FALSE LIGHTS
‘Georgette Heyer meets William Boyd … Intrigue, murder, love and betrayal – I couldn’t put it down’ Diney Costeloe
Napoleon has won the Battle of Waterloo and England is under French occupation…
A half-drowned girl washes up on a Cornish beach, escaping French soldiers after the murder of her sea captain father.
An aristocratic soldier-spy, haunted by his part in the defeat at Waterloo, plans to spring the Duke of Wellington from captivity.
Together, they become enmeshed in a web of treachery and espionage stretching from London to the Isles of Scilly.
“A marvellously dark and compelling anti-hero and a truly gutsy (and sexy) heroine … A terrific read.”
– Caro Fraser
Reader advisory: this book includes mention of PTSD, violence and racism
REVIEWS
“Those who like their action on the swashbuckling side will enjoy this fabulous debut set in a world in which Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo. A cross between Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Dunnett and Poldark”
— iNews
“The quality of the story in itself is sufficient to carry this novel, but excellent writing and characterisation pushes it up several notches — with special mention for Hester: a fizzing-with-life, believable and resourceful heroine if ever there was one.”
— Daily Mail
“Featuring Cornish separatist rebels, Napoleon’s brother Jerome on the English throne, and a mixed-race heroine (not to mention another particularly wonderful depiction of a working-class woman whose capacity for military strategy wins her the Duke of Wellington’s respect), it’s like a glorious mashup of Frenchman’s Creek and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (but without the magic.)”
— Elle Thinks
“Witty, exciting and heartfelt, the book had me hooked, from the minute I picked it up until I put it down at four o’clock in the morning.”
— The Roaring Bookworm
“Rugged scenery combined with even more rugged leading men and feisty leading ladies does make this a book that one can easily compare to Poldark – but Whittaker provides depth and nuance to her characters – meaning that the intensity of the plot is only amplified by quite how much she makes you care about the characters it revolves around.”
— The Bookbag
“Wars, murder, rebellion, slavery, PTSD, bravery and love, all scrambled into this one hell of a ride for both characters and readers.”
— Our First Year Here
“K J Whittaker draws the reader into a world full of adventure, romance, treachery, and espionage, with believable characters and wonderfully evocative settings of Scilly, Cornwall and London.”
— Mostly Books
“Adventurous, dark, brooding and mysterious.”
— Rachel Bustin