The Midnight News

''Impressive and satisfying . . . a novel that succeeds both in creating pages that turn themselves, and in continually feeding the reader''s sense of wonder'' Daily Telegraph It is 1940 and twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond watches from her attic window as enemy planes fly over London. Still grieving her beloved brother who never returned from France, she is working hard to keep her own little life ticking over: holding down a dull typist job at the Ministry of Information, sharing gin and confidences with her best friend Elena, and dodging her difficult father. She has good reason to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. She knows what happens when she makes a nuisance of herself. On her way to work she often sees the boy who feeds the birds - a source of unexpected joy amidst the rubble of the Blitz. But every day brings new scenes of devastation, and after yet another heartbreaking loss Charlotte has an uncanny sense of foreboding. Someone is stalking the darkness, targeting her friends. And now he is following her. She no longer knows who to trust. She can''t even trust herself. She knows this; her family have told so her often enough. As grief and suspicion consume her, Charlotte''s nerves become increasingly frayed, and soon her very freedom is under threat . . . ''Intriguing and thrilling . . . it had me by the throat'' EMMA DONOGHUE ''A marvel of storytelling . . . your heart will be in your mouth as you read'' FRANCIS SPUFFORD ''Immersive and utterly enthralling'' CATHY RENTZENBRINK ''Riveting and moving . . . masterful'' NINA STIBBE ''I stayed up late reading and was glad'' SARAH MOSS

Auteur
Jo Baker is the acclaimed author of seven previous novels, including the Sunday Times bestselling Longbourn. She lives with her family in Lancashire.

Résumé

'A tour de force' IRISH TIMES

'Riveting and moving' NINA STIBBE

'Gripping' THE TIMES

'It had me by the throat' EMMA DONOGHUE

LONDON, 1940. As enemy planes fly over the city, twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond is trying to make the best of things. She has a dull but steady job at the Ministry of Information, a friend to share gin and secrets with, and an attic room of her own. All she has to do is keep her head down. She knows where her father will send her if she makes a nuisance of herself again.

But amid the chaos of the Blitz, Charlotte's grip on reality starts slipping. Is someone following her in the blackouts, or is her mind playing tricks on her? In a city where nothing is safe, it's hard to know who to trust - until she meets the boy who feeds the birds . . .

'A late-night page-turner that will keep you guessing till the end' JOANNA QUINN

'Glorious' RED

'Exquisite' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'I stayed up late reading and was glad' SARAH MOSS