The City of Tears

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What to expect

A Sunday Times Best Paperbacks of the Year Pick

‘Mosse is a master storyteller’ – Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe

An epic historical adventure, sweeping from Carcassonne to Paris and Amsterdam, The City of Tears by Kate Mosse is the spellbinding second volume of The Joubert Family Chronicles.

May, 1572. For ten violent years, the Wars of Religion have raged across France. But when Minou Joubert and her family are invited to attend a historic royal wedding in Paris, it is a sign. Peace has been brokered – the marriage could see France reunited at last.

What Minou doesn’t know is that her family’s oldest enemy will also be in attendance, that the Jouberts will soon be scattered to the winds after tragedy strikes, and that a beloved child will disappear without trace . . .

A thrilling story of one family’s fight to survive against the devastating tides of history, The City of Tears is the second novel in the series. It is followed by The Ghost Ship.

'Religious fanaticism, political intrigue and the heart-wrenching tale of a lost child . . . with women firmly centre stage' – The Mail on Sunday

Praise for The Joubert Family Chronicles:

'A tour de force' — The Observer, on The Burning Chambers

'An utterly absorbing epic' — Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Paris Apartment, on The City of Tears

'Meticulously researched and stunningly written' — Santa Montefiore, bestselling author of Wait for Me, on The Ghost Ship

Critics Review

That rare thing, a novel with vast scope and ambition, brilliantly achieved, but also deeply personal, finely detailed and nuanced. I was utterly immersed in this spell-binding story
Rosamund Lupton, author of Three Hours
A gorgeously written, utterly absorbing epic and, despite being set in the sixteenth century, has some very pertinent messages for our time about the evils of religious persecution and the transcendent power of love and family. In case it’s not clear enough yet, I absolutely LOVED it
Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting Party
Magnificent, epic
Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups
[A] dramatic, immersive tale of secrets, conspiracies, fanaticism and loss
Daily Mail
Mosse’s novel is an enjoyable, intricately plotted piece of escapism
The Times
Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative in this second volume of a planned sequence
Sunday Times
The focus in her historical fiction has always been on the untold stories of women and Minou is an appealing heroine. Mosse includes all the ingredients you would expect from a historical epic – murder, treachery, lost children, stolen relics, buried secrets – but she also dramatises the complexities of 16th-century French and Dutch politics without weighing it down. This is a compelling story of how political upheavals play out in individual lives
The Observer
Religious fanaticism, political intrigue and the heart-wrenching tale of a lost child add to a highly readable historical adventure, with women firmly centre stage
Mail on Sunday
Every inch a classic Mosse novel, The City of Tears is diligently researched, beautifully written and, crucially right now, both substantial and immersive – if you want to leave 21st-century pandemic Britain behind, this should be your preferred mode of transport
Radio Times
Deft touches show a mastery of preparation, suspension and resolution within the historical thriller form
Financial Times
This powerful story of love, secrets and deceit is pacy, rich and stylish – and as compelling as they come. One to stay up late for
Isabel Ashdown, author of Lake Child
A vibrant sequel to 2018’s Burning Chambers . . . The fascinating historical detail fuels the drama and keeps the plot zipping along
Publisher's Weekly
Mosse’s narrative lyricism, beautifully drawn female characters and deft journey from the past to the present day are a cut above
Scotland on Sunday on The Burning Chambers
Mosse is a master storyteller
Madeline Miller, author of Circe
A powerful storyteller with an abundant imagination
Daily Telegraph
Mosse’s fans will relish this tale of secrets, love and treachery
The Times on The Burning Chambers
Another of Mosse’s immersive dramas, which takes you to the heart of the past
Grazia on The Burning Chambers
Gripping, complex and intensely atmospheric
Mail on Sunday on The Burning Chambers

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