The Shadow Key

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Meirionydd, 1783. Henry Talbot has been dismissed from his post at a prestigious London hospital. The only job he can find is as a physician in the backwaters of Wales where he can't speak the language, belief in myth and magic is rife, and the villagers treat him with bewildering suspicion. When Henry discovers his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, he is determined to find answers.

Linette Tresilian, the unconventional mistress of Plas Helyg, lives a lonely life. Her father is long dead, her mother haunted by demons which keep her locked away in her room, and her cousin treats her with cool disdain - she has had no choice but to become fiercely self-reliant.

Linette has always suspected something is not quite right in the village, but it is only through Henry's investigations that the truth about those closest to her will come to light...a truth that will bind hers and Henry's destinies together in ways neither thought possible.

PRAISE FOR SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN:

'A gripping narrative in which secrets from the past are slowly and ingeniously revealed' Sunday Times, *Historical Fiction Book of the Month*

'An immersive, evocative story full of romance and intrigue' Red

'Romantic, suspenseful and beautifully written... a glorious treat' Daily Mail

©2024 Susan Stokes-Chapman (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • A haunting, transporting mystery…kept me completely enthralled

    Elodie Harper

  • A gripping, beautifully executed historical thriller, full of arcane magic and Welsh mythology

    Rosie Andrews, author of The Leviathan

  • A mesmerising maze of a gothic Georgian mystery. Enter an eerie and liminal world steeped in superstition, Welsh folklore, and pagan cults. Gloriously atmospheric from the first dark page to the last

    Essie Fox

  • A novel to read under the covers with a flashlight…deliciously dark and romantic… Gloriously Gothic, and lovingly and carefully researched…an instant classic

    Kate Heartfield, author of THE EMBROIDERED BOOK

  • The mysteries and twists kept me turning the pages till the wee small hours – every character has something to hide. A sumptuous, dark feast of a novel

    Susan C Wilson, author of CLYTEMNESTRA'S BIND

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