The Pleasure Palace: Lush, seductive and richly immersive historical fiction, for fans of Sarah Waters and Jessie Burton
Emma Cowing
Jan 2027 · Hodder & Stoughton · Narrated by Heather Long
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Audiobook
8 hr 50 min
Unabridged
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on January 28, 2027. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this audiobook
'This novel's spell lingers long after it has been cast' Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb
'Expect depravity, wickedness, and the shining light of female solidarity' Joanna Miller, bestselling author of The Eights
'Lush, clever and packed with intrigue, this is a totally arresting novel with the heartbeat of a thriller' Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers
On a remote island in the Hebrides sits a castle of gleaming red sandstone. By day, it is the picture of elegance. But when night falls, the servants are blindfolded, and a different story altogether starts to unfold . . .
When London showgirl Emerald is invited to spend a weekend on the island by a mysterious and wealthy Scottish bachelor, she accepts: life in the theatre means little can shock her.
Quickly, she is dazzled by her lavish surroundings - gilt-panelled ballrooms, hothouses filled with hummingbirds and orchids and no shortage of the finest Champagnes. Yet it is not long before Emerald - no stranger to secrets herself - realises things are not quite as they seem. Why are the doors sealed when the sun goes down? And are the rumours of a hushed-up scandal true?
But when Emerald starts to investigate exactly what is happening in the castle's basement - in the so-called pleasure palace - what she eventually finds has the potential to unleash consequences that will echo down the generations. That is - unless she can find a way to stop it.
READERS LOVE EMMA COWING
'You won't be able to put an Emma Cowing book down' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Emma Cowing immerses you in fascinating, vanished worlds' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'The best book I've read in years' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I cannot recommend her enough' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Just magnificent' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Expect depravity, wickedness, and the shining light of female solidarity' Joanna Miller, bestselling author of The Eights
'Lush, clever and packed with intrigue, this is a totally arresting novel with the heartbeat of a thriller' Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers
On a remote island in the Hebrides sits a castle of gleaming red sandstone. By day, it is the picture of elegance. But when night falls, the servants are blindfolded, and a different story altogether starts to unfold . . .
When London showgirl Emerald is invited to spend a weekend on the island by a mysterious and wealthy Scottish bachelor, she accepts: life in the theatre means little can shock her.
Quickly, she is dazzled by her lavish surroundings - gilt-panelled ballrooms, hothouses filled with hummingbirds and orchids and no shortage of the finest Champagnes. Yet it is not long before Emerald - no stranger to secrets herself - realises things are not quite as they seem. Why are the doors sealed when the sun goes down? And are the rumours of a hushed-up scandal true?
But when Emerald starts to investigate exactly what is happening in the castle's basement - in the so-called pleasure palace - what she eventually finds has the potential to unleash consequences that will echo down the generations. That is - unless she can find a way to stop it.
READERS LOVE EMMA COWING
'You won't be able to put an Emma Cowing book down' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Emma Cowing immerses you in fascinating, vanished worlds' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'The best book I've read in years' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I cannot recommend her enough' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Just magnificent' Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This novel's spell lingers long after it has been cast' Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb
'Expect depravity, wickedness, and the shining light of female solidarity' Joanna Miller, bestselling author of The Eights
'Lush, clever and packed with intrigue, this is a totally arre...
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About the author
Emma Cowing is an award-winning journalist and writer. She has written for a wide number of publications including The Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Spectator and Scotsman.
Emma is a former Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards, and two-time Interviewer of the Year. She holds an Ochberg Fellowship in Journalism and Trauma at Columbia Journalism School in New York, for her work covering the war in Afghanistan, and its aftermath.
Emma was shortlisted for the 2023 Cheshire Novel Prize, and longlisted for the 2023 Bath Novel Award and Blue Pencil First Novel Award. The Show Woman is her first novel.
Emma is a former Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards, and two-time Interviewer of the Year. She holds an Ochberg Fellowship in Journalism and Trauma at Columbia Journalism School in New York, for her work covering the war in Afghanistan, and its aftermath.
Emma was shortlisted for the 2023 Cheshire Novel Prize, and longlisted for the 2023 Bath Novel Award and Blue Pencil First Novel Award. The Show Woman is her first novel.
Emma Cowing is an award-winning journalist and writer. She has written for a wide number of publications including The Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Spectator and Scotsman.
Emma is a former Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards, and two-time Interview...
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