'Intoxicating, enthralling, compelling' Harriet Tyce
‘Bold and ambitious and consuming from start to finish’ Louise Candlish
A stunning, intricately plotted and clever mystery’ Claire Douglas
‘Think The Secret History meets Saltburn’ Holly Watt
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Some women can’t be erased from history . . .
A story of love and madness, of obsession and revenge.
Paris, 1938: Runaway heiress Juliette Willoughby perishes, with her married lover, in an accidental studio fire alongside her Surrealist masterpiece, Self-Portrait as Sphinx.
Cambridge, 1991: Two art history students stumble across proof something sinister was at play in Juliette's death, threatening to expose the long-buried secrets of the artist's aristocratic family.
Dubai, now: An art dealer is accused of the brutal murder of his oldest friend – the last surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty.
Three suspicious deaths over the course of a century.
Is the key to unlocking them all hidden in Juliette Willoughby’s lost painting?
Narrated by a full cast including Nneka Okoye, Joshua Akehurst, Eleanor Jackson, Matt Addis and Polly Edsell
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‘A clever, richly imagined, first-class mystery. A story both thrilling and deeply layered, touching and fun. I loved it.’ Chris Whitaker
‘A whip smart page turner with twists and turns that'll keep a hold on you right up until the final, gripping denouement. A terrific, hands down, five star read.’ John Marrs
‘A big complex thriller about art, family secrets and dark academia and is hugely entertaining and fun. Fans of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair will love it.’ Mark Edwards
Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for London-based husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.
Collette is a journalist and editor, former content director of ELLE UK and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day Is Like Sunday. He has served as the Programme Director for English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of Surrey.