Stacey Halls - Mrs. England

From the author of the Sunday Times bestsellers The Familiars - The Witches of Pendle Hill and The Lelenc.

SUNDAY TIMES BEST SELLER

Best Books of 2021 - Waterstones
Women's Prize - FUTURE 10 - nomination

"The atmosphere is great. The tension is at an all-time high." - Richard Osman

"- Something is wrong here.
I was aware that Mr. Booth was keeping his eye on me, and as if
would have held his breath.
- What do you mean by that?
- In the House. With the family."

Yorkshire County, 1904 Ruby May, a newly graduated nanny, is hired to care for Charles and Lilian England's four children. Ruby hopes that this is the breakthrough opportunity she has always been waiting for, as the Englands come from an influential factory-owning dynasty and have considerable wealth. But for the new nanny, as she settles into life at secluded Hardcastle House, it becomes clear that something is wrong with the mysterious and beautiful Mrs. England.

Aloof and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children and her delightful husband, and is far from the "angel of the house" that Ruby thought she was. Although the friendly, lively Charles is happy to welcome his nanny into the family, a series of strange events forces Ruby to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracized by the servants and increasingly uncomfortable, her nanny must face her demons to prevent history from repeating itself.

After all, there is no such thing as a perfect family - he really needs to know that.

"Simply stunning. An ominous, wonderfully written and exquisitely creepy Edwardian tale." - Daily Mail

"That's where the menace looms ... a seductively and beautifully written story." - Sunday Express

"Excellent. It doesn't let you rest, it's impressive, it's atmospheric." - Emma Stonex, author of the bestseller The Keeper of the Tower

"A mesmerizing, enchanting, gripping novel of emotion and mystery, and of a heroine who becomes involved in an impossible world woven of distortions, unexpected twists and lies. It captivates you until the last page." - Kate Williams

"This Edwardian tale of gothic menace and mystery is compelling and utterly gripping." - Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

"At once dazzling and dark, as beautiful as it is disturbing. A gripping, sensitive novel." - Inga Vesper, author of The Long, Long Afternoon

"With her precise and evocative prose, Stacey Halls conjures up a world that is shocking, fascinating and entirely real. It held me from start to finish." - Joanna Glen, Hope Costa Award-nominated author of The Other Half of Augusta

"Breathtakingly brilliant. Gorgeously written, incredibly atmospheric, a high school of tension building. The subtly addictive love child of Daphne Du Maurier and Henry James." - Liz Hyder

"Brilliant. An extremely gripping exploration of female fortitude that can be seen even in the midst of difficulties, with a constantly moving, atmospheric plot. Ruby is a wonderful protagonist." - Caroline Lea