Mail
Hugely readable with a palpable sense of dread, this is a truly brilliant book.
The Sun
With a desolate setting that shimmers with menace, Stacey Halls' tense novel masterfully tackles issues such as the abuse of power. This enticing and beautifully written story should delight those fans of historical fiction.
Sunday Express
Something’s not right here.’ I was aware of Mr Booth’s eyes on me, and he seemed to hold his breath. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘In the house. With the family.’
West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there’s something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England.
Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband, and is far from the ‘angel of the house’ Ruby was expecting. As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there’s no such thing as the perfect family – and she should know.
Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric West Yorkshire landscape, Stacey Halls’ third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.
Stacey Halls was born in Lancashire and worked as a journalist before her debut The Familiars was published in 2019. The Familiars was the bestselling debut hardback novel of 2019, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year. Her novels The Foundling and Mrs England were also acclaimed Sunday Times bestsellers. Mrs England was further longlisted for the Portico Prize, the Walter Scott Prize and won the Women’s Prize Futures Award.
