Net for Small Fishes

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD'What a ride!' India Knight, Sunday Times Summer reads'Thrilling a sumptuous feast of plotting and intrigue' Mail on Sunday 'A complete joy' Bettany Hughes 'Gloriously immersive' Guardian-------------------------------------------------Frances Howard has beauty and a powerful family and is the most unhappy creature in the world.Anne Turner has wit and talent but no stage on which to display them. Little stands between her and the abyss of destitution.When these two very different women meet in strange circumstances, a powerful friendship is sparked. Frankie sweeps Anne into a world of splendour that exceeds all she imagined: a Court whose foreign king is a stranger to his own subjects; where ancient families fight for power, and where the sovereign's favourite may rise and rise so long as he remains in favour.Anne and Frankie dare to seek a little happiness for themselves in this extravagant, savage hunting ground. But as they gain notice, they also gain enemies; what began as a search for love and safety leads to desperate acts that could cost them everything. Based on the true scandal that rocked the court of James I, A Net for Small Fishes is the most gripping novel you'll read this year: an exhilarating dive into the pitch-dark waters of the Jacobean court.