Jill Dawson Books

A hypnotic and thought-provoking novel inspired by the sensational Lord Lucan case, by the Orange Prize-shortlisted author of Fred & Edie.

This wonderfully sharp and witty collection of poems - feisty, bawdy, erotic, irreverent - is an illuminating comment on women's ability to transform poetry into a medium of subversiveness. There are jibes at hypocrisy and prejudice, plenty of sexiness and sauciness, and a riotous turning of the 'Lady Poet' image on its head. ('A fallinf leaf could stir her. / A wilting, dying rose / would make her write, both day and night, / the most rewarding prose. / She'd find a hidden meaning / in every pair of pants / then hurry home to be alone / and write about romance' - Maya Angelou). With poets spanning continents and centuries, this anthology demonstrates lavishly the myriad ways in which women can be 'wicked' - by their definition - and wilfully so! Poems by: Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, Aphra Behn, Nina Cassian, Emily Dickinson, Carol Ann Duffy, Lorna Goodison, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochead, Suniti Namjoshi, Grace Nichols, Dorothy Parker, Fiona Pitt-Kethley, Izumi Shikibu, Stevie Smith, Anna Wickham and many more.

'OUR MOST CONSUMMATE HISTORICAL NOVELIST' Philip Hoare 'Brilliant' Paula Hawkins 'Devastating' The Times 'Terrific' Mail on Sunday From the award-winning author of The Language of Birds and The Crime Writer, a chilling tale of a witch-hunt Alice Samuel might be old and sharp-tongued, but she's no fool. Visiting her new neighbours in her Fenland village, she finds Squire Throckmorton's family troubled and, she suspects, not as God-fearing as they seem. Yet when one of the daughters accuses her of witchcraft, Alice has no idea of the danger she is in or how quickly matters will escalate. The Throckmortons' maid Martha, uneasy herself about strange goings-on in the household, is reluctant to believe that Alice is a witch. But as the entire village gets swept up in the frenzied persecution of one of their own, she struggles to find a voice . . . PRAISE FOR JILL DAWSON 'A skilful storyteller' Hilary Mantel 'A magnificent writer' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'A spark fires throughout Dawson's work' Guardian

A riveting tale exploring the complex nature of damaging relationships

'Brilliant' Paula Hawkins In 1964, the eccentric American novelist Patricia Highsmith is hiding out in a cottage in Suffolk, to concentrate on her writing and escape her fans. She has another motive too - a secret romance with a married lover based in London. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that all her demons have come with her. Prowlers, sexual obsessives, frauds, imposters, suicides and murderers: the tropes of her fictions clamour for her attention, rudely intruding on her peaceful Suffolk retreat. After the arrival of Ginny, an enigmatic young journalist bent on interviewing her, events take a catastrophic turn. Except, as always in Highsmith's troubled life, matters are not quite as they first appear . . . Masterfully recreating Highsmith's much exercised fantasies of murder and madness, Jill Dawson probes the darkest reaches of the imagination in this novel - at once a brilliant portrait of a writer and an atmospheric, emotionally charged, riveting tale.

This mosaic of memoir and fiction captures the individual and unique, as well as the quotidian and universal, in the birth experience.

In 18th-century France, a child is captured in the forests near Aveyron where he seems to have been living wild for seven years. Now 12 years old, the Wild Boy is put on public display as a freak, and finally handed over to the ambitious, emotionally repressed Doctor Itard, who is charged with educating the boy, whom he names Victor, and trying to discover the secrets of his strange, secret life. But Victor soon becomes a pawn in the raging debate about nature vs nurture, and Itard's attempts to civilise him bear little fruit. Instead, Victor seems drawn to Mme Guerin, his motherly guardian - and to her vivacious daughter, Julie, who is herself falling for Itard as he struggles to understand both Victor and his own confused emotions. Giving a vivid sense of the Revolutionary period, the novel brings to life through the stories of three fascinating characters a mysterious case that resonates in the modern day preoccupation with autism.

Set against the backdrop of 1922 London, the novel delves into the sensational murder of clerk Percy Thompson, who is fatally stabbed on his way home. The ensuing trial captivates the nation as his wife, Edith, and her lover, Frederick Bywaters, face dire consequences for their actions. With themes of passion, betrayal, and public intrigue, the story explores the complexities of love and justice, highlighting the societal reactions and the overwhelming petition for clemency that garnered over a million signatures.

Set against the backdrop of London's East End during the Great Depression, the story follows Queenie Dove, an adept thief shaped by her upbringing in a criminal family and her training with women shoplifters during the Blitz. As she evolves from petty crime to significant heists, motherhood prompts her to seek a more stable life. However, the allure of one final, daring robbery pulls her back into the thrilling and perilous world she knows so well, forcing her to confront the choices that define her life.

'A cracking page-turner of a novel', compassionate and beautifully written portrait of a young single mother breaking free from her past