An Echo of Scandal
(Black Swan, September 2019)
In the dead of night, with blood on her hands, she made her escape.
Accused of murder, Alejandra flees her home, escaping to the southern edge of Spain, where she faces a life of poverty and destitution.
Seduced by the power of the rich and the anonymity that waits across the water in Tangier, Ale makes a bid for a new start. But it will come at a cost: a life of deception. Because Ale’s new friends want to know what she is running from, they want to know who she is and whether they can trust her.
Fifty years later, a young American writer wanders the streets of Tangier, searching for inspiration. When he stumbles across a trace of Ale’s life, he finds himself tangled in a story of scandal, love and danger that has not yet reached its end…
“Historical fiction at its very best.” – Inked Book Reviews
“The heat and humidity dance from the page… historical fiction gold. Glorious and wonderfully written.” – The Book Trail
Amazon | Waterstones | Hive | Foyles | Kobo
Excerpt
Click below to read or download an excerpt from An Echo of Scandal
An Echo of Scandal is published in Italian by Piemme as Il segreto di Alejandra, in Lithuanian as Skandalo Atgarsiai and in Estonian as Skandaali Kaja by Ersen.
The Secrets Between Us
(Black Swan, 2018)
A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war.
Perfect for fans of Kate Morton’s The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries’ Before the Rains.
High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.
In 1993, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…
The Secrets Between Us is published in Norwegian as Hemmelighetene mellom oss by Cappelen Damm and in Lithuanian as Mūsų paslaptys by Sofoklis.
Where the Wild Cherries Grow
Black Swan / St Martin’s Press
It is 1919 and the end of the war has not brought peace for Emeline Vane. Lost in grief, she is suddenly alone at the heart of a depleted family. She can no longer cope. And just as everything seems to be slipping beyond her control, in a moment of desperation, she boards a train and runs away.
I closed my eyes as I tried to pick apart every flavour, because nothing had ever tasted so good before. It was love and it could not be hidden.
Fifty years later, a young solicitor on his first case finds Emeline’s diary. Bill Perch is eager to prove himself but what he finds in the tattered pages of neat script goes against everything he has been told. He begins to trace a story of love and betrayal that will send him on a journey to discover the truth. What really happened to Emeline all those years ago?
“Atmospheric, engaging and sublimely satisfying” – Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House
Where the Wild Cherries Grow is published in the US by Macmillan. It is also published in German as Der Duft von Meer und Thymian by Bastei Lübbe, in Italian as La ragazza delle ciliegie by Piemme, in Norwegian as Smaken av villkirsebær by Cappelen Damm, in Czech as Kde rousou divoké třešně by MOBA, as Seal, kus kasvavad metsikud kirsid in Estonian by Ersen and in Hungarian as Egy Francia titok íze by Lettero Kiadó.
Amazon UK / Amazon US /Waterstones / WH Smith / Barnes & Noble / Books-a-Million / Indiebound / Powells / Find your local bookshop
The Confectioner’s Tale
Black Swan / St Martin’s Press
At the famous Patisserie Clermont in Paris, 1909, a chance encounter with the owner’s daughter has given one young man a glimpse into a life he never knew existed: of sweet cream and melted chocolate, golden caramel and powdered sugar, of pastry light as air.
But it is not just the art of confectionery that holds him captive, and soon a forbidden love affair begins.
Almost eighty years later, an academic discovers a hidden photograph of her grandfather as a young man with two people she has never seen before. Scrawled on the back of the picture are the words ‘Forgive me’. Unable to resist the mystery behind it, she begins to unravel the story of two star-crossed lovers and one irrevocable betrayal.
“Mouth-watering and mysterious . . . a compelling read” (Leah Fleming, bestselling author of The Postcard)
“Sizzling forbidden love story set in 1900s Paris . . . four stars” (Heat)
“A heady mix of passion and betrayal set against the stunning backdrops of 1909 Paris and 1980s Cambridge.” (The Lady)
“Delightful, delicious and so typically French sweet and salty: this debut is a must read for every reading gourmet and for any Paris-Lover.” Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop
“In her fast-paced, deliciously addictive debut novel, Laura Madeleine throws the reader directly into 1910 Paris. You can feel the grittiness of Montmartre, see the Left Bank streets, and smell the sugar in the patisseries. Featuring romance, family secrets, and a well-executed dual narrative, The Confectioner s Tale is as transportive a book as you can read.” Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment and I’ll See You in Paris
“[A] passionate and thrilling story. Fans of Alex Rosenberg and Naomi Wood will enjoy this glimpse inside the decadent and sensual world of 1910s Paris.” Booklist
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Waterstones / Find your local bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Books-a-million / Indiebound / Powells
The Confectioner’s Tale is published in the US by Macmillan. It has been translated and published in Italian, French, German, Bulgarian, Dutch, Lithuanian, Czech, Latvian, Estonian and Hungarian.
Laura Madeleine 